When Siam Saechew saw an opportunity to expand his family-owned restaurant last year, he seized it. The result is X-press Thai in Frisco. Saechew has been serving Thai cuisine from his first restaurant, Thai 2 Go, in Dallas since leaving his finance job in 2009.
Saechew credits his mother, Jad Fopp, with the food that has won over many customers.
“She learned from my grandmother,” Saechew said. “I enjoy cooking too, so that’s where I get it from.”
Saechew spends a lot of time in the kitchen at X-press Thai, serving dishes such as pad thai, fried rice and a variety of curries. Fopp often helps with the restaurant, he said.
One of its most popular items is the basil chili noodles.
And even though it is not officially on the menu, Saechew said one of his favorite things to eat is the basil minced chicken, which is served with rice, bell peppers, basil, carrots, scallions and garlic chili sauce with a fried egg on top. It can be made at the customer’s request.
“Every bite is full of flavor, and the egg helps [balance] the heat,” he said.
X-press Thai also offers an extensive list of curries. A booklet of photographed dishes help customers navigate the menu.
Thai cuisine usually calls for many different curries, spices and herbs, Saechew said. Each dish is multidimensional with a variety of flavors blended together to make something that is spicy, sweet and salty at once.
When Saechew and his family visit Thailand, they sometimes bring back new ideas to add to the menu, such as X-press Thai’s lemongrass and green curry fried rice. Often, the tastiest foods are found at street markets or street vendors, he said.
The way to determine whether a Thai restaurant is authentic is to taste the food, he said.
“That’s how you can tell if it’s homemade or not,” he said.
X-press Thai
6750 Gaylord Parkway #140, Frisco
972-292-9021
www.getxpressthai.com
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and 4:30-9 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m., closed Sun.
