Have eaten here many tmes and the food and service are fantastic.

My wife and I have tried half dozen Thai restaurants in the Fairfax/Chantilly area over past couple years and keep retuning to this family run little jewel in a short strip mall just east of Shirleygate on 29.. An attentive staff, excellent variety on the menu at very reasonable prices, careful preparation all served in a small but tasteful dining room. The chef or wait staff are frequently having their own dinner in the dining area if the place is not too busy. I like that. Parking can be iffy as there are a couple fronts with higher volume traffic co-located and all share the few spots, but there is adequate parking in the big lot that now houses a new Wal-Mart right behind this little treasure. We will be back to be sure!

This is the place where the owner comes and talks to you about food, service and about you. That is great. A small family run restaurant serving authentic Thai dishes, not a whole lot of items but whatever they have they just do it right. I think last year they were on 'Best of Fairfax 2010' Washingtonian 100 top restaurant list. Their Chicken Tamarind, Red Curry and Pad Thai Noodles dishes are just great. Try it on your next visit to Fairfax.

I keep forgetting to snap a photo of the Pad Thai dishes I've been trying lately--not that the dish is based on its appearance, however, to me--a proper dish of Pad Thai is presented a certain way. The dish usually has the accompanying bean sprouts, crushed peanuts, finely-shredded carrot, Green Onions, etc..on the plate--separated from the noodles which are smothered in the delicious blend of Pad-Thai flavorings (Tamarind, Fish Sauce, Sugar, etc..). This way, the customer can add the various condiments to the noodles--or not.

At this restaurant--the bean sprouts and ground peanuts were tossed and cooked together. It's not the "end of the world" but, for someone who "knows" good Pad Thai; it bothers me a bit. The once-crisp bean sprouts are certainly no longer "crisp" when they're cooked in the noodle/sauce mixture. There was a lack of green onions and shredded carrot so the dish was rather bland and boring in appearance. The taste was good--not GREAT, but certainly acceptable.

A small "goof" on their part was that we ordered an appetizer of Larb Gai (ground chicken with a thin vinegar/fish-sauce, thinly sliced red onion, cilantro, fresh hot pepper) and before it came they brought out my main course of Pad Thai!! I asked where our Larb Gai was and he said it was coming shortly. My friend and I looked at each other and chuckled. I didn't want to eat my Pad Thai first so it sat in front of me while we awaited the Larb Gai. Eventually the Larb Gai and my friend's entree arrived so now it all had to be consumed at once. Poor service on the part of the waiter.

The restaurant is small and we were in a tight corner on a small "two-person" table. It was VERY "tight quarters" and I was uncomfortable the entire time.

I'm not sure if I'd return here as there are still many other Thai restaurants which seem to have a better ambiance and better dishes.