Penang v. Thai Palace (Chapel Hill)

[ncpearl]

Reading the thread on Thai food in Chapel Hill/Durham got me thinking about take out options. It seems to be the consensus on this board that the service at Penang is pretty awful, but if you're looking for take out would you recommend Thai Palace over Penang? As another option, does Merlion do take out?

[FuzzyT]

sabarrett, have you tried Thai House in Raleigh? They've been good to me there.

[statolith]

I dig the food at Penang, but I'm a sucker for the American-version-of-Malaysian thing. Of course, I too have noticed how horrible the service is, but if I lived nearer I'd certainly get take out from there regularly.

[LulusMom]

Haven't tried the Thai place yet (soon, soon!) but I would never again eat at Penang. Greasy, bland, just basically yucky food and, as pointed out earlier, rude, dismissive service. Merlion would be a much better choice (but again, it isn't Thai).

[sabarrett]

I think they're both bleecch. Maybe I was spoiled by living on the west coast for too long, but imho the only really good Thai restaurant in the Triangle is Sawasdee. Merlion is good (we live in Southern Village so eat there quite a bit), but, as someone else mentioned, it's Singaporean not true-and-true Thai.

[FuzzyT]

Far and away more than simply "bad service", Panang features service that is simultaneously aggressive, dismissive, unapologetic, disrespectful and slow. I've had a decent plate of food there (spicy squid), but it was a lot to put up with to get it. If you absolutely have to give them a try, then go when there are not more than three other parties being served. That would seem to be about their limit.

[californialoving]

I've never been to Merlion so I can't speak on that...but I think Thai Palace is by far better...Penang is not even real asian food. It's over-salted and way overpriced for what you get. I think Thai Palace is decent and a much better option.

[peetoteeto]

Merlion does indeed offer take out, and they would by far be my choice between the three.

[bbqme]

I like Merlion too but to be accurate they are a Singaporean restaurant, not Thai.