Thursday Switzerland trip Thai lunch — shrimps phad thai at CHF 20.50 (~SGD$28 at 2019 exchange). Thai food in Switzerland.

We ordered:

Shrimps phad thai — CHF 20.50

The phad thai (ผัดไทย) is the iconic Thai noodle dish. Standard preparation:

Rice noodles (thin flat pad thai noodles)
Wok-fried with proper Thai technique
Eggs scrambled through
Bean sprouts + chives + sometimes tofu
Tamarind sauce + palm sugar + fish sauce for seasoning
Crushed peanuts garnish
Lime wedge + dried chilli flakes on side

The shrimps variant adds:

Fresh shrimps/prawns as protein
Premium upgrade vs. plain or chicken variants
The proper “premium seafood pad thai” tier

The proper pad thai eating ritual:

Squeeze lime juice over noodles
Add dried chilli flakes to taste
Sprinkle additional crushed peanuts
Mix vigorously to combine all elements
Eat with proper chopsticks or fork

At CHF 20.50 (~SGD$28) for shrimp pad thai in Switzerland, this represents Swiss-priced Thai food. Significantly more expensive than:

Singapore Thai restaurants ($12-18 typical for shrimp pad thai)
Thailand actual pad thai (THB$80-200 / SGD$3-8)
Singapore Golden Mile Complex Thai stalls ($10-15)

The Switzerland Thai food ecosystem:

Multiple Thai restaurants in major cities
Thai migrant chef community
Authentic execution at Swiss-tier pricing
The proper “global Thai cuisine reach” demonstration

The Switzerland Thai food cultural context:

Switzerland’s multi-cultural city populations
Thai food’s global popularity
Asian cuisine premium positioning in Switzerland
Tourist + expat demand
The proper “international cuisine accessibility in Switzerland”

The Thursday Switzerland Thai lunch format provides proper “familiar cuisine break” during European travel. Different from continuous European cuisine sampling (Italian, Swiss, German), the Thai lunch provides proper Asian palate refresh during the trip.

Overall: 4.5 / 5. 😋👍🏼 Solid Switzerland Thai pad thai. Would re-do for proper Asian cuisine break during European travel.

Original IG post