About once a day, someone walks up to our counter at Promenade Shopping Centre, looks at the sign, looks at the menu, and asks the same thing: “Wait, you do pad thai here too?”

We do. Thien Vietnam is a Vietnamese kitchen first, but Thai dishes have been on our family’s menu for more than twenty years, starting in Saskatoon and now here in Thornhill. If you’ve been searching for Thai food in Thornhill and landed on a Vietnamese restaurant, this guide is for you: every Thai dish on our menu, what it tastes like, how spicy it is, and what to order first.

The short answer: five Thai dishes worth ordering

If you’re in a hurry, here’s the whole Thai side of the menu in one list.

  • Pad Thai (item 74, $19.95): stir-fried rice noodles with chicken, shrimp, tofu, bean sprouts, and crushed peanuts. Mild.
  • Thai Tom Yum Rice Noodle Soup (items 37 to 40, $17.95): hot-and-sour lemongrass broth with chicken, pork, beef, or shrimp. Spicy.
  • Thai Style Shanghai Noodle (items 64 to 67, from $18.95): thick noodles in Thai basil and chili sauce. Spicy.
  • Thai Fried Rice (item 79, $18.95): basil fried rice with chicken, pork, and shrimp. Spicy.
  • Stir Fry with Veggies & Basil Sauce (item 89, $18.95): your choice of protein in aromatic Thai basil sauce. Good with steamed rice.

Now the longer version.

Pad thai: the one everybody knows

Pad thai is the Thai dish most people try first, and for good reason. It’s a plate of flat rice noodles tossed in a very hot wok with a sauce that is sweet, tangy, and savoury all at once, then finished with bean sprouts and crushed peanuts. A squeeze of lime at the table ties it together.

Ours comes with chicken, shrimp, and tofu in the same plate, so you get three textures in every forkful instead of having to pick one. The noodles are cooked to order, which is why a good pad thai arrives glossy and loose, never clumped.

Order pad thai when you’re new to Thai food, feeding kids, or eating with someone who doesn’t like heat. It’s the mildest dish on this list. It contains peanuts, so tell us about allergies when you order.

It’s also the dish we’d suggest for takeout. Stir-fried noodles hold their texture on the drive home to Vaughan, Richmond Hill, or Markham far better than anything in broth.

Tom yum: hot, sour, and built on lemongrass

If pad thai is the gentle introduction, tom yum is the deep end. The broth is made with lemongrass, lime leaves, mushrooms, and chilies, and it tastes exactly like that list sounds: bright, sour, and properly hot.

A bowl of Thai tom yum rice noodle soup with shrimp, mushrooms and herbs

We serve it as a full noodle soup over rice noodles, with your choice of chicken, pork, beef, or shrimp, all at $17.95. Shrimp is the classic pairing and the one we recommend first.

Order tom yum when the weather turns. October in York Region is exactly the season for it: cold enough to want soup, and grey enough to want something that wakes you up. If you’re deciding between this and a bowl of phở, our guide to Vietnamese vs Thai noodle soups compares them side by side.

Thai basil noodles, fried rice, and stir fry

The next three dishes share one flavour: Thai basil and chili. Thai basil is more peppery than the Italian kind, with a faint licorice note, and it turns fragrant the second it hits a hot wok.

Thai Style Shanghai Noodle

Thick, chewy Shanghai noodles stir-fried with vegetables in Thai basil and chili sauce. Choose chicken, pork, or beef for $18.95, or shrimp for $19.95. This is the dish for people who love pad thai but want more heat and more chew. If we had to name the most underrated plate on the menu, it would be this one.

Thai Fried Rice

Spicy Thai-style fried rice with chicken, pork, shrimp, basil, and vegetables for $18.95. It’s a complete meal on its own, and it’s also the best side dish to share when the table has ordered soups.

Stir Fry with Veggies & Basil Sauce

Your choice of chicken, pork, or beef with vegetables in our Thai basil sauce for $18.95, or shrimp for a dollar more. Order steamed rice alongside and you have the simplest, cleanest Thai dinner we make.

How spicy is the Thai food here?

Fair question, and the honest answer is that it depends on the dish. Here’s how the Thai side of the menu lines up. Prices are current as of this post; check the full menu for the latest.

Dish Heat Noodle or base Contains peanuts Price
Pad Thai Mild Flat rice noodle Yes $19.95
Basil Sauce Stir Fry Mild Add steamed rice No $18.95
Thai Fried Rice Medium Jasmine rice No $18.95
Thai Style Shanghai Noodle Medium Thick Shanghai noodle No from $18.95
Thai Tom Yum Noodle Soup Hot Rice noodle No $17.95

If you’d like a dish milder or hotter than it normally comes, ask when you order and the kitchen will tell you what’s possible for that plate. Our kitchen handles peanuts and shellfish every day, so please mention any allergy, even for dishes where it isn’t listed.

What we don’t serve (so you’re not disappointed)

We’d rather be upfront. Thien Vietnam is a Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese kitchen, not a dedicated Thai restaurant, and there are a few Thai classics you won’t find here. Our regular menu has no Thai green or red curry, papaya salad, or mango sticky rice. The closest thing is the Curry Chicken with Veggies in our Dinner for Six combo.

What we do have is the Thai dishes our family has cooked for two decades, made in the same woks and with the same lemongrass, basil, and lime that go into our Vietnamese cooking. You can read more of that story on our about page.

If you like the peanut side of Thai cooking, two dishes are worth a look even though they aren’t strictly Thai:

  • Satay Rice Noodle Soup ($16.95): a spicy coconut and peanut broth over rice noodles. Rich where tom yum is sharp.
  • Satay Salad Rolls ($7.95 for 2, $15.95 for 4): rice-paper rolls finished with peanut satay sauce. More on these in our fresh rolls vs spring rolls guide.

Building a Thai dinner for two or four

The best way to eat this food is to share it. A few combinations that work:

  • For two: one Pad Thai, one Thai Tom Yum Shrimp soup, and a 2-piece order of Satay Salad Rolls to start. Mild, hot, and cool on one table.
  • For four: Pad Thai, Thai Fried Rice, a Thai Style Beef on Shanghai Noodle, and a Basil Sauce Stir Fry with steamed rice. Add a bowl of tom yum for whoever wants the heat.
  • The easy way: our Dinner for Four, option B ($60.95) includes the Thai Tom Yum Chicken Rice Noodle Soup alongside Vietnamese rolls, special fried rice, chow mein, and satay chicken. It’s on the combos section of the menu.

And if half the table wants Thai and the other half wants Vietnamese, that’s the whole point of this kitchen. Pair a pad thai with a Vietnamese vermicelli bowl or a bowl from our best pho in Thornhill guide and everyone gets what they came for.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Thai restaurant in Promenade Mall?

Thien Vietnam, on the first floor of Promenade Shopping Centre in Thornhill, serves pad thai, tom yum noodle soup, Thai basil noodles, and Thai fried rice alongside a full Vietnamese and Chinese menu. We’re open daily from 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Is your pad thai spicy?

No. Pad thai is the mildest Thai dish we make: sweet, tangy, and savoury rather than hot. If you want heat, order the Thai Style Shanghai Noodle or tom yum.

Is the pad thai vegetarian or gluten-free?

Our pad thai is made with chicken, shrimp, and tofu, so it is not vegetarian as listed. Rice noodles contain no wheat, but sauces can, so please tell us about any dietary needs when you order and we’ll check what the kitchen can do that day.

Does pad thai contain peanuts?

Yes. Crushed peanuts are part of the dish, and peanuts are used elsewhere in our kitchen. Let us know about a peanut allergy before you order anything.

Can I get Thai food for takeout or delivery in Thornhill?

Yes. Every dish in this guide is available for dine-in, takeout, and delivery across Thornhill, Vaughan, Richmond Hill, and Markham. Pad thai, Thai fried rice, and the Shanghai noodles travel best.

Come Taste It in Thornhill

Hungry now? Thien Vietnam serves Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese classics daily at Promenade Shopping Centre in Thornhill. Dine in, take out, or order for delivery across Vaughan, Richmond Hill, and Markham.

  • Pad thai, tom yum, and Thai basil dishes cooked to order in a hot wok
  • Three cuisines, one kitchen: Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese
  • Open daily 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Promenade Shopping Centre, Bathurst and Centre
  • Dine-in, takeout, and GTA delivery

See the full menu to plan your order, or contact us to reserve a table or call ahead at (905) 889-6688. Directions and parking are in our how to find us post.