We recently went to Araya’s Place, Madison Valley. It is in a small cottage/ house, off of a small courtyard, on the north side of the street- so look for the sidewalk sign, marking the entrance to the courtyard, or you just might miss it! We have also been to the Bellevue location in the Main Street downtown area- both have somewhat limited parking and most is on street, so be prepared to walk a little way.

We went to meet some long lost friends- and come to think of it, sadly the time before, was to say goodbye to mutual, good, ol’ friends who moved away…seems we need to go for a more happy occasion- and more regularly!

We were so glad for their suggestion of this location, as we forgot what we were missing out on. Moving out of the city has apparently warped our vision of what it means to “eat out” (read: veggie burger and fries) and we are suffering from restaurant amnesia. We never cease to be amazed either, at the veg and vegan options which have cropped up in the last decade.

The food at Araya’s is extremely delicious and all vegan, which is great- although we are not technically vegan (veg for 20_ years), we eat vegan whenever we can. One of our favorite dishes here is the pumpkin curry, which seems to be available all year round!

When we visited Australia and New Zealand in 2010 (a very old blog format, don’t judge!), we were thrilled to see that pumpkin and other gourds are not just seasonal items there- as we believe they should be, they are celebrated year round. Thanks, Araya’s for agreeing as well to the anti-“pumpkin season” movement. Pumpkins just don’t get enough respect!

Another fav is the avocado curry, which we also cannot get enough of- so if you like curries, both are delicious, creamy and made to the perfect level of spiciness you prefer!

We also like to get a noodle dish as well, choosing phad see-iew, one of our go tos- and indeed we were not disappointed in the variety of veggies nor how they were cooked. As well, the noodles were cooked just right- gooey enough, seared lightly, without hard edges, which is my pet peeve when I get the wide noodles like that. They remind me of bubble tea or tapioca- which I love, but Bryan, hates…he’d be devastated if I ever insinuated that connection (and he doesn’t always read the final blog, haha).

In all, Araya’s is a place I will consider more often when craving Thai food. There are many options in the area, but we love to support small bizzes serving great vegan fare (with excellent service to boot). As a side note, they do get quite busy, so be prepared for a slight wait during peak dinner hours and Fridays- and be courteous of the next patrons waiting for their turn to gorge on amazing vegan fare!