Dining at Mom's Kitchen in Waukesha feels exotic yet comforting. Most people in Waukesha County have little exposure to Thai food or culture, so the menu can be overwhelming at first, with dishes with foreign-sounding names like Tom Yum Noodles and Larb Moo Kawp. Some dishes, like Pad Thai, will be familiar to anyone who's eaten at Noodles & Co., but of course, that's food the chain has created for the masses. Curry dishes are on the menu, but they taste decidedly different from your typical Indian curry.
Many people unfamiliar with Thai food may be hesitant to try Mom's Kitchen, fearing the dishes will be too spicy or too exotic, but there's no need to worry: Dishes such as Mom's Holy Basil ($17.95) have a familiar flavor that will make you feel like you're sitting in your mother's or grandmother's kitchen eating a satisfying meal.
Of the two main dishes we ordered for this review, Mum's Holy Basil comes up as the recommended choice. We ordered the minced pork instead of the chicken, which was recommended by our attentive waitress. It came out stir-fried with a “spicy” garlic brown sauce, white rice, a fried egg, and slices of cucumber. (Holy basil is a type of basil often used in Thai stir-fries.) In my opinion, I could see a few green specks and it could have used more basil instead of the more spicy heat. When we ordered, we asked if we could request our dish to be mild, medium, or hot, and the waitress said that there were no chillies in what we ordered unless we requested it. While we were wondering what to do, she offered to bring us a dish where we could put as much red chilli flakes and chilli oil as we wanted. We accepted her idea and went with it when it came to Mum's Holy Basil. At home, we used Sriracha sauce to add extra flavour and heat to our leftovers.
The other main, Khao Moo Krob Moo Dang ($17.95), was beautifully complex in flavour – roasted and crispy pork served with boiled egg, jasmine rice, Thai barbecue and sweet soy sauce. The highlight of this dish was the pork cooked two ways, but my preference was the crispy pork. Again, it wasn't spicy from chilli or other spices, but the flavour was strong. I would have preferred to have dipped the rice in a bit more sauce to add a tangy flavour.
The only dish we ordered that was spicy was the Tom Yum Kai ($5.95 for a cup, $10.95 for a bowl), which is described as a Thai hot and sour chicken and mushroom soup. The flavor is rich and contains many nuances that certain Asian cuisines have really mastered. The heat is quite intense after a few spoonfuls, so I was happy to ask for white rice to soften the heat that hit my taste buds. The soup tastes like it was simmered for hours to make it rich. My only complaints from eating at Mom's Kitchen twice were that the pieces of chicken and tomatoes sometimes felt too large and unwieldy (even with my large Asian soup spoon), and the tomatoes seemed canned and not fresh. The canned mushrooms in the soup are not as unpleasant as they are in pizzas and burgers, but they still don't have that fresh texture or taste.
The two appetizers we chose were the Crab Rangoon ($7.95 for 3 pieces), which was definitely the highlight of the meal. Beautifully folded and fried to a perfectly even golden brown. The filling was the best Rangoon I've ever eaten and tasted of crab, which is rare in so-called crab Rangoon at most restaurants. The accompanying sweet and sour sauce tasted homemade and was delicious.
The other appetizer, the Chive Dumplings ($7.95 for two large halved dumplings), was also flavorful and had a different texture than any dumpling I've had before. It had the texture of a Japanese mochi made from rice. To be honest, I preferred the texture of the dumplings over the taste. The dumplings were good, but not as memorable as the Crab Rangoon, which I'd raved about to friends and family.
I went to Mom's Kitchen for lunch a while ago and ordered off the lunch menu and tried their delicious Pad Thai and their strong, sweet Thai coffee, which was so amazing that I would consider going there just for the coffee.
There were many other dishes I wanted to try. I've heard the curries and sushi are also very good. The sushi options range from fun sushi tacos and poke bowls to rolls and sashimi. There are a few dishes that might appeal to the person in your life who is hesitant to step out of their comfort zone, such as the beef salad served with spring mix on a medium cooked New York strip.
There's a kids' menu, but thankfully it doesn't include the standard mac and cheese or burgers – instead, Mom's Kitchen offers dishes like chicken tempura, egg noodles with chicken and teriyaki that are perfect for foodie, egg-loving kids.
Before heading to Mom's Kitchen, I had perused the menu online, but still, sitting down at the table and seeing the large menu in front of me, with a page dedicated to sushi and a page of Thai food, including the Zap Menu, bold, vibrantly flavoured dishes that combine spicy, tangy ingredients with the freshest of ingredients, makes me feel overwhelmed.
There are also sections for curry ($14.95-$17.95), noodles ($14.95-$17.95), and fried rice ($13.95-$14.95). If you are not familiar with the menu, you may be a little confused. In that case, we recommend going during off-hours so that you can easily ask the staff questions.
However, we went for dinner at a very busy time on a Saturday. The hostess was busy on the phone and stood just inside the door for a few minutes, and we were not served until someone else came in after us and asked what they were waiting for. The hostess did not seem to be used to her role. The waitress service was good, the food came out at a good pace, and empty plates were cleared away quickly and without intrusively. The restaurant felt cramped when it was full. Our small table was barely able to hold food, and when it came time to sign the check over the box of leftovers, we accidentally knocked over our water glasses, splashing all over the diner next to us. The woman behind me, who left at the same time as us, also commented on the crampedness of the place. A man who was a little unsteady on his feet had to place his hands on the table several times to support himself as he walked between the full-service bar counter and our table.
The cleanliness of the restaurant was really good. The trash cans in both restrooms were overflowing with paper, but other than that the crockery, tables and dining area were all excellent. The decor in the restaurant is simple but somewhat trendy with interesting light fixtures. I'm not a huge fan of TV in restaurants, but at least the one I headed to had a travel cooking show on.
Overall, I highly recommend Mom's Kitchen and hope to return and explore more of their traditional Thai and sushi options because, in this case, Mom's Kitchen will be a place to come home to again.
