Phonthip Style is, as it tends to be for sensible people, our favorite Thai place in Spokane. Not that competition is stiff, mind you. I've always found many Spokane Thai restaurants to be rather average. Not bad; just average.
Our Thai House, thankfully, is better than that. Quite a bit better, in fact. It came recommended by #Spiceawar-Patrick, so who were we not to try it?
Which is as good of a segue into the spiciness of the food as I can think of.
This is one of the few places where four out of five star really has a good kick to it. Not to an inedible degree, but certainly to the point where your sinuses clear up. Go down to the three star, and you'll feel good hints of jogging-level sweat -- as opposed to marathon -- start forming.
In other words, go with the two-, or even one-star, if you're averse to the hot stuff.
Going mild isn't much of a big deal, anyway, seeing there are plenty of actual flavors abound. As with Phonthip, Our Thai House stands out from most local Thai spots: sauces aren't overly sweet, and there is a true difference between the type of dishes that tend to taste nigh identically at other places.
Take the pad se-ew, with its nicely flavored rice noodles. The soy sauce is sweet without being overpowering, and the crunch of broccoli contrasts the noodles well. Both are prepared the way they should be -- nothing is too mushy; nothing is too raw.
Yet, for me, it's the tom yum that really hits it home. The sour lemongrass has a fresh quality to it, and goes well with the four star heat. Get the broth right, and you have a good tom yum. It also takes a turn for the better when the broth evaporates into the mushrooms. The latter's texture gives the flavors that extra zing of quality.
And the Thai iced tea is, not surprisingly, quite tasty, too.
We like Our Thai House, then. It doesn't quite have that individualistic feel Phonthip has, nor is it quite as good. But it holds it own. It's probably the best Thai place south of Francis.
We were quite literally the only patrons in there during our meal. That is too bad. We don't want Our Thai House to fail, so you should probably check it out. We think you'll like it.