Thai Time III

I missed an opportunity to try out Thai Time III with the lunch gang so convinced two other coworkers to join me a few weeks later. It’s a bit hidden off Genesse Ave near Balboa Ave because the strip mall's back side is facing the main street, but the restaurant itself had more seating than the little mom and pop shop I was expecting! We passed by the hostess stand and grabbed seating in the back section, showered with soft light from a window nearby.

Thai Time III - lunch special appetizer soup and salad

The lunch specials start at $8 for vegetarian or $9+ for meats and include a small soup and salad. The peanut-flavored dressing on the salad wasn’t too thick or strong flavored and meshed well with the lettuce. The soup was a bit sparse, with a few micro pieces of carrot and zucchini floating throughout. I was thinking of tom kha and wished there was a little more of the sour taste I like in there.

Thai Time III - pad see ew chicken

I ordered my usual thai dish, the Pad See Ew with chicken. The noodles were soft and sauted with the mild sauce, and I'd get a little spark of red pepper chili every couple of bites. I thought that the egg-y parts had that char I enjoy but the rest of the noodles did not. Still, a decent pad see ew but not my favorite of my little quest.

Thai Time III - side wonton and eggroll

Also served with the lunch special was a fried wonton and vegetarian eggroll. These came out on the less crisp side and were nothing to brag about as fillers.

Thai Time III - panang curry chicken

My coworker ordered the Panang Curry, which was very creamy and flavorful at the medium heat level. I did sample the sauce a few more times because I couldn't seem to keep myself away for too long. Luckily for me, it wasn't my main dish because my mouth would have been on fire! There was a slow burn to it instead of immediate hot.

Thai Time III - pad thai

My other coworker was happy with his Pad Thai chicken, and its medium level was spicier than the curry. I would have wanted it mild with the sweet flavor popping out more on the thin noodles. It also had way too many brussel sprouts for me! I rarely order Pad Thai, though I suspect my subconscious wants to avoid bean sprouts! But more likely, I just prefer the flat noodles as found in pad see ew…

Thai Time III - special thai coconut pudding

We were chatting with the waitress who mentioned that the family's grandma was making her famous coconut pudding and brought us some to try! The dessert edges were slightly crusted yet firm enough to hold its shape and the centers were a softer, creamy and deliciously coconut explosion! My coworker mentioned that it was similar to a Filipino dessert but this version was much better! This is normally something that is pre-ordered and they’ll make it in batches priced at 8 for 4.99. Next time I’m here for lunch, I’ll get some for Dennis!

Thai Time III in San Diego

I rather enjoyed my visit to Thai Time III. What really stuck out to me were the two waitresses working there, who were contagiously cheerful! I felt that they treated us as if we were regulars even though it was our first visit. I’d go back for a relaxing mid-day break from the office to try out a couple of their other dishes, but at the mild spice level! See you soon, panang curry!

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Thai Time III
4310 Genesee Ave Ste 111
San Diego CA 92117
(858) 278-4949

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Comments

J.S. @ Sun Diego Eats's picture
Submitted by J.S. @ Sun Dieg... (not verified) on Tue, 06/24/2014 - 9:24am

I love coconut pancakes!! At the Little Italy and Hillcrest Farmer's Markets Saranya Thai (there might be other ones too but those are the only ones I go too and I know for sure Saranya is there at both) always has them and its only a dollar for 4 pancakes. So good when they are fresh and you can ask for some extra sweet coconut milk topping on them if you want.

And I love pad see ew and panang but just always go for the panang, dunno why.

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Tue, 06/24/2014 - 10:10am

Ooh I have to check out those super affordable pancake things! I saw some food stands at the Mira Mesa farmer's market last week but don't remember if there was anything Thai there. And I know you love your coconut since it's in your super cool coconut overnight oatmeal recipe and a few of your other recipes! Panang is pretty much the only Thai curry I eat unless they have massaman curry! For some reason, I haven't had yellow or green curry in forever, but I have made red curry at home with fresh asparagus and red bell pepper! Yum.

Mary's picture
Submitted by Mary (not verified) on Tue, 06/24/2014 - 11:32am

Oh, the coconut pudding things look good! I like that little crispy edge they have... and they're cute! That would be a fun thing to sample! I try not to order Pad Thai as much because I want to try other things! You know, like curry :) But mild spice for me! I don't want my mouth to catch on fire.

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Wed, 06/25/2014 - 3:21pm

Now if we go somewhere together, we can order all the mild dishes we want! Whoop! Actually, I order the same 2-3 items from thai restaurants. Maybe I should expand my horizons a little too!

Faye's picture
Submitted by Faye (not verified) on Wed, 06/25/2014 - 4:36pm

I liked all the dishes you guys ordered that day. That always makes the best lunches for me - when your peeps orders stuff you personally wanna eat/try. The pad thai noodles always comes out clumpy - have you noticed that? Not sure if the noodles are harder to separate. I've never tried that coconut dessert. That's cool they let you sample it for free :)

Is this restaurant located next to the Peruvian restaurant? If it is, then I saw this place!

lynn's picture
Submitted by lynn on Wed, 06/25/2014 - 7:29pm

Yes, Thai Time III is in the same plaza as Nazca Grill. I'm glad these coworkers let me sample their food AND take picures of it. The waitress sounded very proud of the grandma's puddings, which aren't on the menu. I think they're ordered maybe 24 hours in advance so someone was planning to pick some up that day! I wonder if we would have gotten a sample if I didn't have a camera though (you never know about those things)...

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