Yaya Thai

Went to Manoa Night Out with my mom yesterday, a community event to get to know your neighbors, super cute idea with bouncy houses and bubbles for kids.
Ate at Yaya Thai food truck for the first time, and seriously broke da mouth! It was sooo good. We got the:
–pad Thai (my favorite dish we ordered)
–yellow curry chicken with sticky rice (my second favorite)
— red curry chicken with white jasmine (tied for second because I love potatoes and had the perfect amount of spiciness)
And the springs rolls… my only disappointment was that they didn’t have any banana lumpia… but I took it as a good sign :)
All I can say is If you want to try Thai food I recommend Yaya Thai you won’t be disappointed because not only do they provide delicious food they also help support local communities by being at event such as the one that I went to.

I’m super hesitant to give one star but this one is pretty darned close.
My wife and I LOVE our Thai food (please see my plethora of reviews for other Thai restaurants) and we’ve been itching to try this food truck for a while. Neither of us work downtown so we were really excited to hear that it was going to out and about on the weekend. We headed over and ordered our usual Thai standard bearers: Pad Krapow, Som Tum, Yellow Curry (chicken), and Pad Thai.
They were out of Pad Krapow, which I took to be a good sign. They didn’t ask what level of spice we wanted (which I should have realized was a bad sign). We got everything else we wanted, rushed home… and were thoroughly disappointed. Here’s a breakdown:
* Som Tum (aka Papaya Salad) — seriously lacking in garlic and tamarind flavor, actually lacking in any flavor at all. Very one dimensional. And it was warm so it wasn’t refreshing at all either (granted that could be because we took it home instead of eating it then and there).
* Yellow Curry — no flavor. Huge vegetables which made it seem more like a stew except that the sauces was liquid and had no substance. Any flavor at all seemed to come from a mix or a picture of curry that they found on the interwebs. The sweet carrots were good but both they and the potatoes were mush, which tells me that it was sitting around for a long time before being served.
* Pad Thai — probably the best dish we got… which is like coming in third place in a contest with three people. This at least had some flavor but it was all noodles with very little chicken or serious flavoring.
On the plus side, the people working there were very nice and were at an event that benefits the community. I could be convinced to try them again but I was highly disappointed especially given the rabid following they’ve apparently built for themselves.
Which leads me to some conclusions:
a) people are being paid/​coerced into giving 5-​star ratings (not like people’s kids or pets are being kidnapped but a free lunch or getting elite status could be meaningful to individuals who measure their self-​worth by such standards),
b) people don’t get out much and therefore don’t know what good Thai food tastes like (not like there aren’t any other Thai places anywhere in Honolulu),
c) an enterprising person could open up a food truck downtown that serves authentic thai food and clean up.
Of course maybe ya-​ya knows the clientele better than I and what people working downtown really want is pretend Thai food so they can go back to the cube farm and boast to their cube mates about how cool they are because they got Thai food for lunch instead of Subway. «Oh, where did I get it you ask? At a little food truck you’ve probably never heard of. We follow each other on Twitter and Instagram.» I imagine that’s how hipster office workers sound. Then again, maybe they eat at a not-​so-​great thai place because it’s ironic. That’s some serious food for thought.

Wow! Soooo…
YAYA THAI…
Where the heck did you come from?
Is it sacrilege to say one of the yummiest Thai foods I’ve had in Honolulu was at a food truck? Yup, it’s true. It just happened!
I’m sure it’s a combination of stars in the cosmos being aligned just right, at that precise moment, but being Mr. Analytical, I had to break it down:
1. I was HUUUNGRY in downtown after a tedious 4-​hour Federal meeting!
2. I’ve been craving Thai! Like Thailicious!
3. Ariana’s pics of this place made my tummy growl! GRRRROWL!
4. The 5-​stars reviews made me curious!
5. It’s fresh and piping HOT coming to me!
6. NO MSG! NO MSG! NO M-​S-​G!
7. Did I mention how FAMISHED I was?
So yes, this place was emergency Unilocaled by me, but it also mentions that they «might move» like yesterday! Huh?!
Oh, no! But I strap on my shoes and decide to walk the two blocks over to the last known address– published a month ago– remember this is a food truck! I’ll take my chances… And boy, oh boy, I’m glad I did!
Oh boy! I arrive and immediately know what to order since Ariana’s pic of the Red Chicken Curry & Potato made me salivate!
So, I’m in a mini line waiting, but the two cute professional «alpha» women in front of me decide to let me order first… «Um shoots»… Since I already know what to order:
–Red Chicken Curry w/​Red Potato $ 8.25.
–Sticky Rice (options: white or brown Jasmine rice or the sticky).
-(1) Spring Roll $ 1.00.
–Thai Ice Tea $ 2.00.
–TOTAL $ 11.25 & no tax.
After chatting for under 5 minutes with the professional «alpha» women and the YAYA server– BAM! My lunch is ready. It’s piping hot and ready to be devoured! Even if it’s junk, I’ll devour anything at this famished stage, but no worries it was absolutely delicious and satisfied all my taste buds, bite after bite!
The curry was light and soaked well with the sticky rice (bonus point for no additional cost for the sticky rice)! The chicken was moist and red potatoes were perfect! The Thai ice tea quenched my thirst. Mmm!
I am a happy camper!
Lastly, If in the downtown area for a meeting or errands I would stop by YAYA THAI in a heartbeat! Affordable, yummy and awesome downtown option! In fact, I’ll go out of my way to eat here again! But…
While talking to the owner I was informed they might have to relocate because of the «food truck bidding wars» for the area. They advised me to follow them on Facebook which I shall, but I really hope they stay here permanently! It’s always nice having more downtown options than just 5 scoops rice & gravy all over the place!
Oh, and next time I’ll be more cautious with these professional «alpha» women! Cute, but pushy!
OVERALL GRADE: 4.8-STARS!
LIVE ALOHA…
Unilocal REVIEW #256

Had the Basil Chicken. Did not like it much at all. Lacked flavor, basil was not pronounced. Long beans were not crisp. It looked good, but didn’t taste good. Shame, I’ll try something else another day but I’m not rushing out. Based on the 5 star reviews maybe I simply ordered the wrong thing

Outstanding 5-​star Thai cuisine. I had the veggie pad thai and it was YUMMY! The portion was so HUGE, I had it for lunch and dinner! Healthiest food truck in town!
Diane A.

What a golden little find.
Fresh Pad Thai add your own spice, also they have Thai Chili’s in the Truck.
Super nice service and food comes out quick.
Now for the bad news. They are presently located on Milani St, nxt to the Downtown Post Office but will probably have to move soon due to space.
Best to FB them so you can find them.

I Just discovered this food truck this week! They are currently stationed on Mililani Street in Downtown.
They have 8 items on the menu so far.
Everything made fresh. I love the healthy options, its helps me feel more energized throughout my work shift.
The Grub.
[[ WATERCRESS TOFU SALAD $ 6.75 ]]

Definitely coming back ;D

Finally, a food truck with some vegetable options! They just opened today and their first location was on Mililani Street in downtown Honolulu. To see where they are, you can check their Facebook page.