A few months prior, I hosted a large private event at Osha Thai, at their Embarcadero location. Everything about the experience was a dream, honestly, so much easier (and tastier!), that anything else I've ever tried to do for a group that size before (it was nearly 100 guests).
I've been waiting for an excuse to work with Osha again, and finally had the opportunity. Not for a private event this time, but instead, for catering. It was just as flawless and easy as the private event.
My group this time was much smaller, only 25 people. But it did include several vegetarians, several gluten-free, my picky self, and one person on a very restricted diet.
I've been waiting for an excuse to work with Osha again, and finally had the opportunity. Not for a private event this time, but instead, for catering. It was just as flawless and easy as the private event.
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| Catering + Special Orders. |
Osha met all our needs easily, suggesting dishes and quantities that were appropriate, and, most importantly to me, being flexible on little requests, such as providing extra of my favorite peanut sauce, slightly modifying a few dishes to be both pescatarian and vegetarian, and, allowing the special diet guest to order a la carte. Oh, and bringing me extra dessert. Yup, they got that memo!
We ordered delivery, for a 5:30pm serving time.
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| Feast for 25. |
I was quite impressed when Osha didn't just call from the street and say "come get your food", and instead came inside, brought it all upstairs, and then arranged it all. They arrived 15 minutes before meal service, and easily had it set up in time. I suppose this was "real" catering, not just standard delivery, but I was thrilled that they were on time, and even set things up for me.
Catering included disposable bowls and cutlery, Osha branded napkins, *adorable* little individual packages of soy sauce and sriracha, and special tiny forks for dessert. They arranged everything on the table with descriptive signs for each item, and provided serving utensils. I was very impressed with how clearly everything was marked as vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free/etc, exactly as they had at our private event on-site.
After making sure I had no concerns, they were off, and my event was ready to go. No drama.
I was quite impressed with this drop off service.
The event coordinator made it easy to pick the proper portions, and I was shocked by how accurate his estimates were. We didn't run out of anything, nor have far too much. Perfect quantities.
He also allowed us to adapt our order fairly last minute when I got a few more RSVPs, and offered dishes in quantities that aren't on the standard menu (e.g. we had 25 guests, and desserts standard trays of 20/40/60 portions weren't appropriate, but it was no problem to just do 25).
For our group, I selected one appetizer (with veggie and pescatarian options), one salad (again, made both veggie and pescatarian friendly), one vegetarian curry, one meat curry, one side, and one dessert. It was a great lineup.
"Shrimp, lettuce, mint wrapped in fresh rice paper."
To start, we had spring rolls.
I like Osha's fresh rolls. Not a dish I historically would have ordered, but, I tried them at an event once, and really enjoyed them. Plus, I knew they'd work well for delivery, since not a hot item.
This is simple dish, but one Osha does quite well. Soft rice paper, fresh crisp lettuce filling, a small piece of shrimp, vermicelli. Well wrapped, not falling apart, just nicely executed.
Served with peanut dipping sauce that I just adore. When I had them at the event I lamented that there wasn't any sauce served on the side, so I requested plenty of sauce this time. I was rather thrilled when the food came with big bowls of peanut sauce for each type of spring rolls, plus one additional container on top of that!
And I again loved the peanut sauce, sweet and spicy, loaded with chunks of peanut. Perhaps my favorite component of the meal.
Standard Catering
The majority of our order came from Osha's catering menu, which features an assortment of appetizers, salads, curries, noodle dishes, mains, and sides, all available in three sizes of catering trays.The event coordinator made it easy to pick the proper portions, and I was shocked by how accurate his estimates were. We didn't run out of anything, nor have far too much. Perfect quantities.
He also allowed us to adapt our order fairly last minute when I got a few more RSVPs, and offered dishes in quantities that aren't on the standard menu (e.g. we had 25 guests, and desserts standard trays of 20/40/60 portions weren't appropriate, but it was no problem to just do 25).
For our group, I selected one appetizer (with veggie and pescatarian options), one salad (again, made both veggie and pescatarian friendly), one vegetarian curry, one meat curry, one side, and one dessert. It was a great lineup.
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| Appetizer: Osha Fresh Spring Rolls with Shrimp (GF). |
To start, we had spring rolls.
I like Osha's fresh rolls. Not a dish I historically would have ordered, but, I tried them at an event once, and really enjoyed them. Plus, I knew they'd work well for delivery, since not a hot item.
This is simple dish, but one Osha does quite well. Soft rice paper, fresh crisp lettuce filling, a small piece of shrimp, vermicelli. Well wrapped, not falling apart, just nicely executed.
Served with peanut dipping sauce that I just adore. When I had them at the event I lamented that there wasn't any sauce served on the side, so I requested plenty of sauce this time. I was rather thrilled when the food came with big bowls of peanut sauce for each type of spring rolls, plus one additional container on top of that!
And I again loved the peanut sauce, sweet and spicy, loaded with chunks of peanut. Perhaps my favorite component of the meal.
***+, above average spring rolls. **** that sauce!
"Tofu, lettuce, mint wrapped in fresh rice paper."
For the vegetarians, or those who prefer, we also had a tofu version of the appetizer. I didn't try those.
"Shredded green papaya, Thai chili, cherry tomato, and crushed peanut served with tamarind lime dressing."
Our other lighter offering was papaya salad, before heading into the heavier curries. Another dish I knew would do well for delivery catering, since cold.
It was fairly standard papaya salad, shredded green papaya, green beans, halves of cherry tomato, and peanuts, in a tamarind lime dressing. The veggies were all fresh and crisp, the peanuts plentiful, and the dressing a good mix of sweet and sour (although actually a bit too sweet for me). I prefer a spicer take on papaya salad, and one with fish sauce, but, for a crowd, this was the right way to serve it.
I asked to have the grilled prawns on the side so our non-seafood eaters could still enjoy, a request that was easily accommodated. I didn't get to try one, as I opted to let the others have them as there weren't many.
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| Appetizer: Tofu Osha Fresh Spring Rolls. |
For the vegetarians, or those who prefer, we also had a tofu version of the appetizer. I didn't try those.
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| Salad: Papaya Salad (Prawns on Side). $95. |
Our other lighter offering was papaya salad, before heading into the heavier curries. Another dish I knew would do well for delivery catering, since cold.
It was fairly standard papaya salad, shredded green papaya, green beans, halves of cherry tomato, and peanuts, in a tamarind lime dressing. The veggies were all fresh and crisp, the peanuts plentiful, and the dressing a good mix of sweet and sour (although actually a bit too sweet for me). I prefer a spicer take on papaya salad, and one with fish sauce, but, for a crowd, this was the right way to serve it.
I asked to have the grilled prawns on the side so our non-seafood eaters could still enjoy, a request that was easily accommodated. I didn't get to try one, as I opted to let the others have them as there weren't many.
***.
I didn't try the steamed rice, but it was the appropriate vessel for the curry, for people who like rice.
"Kabocha Japanese pumpkin, Thai basil in red curry and chicken."
"Classic yellow curry with potato, onion, broccoli, and tofu."
Yellow curry is my least favorite curry, but, this was suggested to me by the event coordinator as the most popular vegetarian offering, and one that was also gluten-free and vegan, so good to round out the offerings for those with constraints.
I tried it, and yup, just not the type of curry I like. I just don't like the coconut milk/turmeric/cumin strong flavors and the generous amounts of potato.
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| Side: Jasmine Rice. Large. $39. |
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| Chicken Pumpkin Curry, Large Pan. $175. |
For the non-vegetarian curry, I was recommended the pumpkin curry with chicken as the most popular. I'm not a chicken lover, but, red curry is my favorite of the curries, and I adore kabocha, so, this worked for me too.
I served myself a portion that just didn't have any chicken, and although I could taste it a little in the sauce, it didn't ruin things for me.
The curry sauce was great, lots of flavor, slight hit of spice, creamy from coconut milk. I'd love it even more spicy, but this was likely the right level for the masses. Very solid curry.
The kabocha was everything I wanted it to be, soft, flavorful, starchy. I can't comment on the chicken, as I successfully avoided all of it.
Overall this was good, even though curry and chicken aren't my favorite things. It worked well for catering, since the big vat of curry held heat well.
***+.
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| Vegetarian Yellow Curry (GF, Vegan), Medium Pan. $125. |
Yellow curry is my least favorite curry, but, this was suggested to me by the event coordinator as the most popular vegetarian offering, and one that was also gluten-free and vegan, so good to round out the offerings for those with constraints.
I tried it, and yup, just not the type of curry I like. I just don't like the coconut milk/turmeric/cumin strong flavors and the generous amounts of potato.
**.
"Sweet sticky rice served with mango topped with coconut cream."
The only dessert options on the standard catering menu are macaroons and mango sticky rice, and since I don't care for macaroons, the choice was easy. That said, I've had the mango sticky rice several times before, and was eager to try more dessert items. Unfortunately, the rest of the Osha dessert menu is things like fried bananas and ice cream based desserts, which just aren't really suited for delivery. But more on that soon.
The mango sticky rice was basically the same as we had at our event before, sticky rice, chopped mango, a bit of coconut cream, all individually packaged. I liked the sticky rice and coconut cream, but as always in the US, felt the mango was sour and just not great.
I tried a few bites, and again felt it was a really nicely done pad thai, great flavor in the sauce, well cooked noodles, crispy fresh toppings. He was quite pleased as well.
"Tender sea scallop lightly wrapped in smoked bacon served with 3 flavors cream sauce."
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| Dessert: Mango Sticky Rice. $2 each. |
The only dessert options on the standard catering menu are macaroons and mango sticky rice, and since I don't care for macaroons, the choice was easy. That said, I've had the mango sticky rice several times before, and was eager to try more dessert items. Unfortunately, the rest of the Osha dessert menu is things like fried bananas and ice cream based desserts, which just aren't really suited for delivery. But more on that soon.
The mango sticky rice was basically the same as we had at our event before, sticky rice, chopped mango, a bit of coconut cream, all individually packaged. I liked the sticky rice and coconut cream, but as always in the US, felt the mango was sour and just not great.
These individual portions were adapted well for catering, but I do prefer the regular serving, which I've also had before from Osha as take out. Also, look at the adorable little green forks Osha provided!
The portions were quite small, but at only $2 each, I guess this was reasonable.
The portions were quite small, but at only $2 each, I guess this was reasonable.
***.
Special Orders
We had one member with dietary constraints (low FODMAP diet), and he was able to order, with modifications, off the regular a la carte Osha menu, just as he was during our private event at the Osha Lounge. The event coordinator made it very easy to handle this special request.
I also ordered one additional a la carte appetizer for "him" (you know, totally not for me ...), and Osha surprised me with a few special treats (swoon!).
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| Crab Pad Thai. $14.95 (+$5 for crab). |
"Fresh rice stick noodles stir-fried with egg, bean sprouts, chives, tofu, and ground peanut served with fresh lime and crab."
For the same special diet person who attended our private event at Osha, we ordered an individual a la carte pad thai, again modified to not have tofu and his other dietary constraints, and again picking crab.
"Individual" portion is a bit of a comical statement, as it was HUGE, just like when served in the restaurant. "Is this really just a single serving?", he asked. It fed him 3 meals, and I even took a small portion as well.
I tried a few bites, and again felt it was a really nicely done pad thai, great flavor in the sauce, well cooked noodles, crispy fresh toppings. He was quite pleased as well.
Crazy value for the price given the massive serving size.
***.
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| Bacon Wrapped Scallop. $13.95. |
I ordered an extra treat for the special diet person (er, and myself): bacon wrapped scallops, from the regular menu. Because, um, I love scallops, and he loves bacon!
I'm not sure what the presentation is normally in the restaurant, but the takeout packaging over the romaine lettuce was a bit funny to me.
The order was four large sea scallops, all nicely meaty, slightly sweet, quality scallops, not overcooked, rubbery, nor dry. They came wrapped in bacon that was too flabby for my tastes, but that was easily fixable with a quick pop in the toaster oven (which helped anyway as they were lukewarm). The bacon really did infuse the scallops with incredible flavor. They almost didn't even need a sauce.
I'm not sure what the 3 flavors cream sauce was exactly, but the little container of sauce did seem to have 3 different types in it, there was a green sauce, a lighter sauce, and a red sauce.
Together, they were quite spicy, I imagine that was the red one? And also quite herbaceous ... likely from the green one? I actually wasn't really a fan of the sauce, as it dominated the delicate scallops. I preferred to dip them in a lighter ponzu sauce I happened to have on hand.
Together, they were quite spicy, I imagine that was the red one? And also quite herbaceous ... likely from the green one? I actually wasn't really a fan of the sauce, as it dominated the delicate scallops. I preferred to dip them in a lighter ponzu sauce I happened to have on hand.
Overall, this was good, I'm sure much better when served fresh at the restaurant, and a very good value for 4 large sea scallops at only $13.95!
***+.
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| Shaved Ice Components for Mango Tango and Thai Tea Icy Shaved Ice. |
Thai Tea Shaved Ice, Mango Shaved Ice, Thai Tea Ice Cream, Mango Ice Cream, Mango Puree, Cream of Coconut, Fresh Mango, Sticky Rice, Sweetened Condensed Milk.
And then, this marvelousness. This was a gift, from Osha to me.
And then, this marvelousness. This was a gift, from Osha to me.
They knew I love dessert, and ice cream, and fun Thai ingredients, and ... brought me everything to make two of their signature Shaved Ice desserts, the Thai Tea Icy and Mango Tango.
Which, um, is crazy. These are not available for takeout or delivery usually. Luckily, I had plenty of freezer space available to stash it while we set up the catering!
Most of the individual components were for the mango tango, the thai tea ice came with its toppings all inside the bowl of shaved tea ice.
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| Thai Tea Ice: Inside. |
Here you could see the lychee, grass jelly, palm seed, and (unexpected) red bean jam.
"Thai tea AKA “Cha-Yen” with Thai tea ice cream, palm seed, lychee, grass jelly and Thai tea shaved-ice."
I did the "hard" work of assembling the Thai Tea Icy shaved ice first, since it just required scooping out some of the shaved ice and fillings, and topping with the separately packaged thai tea ice cream.
The shaved ice was slightly melty, but it worked well, refreshing, and intensely thai tea flavored! It really was like a thai iced tea, sweetened and all, just in melty icy form. I forgot how delicious thai iced tea is.
The same was true of the thai tea ice cream, such intense flavor, nicely creamy, perfectly melty.
I was blown away by the depth of thai tea flavor in both of these components.
Hidden in the ice was the other components. I easily identified the grass jelly cubes (dark colored), but I didn't see individual lychee, nor whole palm seeds as I expected. There seemed to be big thick shreds of coconut too? There also was a scoop of red bean jam hiding at the base, not normally part of this dish according to the menu.
I loved the red bean paste, mushy in a good way, slightly sweet. It didn't quite go with thai tea though, and I'm sure made more sense with the matcha green tea shaved ice it is usually served with. I'm not sure why they included it here. The grass jelly was fairly standard. There was also sweetened condensed milk packaged separately, which I think was for this dessert. It was quite sweet, and I didn't end up adding it.
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| Thai Tea Icy. |
I did the "hard" work of assembling the Thai Tea Icy shaved ice first, since it just required scooping out some of the shaved ice and fillings, and topping with the separately packaged thai tea ice cream.
The shaved ice was slightly melty, but it worked well, refreshing, and intensely thai tea flavored! It really was like a thai iced tea, sweetened and all, just in melty icy form. I forgot how delicious thai iced tea is.
The same was true of the thai tea ice cream, such intense flavor, nicely creamy, perfectly melty.
I was blown away by the depth of thai tea flavor in both of these components.
Hidden in the ice was the other components. I easily identified the grass jelly cubes (dark colored), but I didn't see individual lychee, nor whole palm seeds as I expected. There seemed to be big thick shreds of coconut too? There also was a scoop of red bean jam hiding at the base, not normally part of this dish according to the menu.
I loved the red bean paste, mushy in a good way, slightly sweet. It didn't quite go with thai tea though, and I'm sure made more sense with the matcha green tea shaved ice it is usually served with. I'm not sure why they included it here. The grass jelly was fairly standard. There was also sweetened condensed milk packaged separately, which I think was for this dessert. It was quite sweet, and I didn't end up adding it.
Overall, unique, fun, and very Thai tea forward. ***.
"Mango and sticky rice with mango ice cream, mango puree, cream of coconut and mango shaved-ice."
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| Mango Tango (Assembled). |
The Mango Tango took more work since everything was separate, but, it was worth it.
Here we had classic mango sticky rice PLUS an entire shaved ice dessert.
The sticky rice was standard sweetened sticky rice, gloopy in the right ways. The mango slices were slightly sour, but nicely fresh. Basically, good enough mango for the US, which, just sadly doesn't have great mango. The coconut cream was delicious. I could easily just eat a bowl of that.
Then, the mango shaved ice, ice cream, and puree.
The mango shaved ice was much like the thai tea, nicely shaved, nicely slightly slushy and melty, good mango flavor, but not nearly as intense as the thai tea version. Which was fine, as there was plenty of other mango in this assembled dessert, it was nice to have it lighter and more refreshing.
The mango ice cream was great, creamy, good mango flavor, very good mango ice cream. The mango puree was crazy sweet, clearly not intended to be eaten alone, and just upped the mango and sweet components as much as I wanted. I used restraints, as I didn't want to overwhelm.
I added a little of the sweetened condensed milk on here too, but it really didn't need the extra sweetness.
My favorite of the desserts, one that came together very well. ****.
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