Thai Village is an unexpectedly tasty (but spicy) treat for off-campus diners

Thai Village is unimposing from the outside and small inside, with just a single room of seating downstairs and another small area upstairs that can be booked for special occasions. Don't let appearances fool you, however, because the food more than makes up for the lack of space.

The menu at Thai Village consists entirely of Thai specialties. In keeping with the traditional theme, I ordered classic and popular Thai fare, starting with chicken and coconut milk soup and chicken satay. The satay — four pieces of chicken, each on a skewer stick — was excellent. Served with peanut sauce and what seemed to be a Thai version of veggie salsa made with cucumbers and onions, the dish was flavorful but not too strong, and just the right touch to start a meal.

The soup, while not bad, was less palatable. The coconut milk was extremely pungent and dominated the flavor of the soup. Unless you absolutely adore coconut, skip the chicken with coconut milk soup and go for the spicy broth with lemongrass instead.

For the main course, my companion and I ordered Pad Thai, sweet and sour tofu, and chicken Massaman curry. Pad Thai is the basic staple of Thai restaurants, and Thai Village's version did not disappoint. Consisting of noodles sauteed with chicken, shrimp, tofu, green onions and a host of other ingredients, the dish was scrumptious.

The Pad Thai was served in extremely generous portions, with ground peanuts sprinkled on top of the noodles. Achieving a comfortable balance between flavorful and spicy, Pad Thai is a must-have.

For those who naïvely trust the menu's spice ratings and order the sweet and sour tofu — rated as being only "mildly spicy" — proceed with caution. The Thai definition of mildly spicy apparently differs greatly from that of most Americans. The sweet and sour tofu caused our eyes to water and cleared our sinuses. The problem, however, was that the tofu was delicious — so we kept forking it up, despite our tears.

After crying our way through the meal, however, we learned that you can ask them to adjust the spice level when you order. If your palate is as weak as mine, I strongly urge you to take advantage of this option. And don't worry, it will still have some kick.

As for the chicken Massaman, the menu's description of the dish as a "crowd pleaser" is accurate. A savory curry of chicken, potatoes and more ingredients than I could count, it goes well with either Pad Thai or the white rice they serve with it. This is another one of those "mildly spicy" dishes, however, so make sure to let them know when ordering how spicy you want it.

After we finished our entrees, we ordered Thai coffee and Thai tea, with the hope of sitting back and relaxing. On a Friday night, though, the crowd is extremely large, and there were at least five couples waiting for a table as we sipped our beverages. The coffee and tea — both of which are served sweet and chilled — could make the perfect ending to a hearty meal. But we didn't get to savor them, as the server was obviously anxious to have us leave and free up our table.

While the service was good — the staff was friendly and willing to give us advice on what to order — the restaurant is packed on weekends, and a long wait to order and to receive your food is the norm. Thai Village is worth the wait, however, as the food is good, the atmosphere friendly and — with a $10-12 per person range, including soup, starter and entrée — Thai Village is affordable for the occasional night out.