What De Health Thai

While Izakaya Masa operates on late-night izakaya energy and El Indio banks on generational tortilla muscle, What De Health works a quieter angle: bright, clean Thai done right, with vegetables that hold their snap and curries calibrated for actual flavor range. The differentiator isn't theater—it's precision. The massaman curry with short rib shows up generous enough to matter, the basil pumpkin stir fry gets cooked just shy of collapse, and the eggplant doesn't turn to mush. That sounds basic until you've eaten soggy Thai takeout three nights running.

The value equation here runs better than it should. Two entrees, an appetizer, drinks—under seventy before tip. That's not discount-bin pricing; it's a kitchen that hasn't inflated portions into oblivion but still sends you home satisfied. The panang and green curry both carry enough heat to register if you ask for it, and the salmon curry works better than it sounds on paper.

The space reads bright and functional, outdoor seating that catches flies in warmer months but doesn't kill the vibe. Service moves fast without feeling rushed—the kind of attentive that remembers spice levels and doesn't hover. The Thai iced tea gets called out specifically, which matters in a neighborhood where people notice when drinks are mixed properly.

Best move: go early for lunch or late enough at dinner to skip the business-casual crowd. Park on Fort Stockton and walk. Order the massaman if you're hungry, the basil pumpkin if you're vegetarian, and add the short rib if you want the kitchen to show off. This isn't the spot for drama—it's the go-to when you want Thai that tastes like someone's paying attention to temperature and timing, not just assembly-line speed.