Many Air Force personnel and their families seem to be accustomed to the spicy Thai food served here, having traveled to Southeast Asia and other areas of the world where the heat level is much higher than in America. I think because of this, Saeng the co-owner and cook, takes it seriously when you order something "Thai spicy." My only warning would be that even if you order something "medium," it might have more spice than is normally served in American Thai restaurants.

On my initial visit I tried the Ginger Stir Fry (known as pad king at most restaurants), and it had all the Thai flavors, spiciness, and deliciousness I find at many of the best Thai restaurants throughout the country. I asked Saeng to add fish sauce, and she agreed that this is the way she would prepare it if she were eating it, but the default method is without the fish sauce since "many customers do not like it." The rice had a nice flavor, and overall I would rate this as excellent Thai food.

The waitress served me green tea, but then found some jasmine which I had originally requested. It turned out, though, that the green tea was my favorite of the two (Thai ice tea is also available).

Pad prik khing

My later experiences confirmed that Saeng's had survived the rumors of the base closing, and also provided additional information about the food. Pad Prik Khing is another of my favorite Thai dishes, and is a little different than most curries because it is made without coconut milk. The one here had a flavor that was among the top ones I had tried throughout the country. Unfortunately, it was way too spicy for me, I think through the order being taken down wrong. The restaurant admitted that it was cooked spicier than I had ordered it, but did not prepare another order (and it is probably debatable whether they should do so in such circumstances). All I can say is that this would have been one of the most delicious Thai dishes I had eaten if it had been less spicy, but even as it was I got quite a bit of enjoyment out of the portion of the food I could eat before my mouth went numb.

Larb nua

The Larb Nua, or Thai beef salad, was another example of the rich flavors served at Saeng's. This was quite a good dish that in my case was served at a more moderate spice level (although all dishes can be ordered with a heat level according to taste). In the case of Thai salads it may be a good idea to start of fairly mild, and add your own chiles as desired. I certainly think the flavor will not suffer if this dish is served with a low spice level.

Thai sweet and sour

I did not expect much out of a Sweet and Sour Chicken dish that was meant to provide a cool contrast to the fiery hot foods that were served, but this dish also provided the type of rich flavors that are seldom found in Americanized versions of this dish. I find most Thai sweet and sour dishes to be very good, as this one was, as opposed to the Chinese-American sweet and sour that tends mostly to be sweet.

Saeng's has a Chinese menu, but probably some of the dishes, such as the sweet and sour, are really Thai versions of what had started out to be Chinese dishes before gaining their own traditions in Thailand. I don't know if some of Saeng's food is actually Chinese, but it does not seem to suffer the same Americanization that is common in U.S. Chinese restaurants.

Saeng's is a small restaurant a few miles west of the main part of Clovis with home-cooked Thai food. It takes a while for orders to be prepared, so don't stop if you are looking for "fast food" (although things may be speedier when the lunch buffet is served). I doubt, though, if many people simply driving through town would even find Saeng's, since it is located a couple of blocks off the main highway. Instead, this is more of a "destination restaurant" for Thai food, and for me it was certainly in an unexpected location.