Readers, let me warn you now. This is no average restaurant review, oh no. This is the culmination of a journey that has taken me all over the world—so bear with me as I wax poetic on the glory that is...chicken pad thai.

Like many Wake Forest students, I spent a semester abroad. My time is London was full of excitement and new discoveries. One of these discoveries was Thai food—in particular chicken pad thai. Towards the middle of the semester a little Thai restaurant opened up across from our campus. It was fast, which was nice between classes, but even better than that it was cheap—and anyone who lived on the British pound can understand the importance of a cheap meal. This tangy peanut noodle dish became a mainstay not only in my diet, but in those of my fellow students as well. Our computer lab smelled of chicken pad thai because it was all anyone ate while we checked our email and instant messaged friends and family back home.

Long story short (which is nearly impossible for me), chicken pad thai became my international version of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It was my safety net as I traveled the globe. While traveling on the weekends it became a tradition to have at least one meal be pad thai. I had it in Geneva, Switzerland, Paris, France, Heidelberg, Germany and many other places not really known for their amazing Thai food, but I ate it none the less. When I was sick with a cold, it was (and is) no longer chicken noodle soup I crave, but chicken pad thai.

Upon my return to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, I began to worry that I would have to say goodbye to pad thai indefinitely. The only Thai places I'd seen here were far too upscale or expensive to just breeze in wearing jeans and a t-shirt to grab some chicken pad thai to go. I was going through serious withdrawal when my roommate (who also fell in love with pad thai abroad) and I stumbled upon Cha Da Thai, which we now frequent as much as possible. I wish I could describe the variety of their menu, but we rarely look at it. It's still just as quick as it was abroad; we come in, order, get a HUGE portion (the leftovers are at least two more meals) and can be out of there with the bill paid in about 30 minutes. The pad thai, which you can also get with things other than chicken, such as shrimp, if you're feeling adventurous, is quite reasonable at $7.95, especially considering the amount of food you get. The atmosphere is serene, and it is a wonderful place for a quiet meal and good conversation.

The location of Cha Da Thai also encourages Wake students to break out of the bubble. In fact, the quickest way to get there if you want to avoid the stop-and-go of Hanes Mill Blvd. is to take I-40 west to the Jonestown Road exit. Cha Da Thai is located in the shopping center that faces the exit. I mean, I-40 is a little different from traveling abroad, but still, it's something new.