Though called simply Grilled Chicken, this dish was a flavorful charcoal-grilled chicken marinated with herbs and spices and served with grilled pineapple, fresh mixed vegetables, sweet chili sauce and peanut sauce, flanked by bowls of white and brown rice. At top is a plate of Golden Bags.

THE PROVIDENCE JOURNAL / Sandor Bodo

SMITHFIELD After savoring every last bite of her Grilled Chicken at The Terrace Thai Restaurant in Greenville, my dining companion E concluded the name of her dish was all wrong.

“If they’re not going to give it a good name,” she said, “then it should be called The Best Grilled Chicken Ever.”

She was so very correct.

I read right past Grilled Chicken on the menu as most people would in a Thai restaurant. Even though it was listed right there under Chef Suggestions, I was looking at the Thai soups, curry selections and noodle dishes. Grilled chicken can be had anywhere.

If E hadn’t been there beside me, I would have missed out on the best of many excellent dishes that blended tender meat with fresh vegetables and homemade sauces.

But E saw past the boring name and was lured in by the description of charcoal grilled chicken marinated with mixed herbs and spices and served with grilled pineapple, fresh mixed vegetables, sweet chili sauce and peanut sauce. It’s one of the more expensive dishes ($13.95) at this moderately priced restaurant.

The name didn’t prepare us for the lovely presentation with all the fruit and vegetables laid out artistically or the powerful flavors coming from what looked like naked grilled chicken sliced in bite sized pieces. It tasted as if was marinated for days with layered sweet and salty tastes and just a hint of peppery aroma. While chef/owner Sukawat Keratimanoch isn’t giving away any secrets, he said the spice turmeric and the dark chicken meat are the secrets behind the dish’s appeal.

Like the Grilled Chicken, the restaurant is also somewhat hidden. It’s at the spot where Trio CafÉ operated most recently and Pearl’s Vegetable Stand stood before that. It’s tucked away on Sanderson Road just feet from busy Putnam Pike (Route 44) and across from Apple Valley. It too deserves a more visible position.

Keratimanoch, who goes by the nickname Ken, came from Thailand, where his family has a restaurant, five years ago. He’s been open a year and in that time, several of his fans have sent me notes suggesting I try the food. Like my dining companion, they steered me in the right direction.

Imperial Beef with cashew nuts ($11.95) was another stellar dish with layered flavors. Onions, mushrooms and scallions pair with tender slices of beef and blend with fresh broccoli and crunchy cashew nuts. The blending of the spices, including just a touch of roasted chiles, comes before the cooking of the meat to keep all the flavors fresh and bright.

Gulf of Thailand ($15.95) offered a delectable seafood combination. In a deep bowl with a mildly tangy chili sauce were fresh shrimp, scallop, squid and mussels, and plenty of them. Onions, scallions and mushrooms as well as jasmine rice finished out the dish. The spice of the chili sauce hot built up as we ate it. This is a hearty meal and very satisfying.

For a light dish, there is Siam Garden ($11.95) with its steamed broccoli, carrots, baby corn and chicken. It’s lightly adorned with a house-made peanut sauce and almonds and served on a bed of fragrant jasmine rice.

Keratimanoch makes all his own sauces and they all have a delicacy of structure and taste. Nothing in this restaurant is heavy or overpowering. He explained that in Thai cuisine, the spices are cooked individually before being blended into a sauce, paste or dish. This gives a lightness and subtlety to the curry dishes. Massaman curry is the traditional house blend with a base of peanut and coconut milk.

All the dishes are available in vegetarian versions.

They use no trans fats in the kitchen which makes it easy to try a sampling of the tempting bite-size appetizers beginning with the Golden Bags ($4.95). These little treats are made with wonton skins wrapped like little paper bags. This dish combines East and West with a stuffing of crab, cream cheese, red onion and carrot. The best part was the stuffing, with its smooth texture of a mousse blending the ingredients together so nicely. They taste like a snack.

The spring rolls ($4.95) were another mini treat that could be enjoyed in two bites. The cabbage stuffing inside was nice and crispy as was the dough. Keratimanoch said that by making them small, they require less cooking and the vegetables inside stay fresh. There is no sogginess as can happen with spring rolls.

Also excellent were the fried wontons ($4.95), which are filled delicately with ground chicken and herbs, and the steamed dumplings ($5.95), which are served open faced and include shrimp with the ground pork and garlic and cilantro.

By the time we got to dessert, the temptations hadn’t subsided. Green tea ice cream sounded so nice and healthy, but when we heard about the Fried Ice Cream and Golden Banana, that was off the table. The fried ice cream ($4.25) was straightforward enough with its warm gooey chocolate sauce on ice cream that is crunchy on the outside and warm on the inside. But that Golden Banana dish ($4.95) was worth fighting over with the fruit wrapped in spring roll skins, lightly fried and served with just the right drizzle of a fruity sauce. It was two whole bananas we enjoyed with a huge dollop of ice cream and we didn’t leave a crumb.

Thai Terrace serves tea with each meal and has a wine and beer license. The wine list is small, includes sake and starts at $4.25 by the glass. The beer selection includes several from the Far East including Singha Beer ($3.75), a lovely Thai barley malt beer that pairs nicely with the food.

We skipped the soup course as the night of our visit it was quite warm. But Keratimanoch makes the tradtitional Thai Tom Yum Soup, a hot and sour style that comes with choice of protein and is topped with cilantro.

The restaurant has 60 seats and an outside courtyard with tables set for another 25 diners. There are skylights inside that make the space bright and one intimate table that is set off from the others with comfy upholstered chairs. The bar area hasn’t been redone that much since it was Trio CafÉ but now a TV plays travel videos from Thailand to put those sitting at the bar in the mood.

gciampa@projo.com