My friend Cliff woks a mean Thai dragon sauce.

Cliff and his family also have spent many months, if not years, of their lives visiting Bali and traveling in other Pacific Rim countries. And he and wife Sara excelled in their cooking classes with famed Indonesian-with-a-twist chef Jozseph Schultz (see related story).

So when Cliff called me with high praise for the new Thai Orchid restaurant on Mission Street in Santa Cruz, my ears and salivary glands perked up.

Armed with my expert enthusiasts — Cliff, Sara and their 18-year-old daughter Sasha — we headed for Thai Orchid with our friend, Tom. As in many cultures, an important aspect of Thai dining is the social concept of literally sharing a meal; more diners mean more variety to sample and enjoy.

Thai Orchid blooms, like its lovely namesake, seemingly out of nothing: on a busy street next to a motel. In fact, just turn in through the Mission Inn’s archway and you’ll find that rarest of Santa Cruz treasures, abundant parking. (The motel and restaurant share a property owner and a large parking lot.)

Inside, a saltwater aquarium with polychromatic fish fronts a small bar seating area. The high-ceilinged restaurant’s décor is tasteful Thai, bas-relief teak carvings and golden Buddha furnishings chosen and imported by chef/owner Eed Kanlayani and partner Alan Mertens. Kanlayani, like all of her staff, is Thai. Her 30-year cooking background includes Bangkok restaurant experience and she was the chef for the site’s former restaurant, Sa-Tarng.

Live orchids bloomed all about the room; our table glowed with blood-red Peruvian lilies. Seated in a small alcove with a view of the outside patio area, we enjoyed tall glasses of popsicle-orange Thai iced tea ($1.50) and delicious coconut juice ($1.95) while devising our meal.

We began with Muntod, deep fried sweet potatoes in coconut batter ($5.50). This generous appetizer’s crisp patties with soft potato filling offered plenty for our party of five to share. It seemed a bit rich to proceed a full meal, but the subtle taste was sinfully delicious.

Sara was delighted to find Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum, $6.50) on the menu and it arrived looking like a little performance. Pale green papaya strips set off by brilliant bits of red pepper reclined on a bed of iceberg lettuce, surrounded by miniature bandshells of whole lettuce leaves cupping paper-thin carrot curls. Brava!

We felt even more like applauding upon tasting the delicate papaya’s unique dressing, which managed to be sweet, salty, sour and also mildly spicy, with a funky but pleasing undertaste of something. "Fish sauce," declared Cliff, explaining that the distinctive seasoning has a unique gift of flavoring.

Now came a real test, the Tom Kha coconut milk soup (large order, $7.95). This silky, deceptively sim