When Souvaly Khamphoui's mom hears her answer the phone with a cheerful "Sawadeeka!"— Thai for "Hello!" — her mom scolds, "You're not Thai!"

In fact, the owner of Souvaly Thai Cuisine in Pearl City is Laotian. And, though the bulk of the menu at this new spot is Thai, several Laotian dishes are featured. And just to complicate matters still more, Vietnamese-style pho (noodle soup) is featured at lunch, along with Laotian-style oxtail noodle soup.

Khamphoui says it's not that she's not proud of being Laotian, or that she doesn't love Laotian food, it's just that more Islanders are familiar with Thai food and pho. (Which is odd because quite a few owners of local Thai restaurants are ethnically Laotian, including, most famously, Keo Sananikone, who is credited with popularizing Thai food here.)

In any case, Souvaly is a charming addition to the sprawling family of Asian restaurants on O'ahu — contemporary and classy while remaining reasonably priced and unpretentious. Khamphoui, who worked her way up from dishwasher to cook in 14 years in the restaurant business in Hawai'i, said she designed her self-named restaurant to be the kind of place she likes to go to herself: "Quiet, nice, good food, not too expensive."

Khamphoui grew up in Laos, and later studied in Russia, learning Thai from her Thai roommate. After moving to Hawai'i, she studied English, got a bachelor's degree from the University of Hawai'i and, she says, "obsessed on the food channel."

Souvaly's waiting area has the look of a comfy living room — not surprising, because she raided her own home for the couch, chair and bright pillows. The arrangement sets the welcoming tone that leads to an unhurried, relaxing dining experience. Servers wear black with long French-waiter-style aprons smartly adorned with bright Laotian embroidery. Crisp white tablecloths are set off by butter-colored walls, flowers, a whispering water slide and bright artwork.

Looking younger than her 35 years, Souvaly Khamphoui acts as hostess and expediter, seating customers, dropping by to make a recommendation or explain a menu item, helping servers to deliver dishes.

In addition to Thai standards such as mee krob (sweet crispy noodles, $6.95), green papaya salad ($7.25), tom yum lemongrass soup ($4.25 to $5.50), curries ($8.25 to $10.50), and Laotian specialities such as nok tod (golden pepper quail, $12.50), her cooks also prepare a few Island-inspired contemporary dishes, such as Lao poke ($9.50) and grilled and steamed fish specials.

Everything on the menu can be ordered "no spice, mild, medium, hot or Thai hot." If you're sensitive to heat, stick with mild or no spice. When I first tried a take-out lunch, I plumped for medium and found it pretty peppery, but with a heat that didn't linger or destroy my palate's ability to appreciate flavors.

I ordered three dishes, and there was enough for several meals: a vegetable stir-fry called drunken master (with tofu, $7.95; $8.25 with beef, pork or chicken), volcano fried rice ($9.50 with shrimp) and the classic Laotian stir-fry called larb ($8.50).

Drunken master was a filling melange of onions, mushrooms, baby corn and other vegetables, liberally laced with the camphorous licorice flavor of Thai basil; it's a dish designed to treat a hangover and Thais prefer it very spicy for that reason. The fried rice was a meal: mushrooms, sweet peppers, long beans and other vegetables laced through along with a half-dozen shrimp, flavored with holy basil and garnished with cooling cucumber.

On the menu, larb is labeled good luck dish because larb is traditionally served for birthdays, farewell parties and other occasions when you want to invite good fortune, Khamphoui told me later. Attractively arranged in a cabbage leaf "bowl," this ground-meat stir-fry was by far my favorite of a trio of good dishes — satisfyingly meaty and mouth-awakeningly spicy.

I'm charmed by the whimsical menu titles some Thai restaurants employ, so, on a sit-down visit with a girlfriend one evening, I couldn't resist a salad called crying tiger (yum near, $8.25). It is, however, a dish more likely to provoke smiles than tears: thinly sliced strips of beef on a generous bed of mint, lemongrass, cucumbers and greens with a sprightly lime-based dressing that perked up our palates for the three Laotian dishes to come.

Our feast consisted of moo yang (pork chops, $9.50), voon set ta lay mor din (potted seafood, $12.95) and pad pu phong ka-ree (Dungeness crab curry, $25) plus an order of sticky rice ($1.75).

The pork chops aren't the bone-in chops usually indicated by that title but thin cutlets of boneless pork that somehow manage not to be tough and dry, but tender and richly spicy.

Potted seafood is a classic Laotian stew prepared in an earthenware casserole. Seafood lovers have to try this one with its whole, head-on shrimp, chunks of fish, vegetables and herbs immersed in a spicy broth.

Souvaly's crab curry platter is a full-body eating experience — a whole Dungeness crab, stir-fried with sweet Maui onions, swimming in velvety yellow curry sauce. Your server will hand you the crab cracking tools, extra napkins to wear as a bib, and a finger bowl and cloth for later. Don't order this if you're not hungry (or not in the mood to get a bit messy). At times, my girlfriend and I would lose the thread of our conversation, so focused were we on parting the crab from its shell, sucking on the claws and our sticky fingers. The moist, sweet crab paired beautifully with the musky heat of the curry powder and chilies.

A half an hour later, cleaned up and patting our tight-as-a-drum tummies, we passed on intriguing-sounding desserts (stir-fried banana, sticky rice with ice cream and peanuts, coconut sticky rice with fruit), ordering a single, shared scoop of coconut sorbet ($2.50) just to be polite.

Souvaly passed the ultimate dining critic test: I'll go back on my own dime, and I'll happily drive to Pearl City to do it.

Reach Wanda A. Adams at wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.