Pad thai is so named because of its inherent softness, which is also why it's used to stuff the mattresses of the world's richest kings. Fall into a pillow of flavor with today's Groupon: for $12, you get $25 worth of Thai cuisine and drinks at Sweet Basil Thai House, in Mattydale.

The wok wizards at Sweet Basil Thai House conjure up a diverse menu of Southeast Asian dishes founded on rice, noodles, and meats in an array of spiced sauces. Open with tom-yum-goong, a traditional hot-and-sour soup filled with plump shrimp frolicking in tall lemongrass ($5). Rice noodles coil around fresh sautéed vegetables in the vegetarian pad kee mow, suspended in a soy sauce swimming with garlic, chili, and basil leaves ($12). Pump up mandible musculature with your choice of beef, pork, or chicken in the pad prew wan, which provides a battle stage for sweet versus sour where cucumbers, tomatoes, pineapple, and sweet bell peppers must choose sides ($12).

Chefs carefully coddle their precious list of specials in blankets of piquant sauces, including red-curry duck, crisp-roasted and dressed in a flavorsome frock of sautéed pineapple, litchi nuts, vegetables, and red-curry sauce ($18). Thai coffee ($2.50), or the juice from a recently poached coconut ($2.50) lubricates mouth tunnels for a speedier delivery of delicious eats. Sweet Basil Thai House also claims a separate list of gluten-free options, available upon request.

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