A decorative fan displayed on the wall at Herb & Spice Thai Cuisine in Simi Valley.

Chuck Kirman / Star staff A decorative setting, helpful staff and a comprehensive menu add up to a pleasant meal at Herb & Spice Thai Cuisine in Simi Valley.

The setting may be soothing, but both the food and the staff are lively at the aptly named Herb & Spice Thai Cuisine in Simi Valley.

We were greeted by the peppy proprietor as soon as we entered, then approached by an amiable and equally energetic server who presented us with copies of the comprehensive menu.

Making choices was difficult, and we ultimately were happy with all but one of our selections. We blame ourselves for picking goong grabok ($7.95), an appetizer plate of seven deep-fried shrimp wrapped in wonton skins, when we instead could have ordered Herb & Spice fried shrimp tempura (or any of 18 other options): Our shrimp were fine, but their wonton wrappers were heavy and a little oily.

The meal was an upward spiral of tasty dishes from that point on. Yum woon-sen ($7.95) — or silver noodles with shrimp, chicken, a house special sauce and a sprinkling of peanuts — was yummy indeed.

It was asterisked on the menu as spicy, but the version presented to us wasn't too spicy at all. We hadn't discussed heat levels with our server, but she may have made a good guess about just how spicy we like our food.

As main dishes, we ordered roasted duck curry ($9.95) and crab-fried rice ($8.95).

The red curry sauce with the duck was delicious, made more succulent by the pineapple chunks and tomato luxuriating in the flavorful curry. The slices of duck were fine, but the sauce was the star.

We fell for the crab-fried rice when assured it was made with "real crab" and not some seafood "krab" amalgam. It arrived on a large dish and definitely contained crab, along with a fried egg stirred in with tomatoes and onions. It went well with the curry sauce, as would almost anything.

We finished with a shared plate of warm sticky rice and sliced fresh mango, a seasonal specialty and a wonderful, refreshing choice. Not only was the mango perfectly ripe and flavorful, but the rice itself was stickier, sweeter and all around better than the sort usually featured in this traditional dessert.

Numerous traditional Thai dishes are on the menu, along with salads (some featuring barbecued beef, tofu or seafood) and an equally wide range of soups, all of which can be ordered by bowl or hot-pot portions.

Herb & Spice specialties include shrimp in a hot pot, a salmon fillet with ginger sauce, steamed mussels with lemon grass and mint leaves and fresh pompano in garlic sauce, the latter a whole fish deep-fried and then topped with sauces.

There also are "a la carte" items in which you choose the preparation and the meat or tofu, plenty of noodle dishes and curries, rice variations and Thai barbecue plates that range in price from $7.95 to $15.95, the latter including a trio of barbecued items with steamed rice or shrimp-fried rice. There are 40 lunch specials, all of which seem to be $6.55 — a budget-friendly option.

Another plus: The serenity of the spot and the smooth and efficient service added to the sense that we were dining in a peaceful oasis, rather a busy shopping center that includes a Gold's Gym and a 10-screen movie theater.

— Rita Moran visits restaurants unannounced and pays for her meals. If you know of a new, unusual or just plain good restaurant, please contact her at ritamoran@earthlink.net.