Austin Food Stall P. Thai’s Khao Man Gai Makes the Best Chicken and Rice | Eater Austin

"Tucked in the back of the Hong Kong Supermarket in Quail Creek, P. Thai’s Khao Man Gai — opened this summer by Austin chef Thai Changthong using his mother’s recipes — is a buzzy lunch stall where dishes often sell out. When I visited at 1 p.m. on a Tuesday in late August the casual, supermarket-stall vibe (buzzing fluorescent lights, bar seating, the occasional fragrance from the fish counter) felt upbeat and unpretentious; customers and staff seemed genuinely happy, and because it’s outside central Austin it attracts people serious about food and even off-duty local chefs, making it a great spot for solo dining, though by 1 p.m. items were running low and the restaurant was fairly empty. The tight Thai-style menu has four entrees — fried pork belly, steamed chicken, fried chicken, and a combo of steamed and fried chicken — each served with chicken fat rice and sauces, with the chicken dishes coming with a dynamite consommé; the combo is $18, and specials sometimes include fried chicken livers or crispy chicken skin, but items do sell out (the fried chicken was gone by 1 p.m.). Come for simply great, perfectly executed food with zero pretension — and the bonus opportunity to grab groceries on your lunch break." - Erin Russell