Bok Bok Baby’s fiery tum tum bar is worth traveling for - Review - Miami - The Infatuation
"When you get to this Hollywood Thai restaurant, flip over the menu and find the section that says “tum tum bar.” Those 15 dishes are all prepared with a mortar and pestle (the English translation for “tum” is roughly “to pound”) and account for the faint banging sound you hear coming from the kitchen. It’s those tum tum dishes that make Bok Bok Baby a South Florida destination for Thai food. photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc Pause Unmute They range from your typical papaya salad to dishes we’ve never encountered on a local menu before—like a pile of a sweet corn with pulverized salted egg yolk, fermented fish sauce, limes, peanuts, and more things that’ve been pounded into releasing their innermost secrets. The other side of the menu isn’t an afterthought though. It’s a mix of curries, stir-fried proteins, and Isan street food. You should know that when they say spicy here, they mean it. Servers are more than happy to bring a thunderstorm of chilis down upon your face. They’re just as happy to guide you towards a painless (but equally delicious) meal if your tolerance for bird's eye chilis is nonexistent. Be honest and willing to ask for guidance. photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc The energetic restaurant on Hollywood’s busiest street is aglow with neon and TVs that play cooking videos on a loop. They’ve got a long communal table that could accommodate a spontaneous party of 10. Ask about the specials (including a whole steamed branzino we haven’t been lucky enough to try yet) if you do have friends to help. But remember to listen to that pounding sound, and let it remind you why you’re here. Food Rundown Isan Sausage The casing of these plump, charred sausages is working as hard as a pair of jeans that don’t fit anymore. Inside, it’s salty, sour, and textured. Start here. photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc Tum Sweet Corn This crown jewel of the tum tum bar looks like a pile of corn, limes, and tomatoes that someone used to release stress. The fermented fish sauce brings funk. The corn cuts through with pops of sweetness. And the salted egg yolk adds a lusciousness to the whole thing. photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc Spicy Oyster Salad This tum tum bar dish is a big pile of raw oysters covered with herbs and crispy onions. Those oysters are there to absorb the sauce, which has a fireworks display of spice, acid, sugar, and a spice kick like a cattle prod. photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc Krapao Pla Muk Here’s a great dish that won’t make your lips cry. The stir-fried squid is tender, speckled with holy basil, and comes with an ultra-crispy fried egg balanced atop a mound of rice. photo credit: Cleveland Jennings / @eatthecanvasllc Southern Thai Curry These spare ribs are swimming in coconut milk-slicked curry, which has a spice level we’d describe as: being bitten by an angry cat. The ribs are a bit chewy and could be more tender. Skip this in favor of other proteins. PlayMute video credit: Ryan Pfeffer Mango Sticky Rice The best thing about this mango sticky rice is the temperature. Both the rice and the mango are hot, which helps the mango taste perfectly ripe even if it’s not mango season. PlayMute video credit: Ryan Pfeffer" - Ryan Pfeffer
