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Yelp
Located where Lady Marmalade used to be, EatBKK is now finally open and represents (what I think) the first decent Thai restaurant in the brunch capital of Leslieville. This review represents both visits there, one on the opening day (by accident) and the second for lunch. Menu items have been capitalized for those who might suffer from reading fatigue due to my long review.
On my first visit there, I had the PAD KAPRAO KAI DOW (chicken), and by now all of Toronto who have visited one of the newer downtown Thai restaurants can attest that this is a dish of stir fried minced meat with a splash of dark sweet soy sauce and fish sauce, usually served with rice and a fried egg.
EatBKK's version did not disappoint, the seasoning of the meat was on the light side but I appreciated the presence of green snake beans for added texture in the dish - Tip: ask for extra fish sauce or nam pla if you like the dish to have an extra punch. The Thai style fried egg was a welcome touch as well, deliciously crispy and with a runny yolk when cut open. As with all places you can customize your preferred level of spiciness for the dish - I went with mild to test the waters first, and the heat was barely noticeable.
I also had the KRUNGTHEP CHICKEN WINGS which were rightfully crispy and juicy on the inside, and paired nicely with the chilli sauce on the side.
The true gem lies not on the conventional dishes that most would typically lean towards when in a Thai restaurant (examples being Pad Thai, Khao Soi), but in the something deceptively simple like the KHANA CRISPY PORK.
On paper, it's nothing to write home about - simply a stir fried crispy pork belly(similar to the Cantonese style Siu Yoke) and Chinese broccoli in salted soy bean sauce. But it takes skill to master the heat and the wok, and this dish is testament to that. Within the first few bites, one can taste the signature wok hei (the hallmark smoky aroma from a good wok fried dish) flavor from the dish. The Chinese broccoli was crisp and sliced in bite size pieces. The crispy pork (not so crispy after being stir fried) was coated in that umami salted soy bean sauce and goes well with the rice. As noted, the crispy pork skin does soften a bit after stir frying and may be a bit chewy, but that's the only fault I could find there.
Service was great as well, friendly and attentive.
In summary, thoroughly enjoyed my time there, and makes for a great place to grab a meal in the neighborhood.