Kevin L.
Yelp
Takeaway:
Best Thai restaurant in Chicago at an incredibly reasonable price (and free BYOB!)
Context:
Two of my international Thai friends brought me here for dinner claiming it was an incredible and authentic restaurant - claiming it would be a "good restaurant in Bangkok". They ordered family style for a group of ~8 of us to share. I've eaten a lot of Thai food (although likely from mostly Americanized spots) in my life and this is definitely one of the best.
What I Got:
Papaya Salad (9/10)
Best papaya salad I've had in my life. We got it with salted eggs, which created a perfect complement to the perfectly balanced papaya salad. The papaya was crispy, cold and refreshing - all of which was further accentuated by the tomatoes, green beans, & other various spices. The shrimp and garlic definitely came through to create an overall savory experience (although my friends commented that it was still on the sweeter end of "authentic" papaya salad). Awesome dish.
Laab Moo (9.5/10)
Ground pork "salad" - which basically consisted of 90% ground pork tossed with onions, lime, mint and I'm sure a million spices I couldn't identify. Once again, the best laab (larb?) I've ever had. A great aromatic blend of sour and spicy that I couldn't get enough of. I was basically licking the plate at the end. It was definitely spicy - so watch out here!
Liver Larb (7.5/10)
Basically the same as above, but with liver instead of ground pork. I like liver around 2 points less than ground pork I guess so there you go.
Moo Ping (8/10)
Grilled BBQ pork with a tamarind paste sauce. They do a great job here and the pork is cooked near-perfectly, but you can ultimately probably imagine exactly what this tastes like if you've had grilled pork skewers before. Definitely good and the sauce is a winner that I prefer over the peanut sauce that most Thai places here would serve, but nothing revolutionary.
Crab Fried Rice (8/10)
This is a solid crab fried rice. In a worse meal, this might be a 7/10, but I felt like it didn't stand out too much and didn't really need to. It went perfectly with the million other brilliant, aggressive flavors that came with the other dishes while still being a solid dish in its own right. This was a highlight with my Thai friends - I'd trust them over me!
Kra Proa Moo Krob (8/10)
(Very) Crispy pork belly tossed with basil, green beans, mushrooms, bell peppers, and more in a savory and spicy sauce. I really enjoyed this dish, but I'm a sucker for pork belly, especially if it's crispy and on the thicker end. I thought it was great, but didn't stand out too much amongst all the other winners here and didn't get a ton of play at the table actually.
Khao Soy (9.5/10)
Wow! Egg noodle soup in a thick, yellow curry-based broth topped with crispy noodles and an absolutely perfect chicken drumstick. This thing was immaculate - the egg noodles had the perfect amount of bite to them and didn't really get soggy as the meal went on. The soup was more delicate than I expected - I thought it'd be an overpowering yellow curry-like flavor, but it was actually relative subtle and it was just the right amount of salty / savory. The highlight is the fall-off-the-bone-tender drumstick. After the noodles were done you can bet I went to town on the drumstick - absolutely delicious.
Boat Noodles (9.5/10)
Unfortunately couldn't get a picture here, but this was probably the highlight of the meal for me. Thin rice noodles in a thick brown (?) broth. I'm not completely sure what's in the broth (other than blood), but it was a salty, savory masterpiece . I unfortunately can't really find the language to truly describe what I loved about this - but I guess it reminded me of the best meaty noodle soups (e.g., Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup, pho, etc.) I've had with its multiple layers of savory complexity.
Coconut Thai Pudding (9/10)
Exactly what it sounds like - served (very) hot. It looks very unassuming and is pure white from the outside. Loved ending the meal on a warm dessert - not too sweet, a soft eggy-like texture, and very strong coconut flavor. Would definitely get this again.