Robert H.
Yelp
Ma-Kin Thai and Sushi is a small strip mall restaurant by the 224 office and industrial area.
Their refrigerated counter fish display was full; sushi was popular at many tables.
I was there for the 1/2 duck with holy basil house specialty.
As we know from The King and I, a fictional work inspired by facts, King Mongkut, Rama IV, brought forks to Thailand. So this dish comes with a fork, spoon, and a sharp knife. The Thai people take their royal family very seriously. King Mongkut (1804 - 1868) is revered by Thai small businesses who often display a photograph of him. A friend of mine is part of the royal family though the royal family is very large and multi-branched.
The duck is the breast in slices, deboned in a light and tasty broth. The skin is on, you could easily remove it with the knife. The skin is not spiced as you might find with some Chinese roast duck. The broth is slightly sweet, not oily, not salty, and is flavored by black pepper. I did not know about black or white pepper in Thai cooking, but I do now! Sriracha is available at the table.
Diced onions and red and green peppers are sautéed in the making of the broth, and the dish includes cabbage, green beans, carrots, and broccoli. The dish is topped with fried basil, though it loses its flavor in doing that and becomes more a texture.
The dish feeds two.
The rice is on the side with a choice of white, sticky or brown rice. The brown rice was hot and steamy, very fluffy. So I'm adding them to my Brown Rice Collection!
The duck came recommended by Gabriel Rucker, it is one of his chef's night off dishes.
A slightly lemon ice water is served. They have beer, wine and sake along with other non-alcoholic options.
It is popular to eat in or carry out. Parking is plentiful, the meal came out fast, and the staff was excellent.