Gary G.
Yelp
Tiny Thai restaurant with seating for only about a dozen people at a time; fortunately the stiff competition from the heavily concentrated Allston dining scene is your ally--at least as far as seating goes. Parking can be tougher but it's easier than you'd think. No bells and whistles, it's all about the food, and it is both excellent and authentic.
Moo Ping (marinated and grilled pork skewers): Very tender (even more than you can imagine) and moist (make that full-fledged juicy), full flavor from the marinade, and an extra boost from the thin, acid-and-herb dipping sauce.
Gai Ping (grilled marinated chicken): Different flavor from the pork, but same dipping sauce. Moist, flavorful, and enjoyable, but if you're torn between pork and chicken, go with the pork.
Som Tum Thai (papaya salad): One of a dozen different varieties of papaya salad, this basic one had nice crunch, a mix of tart and spicy, and some funk from fish sauce and tiny dried shrimp. Refreshing but by no means a hiatus from lively flavors--not that we needed one.
Isan Style Sausage: Ground pork, rice, and herbs, it wasn't as spicy as versions had elsewhere, but extremely flavorful, and interesting plump shape, presumably from being sliced prior to frying. Served with several accompaniments, including peanuts, cilantro, ginger slices, and Thai chili peppers.
Khao Phot: Sweet corn and julienned carrot salad with tomatoes, salted egg, yard long beans, fresh chili, garlic, palm sugar, lime juice, and fish sauce. Refreshing start and a good complement to heartier and/or spicier appetizers like pork sausage, fried pork belly, or any of the skewers.
Vegetable Gyoza: My wife's appetizer choice (she's not a meat eater), this steamed dumpling (can also be had fried) had cabbage, peas, carrot, edamame, wheat flour, garlic powder, and sesame oil. Surprisingly robust flavor and not at all a spinachy-but-not-much-else approach kind of dumpling. As a staunch carnivore, I still enjoyed it.
Yum Talay (spicy lime salad with steamed seafood): Nicely done, with spice and gentle textures, though I found the protein a little boring. The only item I didn't love.
Deep Fried Pork Belly: A fantastic dish, pretty much along the lines of chicken katsu. Good juiciness. Nothing special flavor-wise about the batter, but it had good crunch and was just the right thickness. Loved the spicy-tart-crunchy dipping sauce that was more of a pickle or salsa. Great combination. My only (possible) regret is that it might not reheat as well as the other items. (Solution: eat the whole thing in one sitting.)
Pad Ka Pow: Chile-Basil protein in a spicy, thinned-down black bean sauce; I chose chicken. Excellent rendition: crumbly, tender and moist even aside from the sauce, with all of the flavors bold but none outshouting any of the others. I typically use this dish as my barometer for any first time visit to a Thai restaurant, and Laughing Monk laughed all the way to the bank on this one. Because we ordered so many dishes, and held off on ordering the last two until mid-meal, the server assumed we wanted them to go, hence the different plating in the photo. Wasn't worth having them replace it (I'm not that guy).
Pad Ped: Fried catfish (choice of protein, can alternately choose pork belly or beef) with chili, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, fresh peppercorns, herbs. Dark semi-spicy flavor, served with jars of accompaniments (Thai chili pepper, fish sauce, jalapeño-like peppers, Thai chili powder) to spice it further. Crisp, flavorful, superb. Just be careful to avoid sharp fishbones if you opt for the catfish version.
Pad Thai with Tofu: An item from the "American Thai" menu, as the server put it; the rest were from the "Authentic Isan" menu. Slightly sweet but nice noodle-forward texture; not the over-sweetened, excessively wet Pad Thai that's turned me off to the dish in general.