Som Tum Jea Gai E-San Restaurant

The 17 Best Restaurants in Udon Thani, Thailand | Eater

"Now that Jay Gai is a Michelin Guide-listed restaurant, Udon-ites like to gossip that the som tum is too salty or that maestro Jay Gai, for whom the restaurant is named, can hardly ever be found manning the mortar and pestle anymore. But that doesn’t stop them from thronging this 50-year-old street food standby for its superior salads, kor moo yang (grilled pork collar), and salt-encrusted tilapia, a fish introduced to Thailand in the mid-1900s. While the tum pa (“jungle” som tum of fermented rice noodles, green papaya, snails, and bamboo shoots) is popular, try the tum Lao, seasoned with a house-made pla rah (fish sauce)." - Chawadee Nualkhair