I had a smashing first visit here. Super-cool little Thai market with a crazy selection of concentrated curry pastes from unfamiliar-to-me corners of Thailand, like one with fermented crab. I imagine my whole place being stunk up in a good way just by cooking with a thumbnail-sized smear from one of those little tubs. Longer on shelf-stable than fresh ingredients at the moment, but lots of items I don’t see in the tiny Thai sections of my Chinese and Korean supermarkets.
A very promising first lunch: ua lao, a Northern sausage (chef is from Changmai or thereabouts) that reminded me a bit of sai ua, fermented and porky, described as an Andouille, nice chili fire by itself. A sweetly funky flavor I don’t see much in the States. The set included skin-on roasted peanuts, dried chilies, fresh cilantro and pickled ginger slices.
Kui chai, chive pancakes cut into triangles, had a fine fry job and the expected sweet brown dipping sauce. Good of its kind, but not so hard to find elsewhere locally.
Spicy basil eggplant with vegetables was delicious, fresh, solid – served with excellent purple jasmine rice, I’m guessing that Riceberry hybrid. The kitchen is already leading with modest spice levels after shocking some locals with traditional Thai heat. A condiment caddy with dried, fresh and pickled chilis, nam pla prik, sugar, etc. would be welcome.
Overall, impressed with the amount of earnest, traditional excellence concentrated into this small storefront: the operators seem like lovely people, too. I’m going back soon and bringing friends to work through the menu. An exciting first look!
