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Unless a restaurant has spot prawns or side stripe shrimp on the menu, we basically never order shrimp. Which sucks as we do love shrimp. Hooked and The Big Carrot usually sell frozen sustainably farmed shrimp, which I use for cooking at home. You are right that the North Atlantic cold water shrimp are also harvested sustainably, so we enjoy them when possible (mainly at home).
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Pai is not what it used to be. There has definitely been a steep decline in the food. I used to eat at Pai once a week. My last two experiences have been awful…so bad, that I will never go back.
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That’s too bad… Was looking forward to it based on reviews. Do you happen to have a replacement place you would recommend for Thai that’s authentic?
Be aware that there are two locations of Pai.
I was at the Yonge/Eglinton one (Uptown) recently and it was awful - left all 3 dishes I tried and mentioned that one dish didn’t taste anything like the same dish I had tried there before.
I had stayed out of the discussion earlier as it wasn’t clear which Pai was being considered. I can’t speak to the ‘Downtown’ version.
As for ‘authentic’ - I can only say what I like - having travelled to Thailand more than half a dozen times (eating both on the street and upscale) my experiences there have declined significantly from what I recall. Not sure if that’s totally because of a ‘decline in the preparation/ingredients’ or a ‘decline in my memory’.
Regardless, I do know that Khao San Road is my most visited despite no reservations and occasionally having to wait. There’s often a line-up - which in itself speaks to the popularity. Nana (same ownership) is an occasional choice - but not open every day.
For ‘fast and cheap’ I embrace Salad King (the Yonge street version as it’s on the subway).
My choices for upscale have mostly closed (sadly). Bangkok Garden has survived (now the oldest surviving, since Thai Shan Inn closed) - but I don’t think it’s worth the extra cost.
I’ve probably been to all the Nuit/Jeff Regular places including their original Sukothai. And similarly all the Wandee Young places (including Thai Shan Inn and Bamboo club).
But I have no idea what is ‘most authentic’ - I do recall a discussion with the original owner of Thai Princess (Thai herself) who said she couldn’t bring in ‘Thai chefs’ as there were unemployed ‘Canadian chefs’ so she couldn’t ‘import’ a Thai chef - had to train people who were already here.
And there are now far too many places for me to try them all - when I already have places I can eat/dine at at ‘reasonable cost’.
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I haven’t tried Thai Nyyom, located at 1419 Bloor St W, yet. 3 dishes daily. It looks good to me.
To order online
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Thank you for sharing your perspective and insight. That’s interesting they can’t find Thai chefs here. Wish that skill set qualifies for working permits…
Thanks for the rec! On my list. I’ve also responded to the last article regarding authenticity. Seems vastly misguided
You seem to have a good taste memory. I went back to the store and unfortunately they’ve changed hands. The new owner’s broth isn’t as tomato-ey and she uses a milder and smoother fermented shrimp paste which she says she buys from Vietnam. Based on this return visit (and other things I’ve observed), I’m not recommending the restaurant anymore.
That’s a shame… Would have loved to experience it and expand my knowledge of that culture
If you’re interested in bun rieu, the next best IMO is at Bong Lua. But I haven’t been back since 2020 and it seems a lot of places seems to have dropped in quality since the lockdowns. They do a more extravagant version of the dish with pieces of shelled crab and if memory serves only the large size has a full crab. However, they don’t serve the fermented shrimp paste.
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Sadly that seems to be the case across the board with every type of food. Thank you for the tip!
I’ve just tried Mengrai Thai. It’s certainly better than Pai but still light for my liking. I didn’t get the acidity kick from the citrus as well (i like it when all the flavors are hitting on all cylinders when it comes to Thai food). I mentioned my background/experiences and the gentleman did tell me theirs is lighter than what’s typical. They also use better coconut milk. Server who’s Thai also mentioned they use all fresh ingredients and not from spice paste from a tin can. I asked if they had bell peppers on their curry and they looked at me funny. lol when they gave me that look, I told them that’s the response I was hoping for and my expectations rose.
Still in search but at least we have Mengrai Thai. It’s a good baseline for what I’m looking for
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Did you try Nyyom yet? I will be stopping by soon. It’s a more of a hot table type of place.
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If you like Singaporean or Malaysian food, I recommend Kiss My Pans on College St. It’s a coffee shop / cheese shop with some Singaporean dishes. I enjoyed the beef rendang last weekend. Kiss My Pans offers some is the same dishes and coffees found at Kopitiam in NYC.
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I haven’t yet unfortunately. Even Mengrai, i took a bus after work going the opposite direction from where i live just to pick it up and try it.
But definitely when I’m in the area, it’s one of the spots on my to-try list.
Please do let me know what you think of Nyyom once you try it again.
I’ve been on the hunt for chow kwueh teow. The version at Nyonya in NYC from back in the day before they went down hill. It wasn’t sweet but rather a savory version with a ton of wok hei and a good amount of seafood. That, and their savory roti canai with chicken curry to dip. Adding “Kiss my Pans” to my list!! I’ve been having a hard time finding that version of chow kwueh teow.
Thanks again!!
Hey @Eathru, checkout Som Tum Jinda on Gerrard. Damn tasty stuff. They have a Bib in Thailand.
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Looks like one of Thailand’s ex-Iron Chef has opened here: https://torontolife.com/food/whats-on-the-menu-savor-thai-corso-italia-iron-chef/
“I don’t want to throw the word authentic around too much,” he says. “We use so many ingredients, and at times substitutes may be a little better to get the proper flavours, but the goal is always for the proper balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet that is crucial in the familiar Thai dishes.”
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If only they had authentic ‘prices’!
Close to double the price of other Thai places in Toronto. I’ll wait for someone else to try and report back - I’ll pay the price if it’s “worth it”.
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Love Mengrai Thai.
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We tried the panang beef curry and the chicken pad see ew at Issan Der on Dundas W in the Junction. I liked the pad see ew a lot. I haven’t ordered pad see ew too many places so I can’t say how it compares to Nana or Mengrai.
My camera battery was at zero. Here is the sticky rice with mango dessert.
The servers were really nice.
I still haven’t tried Nyyom on Bloor W. That will be the next Thai place I visit.https://www.thainyyom.ca/
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