I haven’t tried Thai Nyyom, located at 1419 Bloor St W, yet. 3 dishes daily. It looks good to me.
To order online
1 Like
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.
1 Like
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
5 Likes
Did you try Nyyom yet? I will be stopping by soon. It’s a more of a hot table type of place.
—
—
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.
3 Likes
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.
2 Likes
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.”
4 Likes
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”.
1 Like
Love Mengrai Thai.
2 Likes
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/
2 Likes
Had a bit of green curry fatigue but as i was in the area for the first time, tried Khao San Road’s green curry (asked them to take out bell peppers).
To my surprise, it’s the closest thing to what I’ve had in NY/DC! Goes great with an 8~10% German pradikaswein Riesling (kabinett, spatlese, or auslese) from either Nahe or mosel region. When asked to make it spicy they didn’t just pour in hot chili oil like one of the spots did (why…). I asked and they said they added more Thai green peppers to make it spicier. Perfect!!
After asking the lady in the front several questions, she insisted it’s true Thai curry with the ingredients they put in. When i was picking up the dish, she asked if i wanted more chili oil after mentioning she put in a packet separately in the bag. When i said absolutely not, she smiled as she knew. Just to be sure, i asked and that’s how i found out they put additional Thai green chili to make the dish spicy.
Can’t wait to try the rest of their menu (i still do have a few additional places to check out).
Eat BKK didn’t make the grade for what i was looking for.
So happy i found something!! Thank you everyone for the suggestions!! You guys are the best!
4 Likes
I tried Imm Thai on Saturday, when I wanted a quick meal that I ordered off Ritual. I found the Imm Thai tofu and vegetable pad kra pao to be around the Eat BKK level. I like Nana more.
I’m going to Nyyom in the next month. I will also try Koh Lipe this winter , and I want to try the Kiin Café brunch.
https://www.kiintoronto.com/kiin-cafe
The Chiang Mai location in the Junction has a Thai brunch from Friday to Sunday, 10 am to 2 pm. The other 2 Chiang Mai locations don’t offer brunch.
2 Likes
Previously mentioned by @WanderingFoodie — Som Tum Jinda is now the subject of a Karon Liu article in the Star:
2 Likes
Time for me to add a few notes here.
For complete disclosure, I have known the owner of Khao San Road, since before he ventured into the restaurant business!
Khao San Road is my “go-to” for value and taste it’s #1 for me and is regularly in my Top 10 places to eat in Toronto.
Nana is an occasional visit - it seems a little more subtle with more complex flavours - but I prefer the atmosphere at Khao San Road.
The same owner also has Favorites - a completely different style - and on a recent visit there I thought it was performing better than when I visited previously. A surer hand in their kitchen - plus Michelin has given it a Bib (a bit strange as the food at the other two above is just as good IMO - and cheaper; Maybe Michelin restricts awards to one per owner) [excluding Alo].
Son Tum Jinda is excellent - with a caution!
First, it’s tiny - always a line-up, although reservations are ‘possible’ (but seemingly not necessarily ‘accurate’ - although it will get you to the front of the waiting queue).
Next, check your Bill thoroughly. I’ve been given a different table’s Bill (which I didn’t pay) but also the prices on the Bill, always seem to be a couple of $ higher than those on the non-existent menu - they only provide a link to the web menu - where prices are cheaper.
4 Likes
As estufarian has noted, the nosh at Son Tum Jinda, which specializes in northern Thai recipes, is very, very good. But the smallish joint is also very, very, VERY noisy - the noisiest resto to assault my eardrums in years. You’ll be lucky to hear what’s yelled across the table from you. And it’s somewhat chaotic in there as well, though the charming staff try to keep the pandemonium down. Also, it would be nice if the online and in-house menu’s prices were the same, but that may be too much to ask nowadays - lots of restos “forget” to note their rapidly escalating prices.
Basement premises. No alcohol. And tough nearby parking. Slightly less noisy at 7 than at 8 p.m. After 8, it’s a brawl.
3 Likes
