I'll say this now - I'm not a Thai expert. Sure I've had it here and there but I've never been to Thailand to try their vast, regionally distinct cuisines the country offers. Maybe I shouldn't even be writing this but everyone's gotta start somewhere right? Baby steps people. Rest assured though, I was accompanied by one of the most educated Asian palates around town - C from Chow Down Atlanta.
KoKai Thai Bistro is a simply decorated restaurant located off Jimmy Carter Blvd. in the Hong Kong Supermarket plaza. We came in for lunch and ordered a variety of dishes to quell our hunger.
First, (pictured above) was the Larb Kai. It's grilled chicken, red onions, scallions, chili and lime juice that's served with fresh cabbage leaves. The lime and cilantro gave it a really bright and refreshing flavor while the chilis brought a little heat to the table. The cabbage leaves provided a great crunch when it was combined with the chicken mixture making it fun to eat also. A phenomenal dish - my favorite dish of the afternoon.
Pictured above is the Nua Toob - a deep-fried marinated beef jerky served with KoKai's spicy homemade sauce (a pork variety is available also). This jerky isn't like the tough, leather strips you find from a Jack Link's package. It's chewy (but not leather tough...you feel me?) and flavored well by the marinade. The sauce tasted like Buffalo sauce to me but it didn't take anything away from the jerky either when combined with the meat. Overall, a tasty dish.
Next was the Thai Boat Noodle Soup. From what C told me, it's one of the most common street foods found in Bangkok and eating stuff like this makes you question why we don't stuff like this one the streets. It's a spicy beef broth with slices of beef, meatballs, bean sprouts and no your eyes do not deceive you friends - those golden beauties are chicharrons (fried pork rinds). The soup reminded me of a spicy pho broth and the slight heat from the spice left a pleasant warm feeling. Everything worked well together and it was just a really flavorful dish.
This is the KoKai Beef Curry - beef that's been stewed in a spicy curry. The meat was so, incredibly tender but the curry sauce left me with more to be desired - while delicious, it could've used bolder flavors. While the outside of the meat was flavored well by the curry, the inside lacked the same flavoring. Perhaps it hadn't been stewed long enough? Don't get me wrong, it's still a delicious dish. Just not my favorite one of the afternoon.
The KoKai Grilled Chicken (pictured above) wasn't like the one pictured on the menu but it's the exact same dish so don't worry when this comes out. It's a curry spice marinated grilled chicken with sauteed onions, broccoli in a light brown sauce. The chicken was tender, juicy and the flavor of that curry marinade was delicious. Eat a piece of the grilled chicken with some of the sauteed onions & broccoli. It's a tasty combination.
For a sweet finish, we got the sticky rice with mango. The mango was a little fibrous (the flat end was stringy) but the sweetened rice made with coconut milk was delicious.
The owners caught attention of my subtle DSLR and came over to the table a few times. Super nice, friendly folks that really believe in their food. One got off-track with a history lesson and something about an Italian restaurant (C and I couldn't really follow everything he was saying) but his main point was that he serves nothing but the best to his patrons.
If you're around the BuHi or Jimmy Carter area and craving some good Thai food, head on over to KoKai Thai Bistro. It's tasty food at a cheap price.
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2 comments:
Nice photos! It looks like you had natural light (?) which always makes great photos. I love mango sticky rice, and finally got to try it for the first time this year! Been missing out!
Hi :)
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