Chow Down Atlanta

I get delighted when a Thai restaurant serves food that is almost as authentic as it can be. My favorite type of Thai cuisine is the one from the south and central parts, with its creamy curries, tongue-numbing spices, and palm sugar-sweetened dishes. Here at KoKai Thai Bistro, the food is more North and Northeastern, with heavy influences from the Chinese and the Lao. Northeastern and North Thai food are more savory and employ the modest use of coconut milk (read: watery curry dishes). Second to Korean, Thai food is my favorite Asian cuisine. I’ve spent many summers in Bangkok and I can dare say I have eaten every single street food there. Yes, including the bugs of the north and the snakes of the south.

KoKai touts itself as serving authentic street food. Well, the thing is, every food in Thailand is also sold on the streets so I guess they serve Thai food in general. The Tea Rose dumplings is a sweetish-salty appetizer adopted from the Chinese. Soft, steamed wonton wrappers are filled with savory minced pork and crab then topped with fried garlic and served doused with sweetish soy sauce. The serving is big, with 6 pieces, and better for sharing.

Larb Kai is a measuring stick when it comes to Notheastern Thai food and this one’s spot on. The ground chicken is perfectly flavored with green chillies, red onions, and lime juice. Scoop it out onto a piece of fresh cabbage and you get a crunchy, flavorful sensation. You will fall in love with this.

The Thai Boat Noodle Soup is a very common street food particularly in Bangkok, more so in the Floating Market (literally a market on the river and canals where goods and food are sold in small wooden boats). It is called Boat Noodle Soup because, well, you guessed it, it is sold on the boats on the river. For $4.95, you get a medium sized-bowl of rice noodles in a spicy beef broth. If you want authenticity, then choose the pork as it is more common in Thailand. This is a hearty dish, good for sharing, and eaten with other dishes (although this and an appetizer is an ample enough meal). The broth here is bold, simmered for hours, and has the perfect balance of salty-spicy flavors. Comfort food at its best.

Curries here represent all the regional cuisines in Thailand. The KoKai Beef Curry from the North is simply fantastic. The chunks of meat are fork-tender, the curry is thick and spicy, and there’s hardly any coconut milk in it as it should be. It is a thick stew and not the same as what you’re probably most familiar with here in the US which is the Southern Thai variety (sweet and creamy). If you like the more common Southern type, then go for the Panang or the Red Chicken curries, both are on the menu.

Stir-fry dishes, an influence from the Chinese, are a mainstay in any Thai restaurant. Here, the KoKai Grilled Chicken is a must eat. Chicken pieces have a totally different texture which they get from being grilled first and then sauteed. The light brown, savory sauce is infused with curry and the resulting spicy dish is quite delicious.

Desserts are not popular in Asia but must be included in any menu here in our Western world. If you must have it, go for the Sticky Rice with Mango. The sweet, sticky rice here is made with coconut milk and paired perfectly with a sweet cheek of a mango. Their creamy Coconut Ice Cream is a vanilla ice cream with coconut bits. A good choice if you like ice cream.

Overall, I am pleased that we finally have a Thai restaurant that offers dishes from all the regional cuisines in Thailand. Food here is good and fresh, the menu is well thought-out, the serving sizes are big, and the prices are extremely reasonable. It’s become a favorite of mine.

Insider tip:
The Thai Iced tea is a spice extinguisher. Get it.

The scoop:

KoKai Thai Bistro
5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd.,
Suite B-21
Norcross, GA 30093
(770) 409-9219

Technorati Tags: Thai food, Norcross, Jimmy Carter Blvd

I eat at the food court inside the Hong Kong Supermarket on Jimmy Carter just about every week. My new favorite is the bakery on the left side of the market (on the opposite side of the food court). This Vietnamese bakery makes the best croissants — huge flaky, buttery creations that are just irresistible. At $1 apiece, it’s difficult to buy just one. I buy a dozen chocolate ones every week. They’re great for breakfast and as a quick snack. Incidentally, they also have other flavors — plain, almond, ham, ham&cheese.

While they no longer have the roast pork banh mi, the cold cuts is a great alternative. They don’t skimp on the filling here — the deli meat slices are thick and there are ample veggies to complete a great sandwich. The $3 price tag isn’t bad either.

I found the best Cháo lòng heo in Atlanta here. No Chinese or Vietnamese place can even come close. For $6.50, I had a huge bowl of boiled-for-hours rice soup filled with lots and lots of meaty goodness: pork slices, a big slice of pork sausage made with pork innards, and pork blood cubes. This is the best congee I’ve ever had outside of Asia. The soup is just so flavorful. Each order comes with a plate of fried baguette slices, fresh bean sprouts, cilantro, lime, hot sauce, and a cup of hot chrysanthemum tea. It’s comfort food at its best.

This is a wonderful place for cheap but delicious eats. Don’t miss it.

Insider tip:
The Vietnamese got their baking from the French. Need I say more?
There are two other types of congee: duck and chicken feet.
They only make a dozen croissants of each flavor. Call the day before and place an order.

The scoop:
No. 1 Hong Kong Bakery
5494 Jimmy Carter Blvd
Norcross, GA 30093
(770) 837-0270

Technorati Tags: congee, chao, Cháo lòng heo, croissants, Vietnamese, bakery, bahn mi, Norcross, Jimmy Carter

CLOSED — as of the week of April 27, 2009. Apparently moving to 1300 Indian Trail.

I was so excited to find out that there’s finally a Filipino restaurant in Atlanta. Okay, it’s not really a real restaurant, it’s more like a fast food stall (in a food court of an Asian supermarket), but nevertheless, it’s better than nothing. Opened less than two weeks ago, I’ve visited 3 times. The best Filipino restaurants outside of the Philippines can be found in California and New York. Having said that, don’t get your hopes up too high on this one. It pales in comparison — at least, in taste. But they make it up on price and quantity.

The daily menu consists of the following dishes where you can choose 2 items for $3.99 or 3 for $5.99. Steamed rice is included.
- Chicken Adobo — stewed chicken in soy-vinegar sauce
- Pork Adobo — stewed pork in soy-vinegar sauce
- Pancit Bihon — stir-fried noodles (similar to Singapore’s meehon)
- Grilled Porkchop
- Chicken Tinola — ginger-infused chicken soup
- Lechon Kawali — deep-fried pork tenderloin with skin
- Mongo — lentil soup
- Pork Sinigang — tamarind-flavored soup with pork and vegetables
- Fried Tilapia — deep-fried whole fish (average length is 8 inches or more)
- Beef Tapa — grilled marinated beef

Outside of the daily specials, they also offer deep-fried whole or half chicken, Lumpia (pork eggrolls), Crispy Pata (deep-fried ham hock), Shrimp Sinigang (tamarind-flavored soup with prawns), and Chop Suey (stir-fried mixed veggies in white sauce). While the soups are watery, the noodles are dry, and the stews and veggies are bland, the deep-fried dishes take center stage here. Meats are seasoned then deep-fried to perfection. The result is crispiness that’s out of this world.

So run, don’t walk, and get some artery-clogging goodness that’s simply exceptional.

Insider tip:
Best time to go is during lunch when everything is still available. By 7pm, most everything is gone.
Buffet on weekends for $7.99.
Located inside the new Hong Kong Supermaket on Jimmy Carter Blvd where Cub Foods (later on International Farmers Market) used to be.

The scoop:
Pinoy Cuisine
5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd
Hong Kong Mall
Norcross, GA 30093
404-806-9685

Technorati Tags: Pinoy Cuisine, Filipino food, Filipino, restaurants, Atlanta, Norcross