KoKai Thai Bistro
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
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6 responses so far ↓
1 FoodieBuddha // Jun 10, 2009 at 2:18 pm
looks good to me! let’s do it
2 Matt F // Jun 10, 2009 at 3:35 pm
One of the nicest restaurant websites I’ve seen in a while, with beautiful photos of pretty much every dish.
3 vicki b // Jun 10, 2009 at 4:44 pm
I want to go to there…
4 Karen Hill // Jun 10, 2009 at 8:20 pm
I went there with my husband on Wednesday after hearing so many good reviews about this place. The place is very chick and simple. I ordered their Larb Kai (Larb Chicken) and it was awesome! Nice and spicy just like the way it is in the Northeastern provine of Ubon. We were there two summers ago visiting our college friend. My husband ordered the Boat Noodle and it is a must order for those who want to try authentic off the street Thai food. We haven’t had this in the U.S. since our trip. Plus, it’s only $4.95 - which is a pretty good deal. I ordered the Shrimp Pud Thai that everyone has been talking about. It was so good that I ordered another to take home for dinner
The shrimp was fresh and not overcooked which gives it a nice texture. The sauce wasn’t greasy and it was as yummy as it looks. I am defintely going to tell my friends about this place! I asked for the take out menu and it look s like they have the same price for lunch AND dinner! All entress were under $8. You can’t beat that!
5 Kokai Thai Bistro « EatBufordHighway // Jun 22, 2009 at 11:06 am
[…] heard a lot about Kokai Thai Bistro. Lots of people have blogged about it (Chow Down Atlanta, Blissful Glutton, AccessAtlanta) , some have even gushed about it. When I first saw it open, I had […]
6 Lauren N // Jul 1, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Read several reviews about this place on Urbanspoon and Creative Loafing and decided to check it out. I am glad I did because I just found another favorite Thai restaurant. I work on Pleasant Hill so it is only a hop away. I checked out their website before going there to get a feel of the different kinds food they served. The website it very cute with the rolling egg shell and chicken jumping out. They have pictures of their entrees on the website too. A blogger recommended the boat noodle soup because it reminded him of his time in Thailand. So that was what I ordered along with a glass of Thai tea. The place is surrounded by open windows and decor is very simple. So the place has this fresh and clean vibe to it. I have told my co-wokers about their amazing food and we are going back out there again this Friday.
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