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| - The hype is so freaking real. This unassuming restaurant in a strip mall is a diamond in the rough. I was only a mild Thai food fan, until the day I came here.
My foodie best friend had already been here, but I had not. Our goal was to order their specialties (Northern Thai cuisine) and items that we probably can't get as easily at other basic Thai restaurants. We ordered four total dishes (most tables had 1 dish per person), and definitely had leftovers for drunchies later that weekend.
CRISPY DUCK IS LIFE. So we tried the crispy duck khao soi. This curry sauce sits on egg noodles. The curry is good, but the duck is the star. It is everything you want from duck. The meat is flavorful and tender, and the skin is just perfection-- crispy, crunchy, and just craveable. I'm drooling as a write this review.
We also tried the northern larb. This is different from the typical larb you find at other Thai restaurants. It was made with ground pork, and does not contain lime. It was so flavorful and herbacious.
I guess the most disappointing dish was the northern style tom kah kai. We honestly could have skipped this one. This was different because it didn't use coconut cream, so it was a clear broth. It was super acidic and tart-- it reminded me of sinigang!
The biggest surprise for us was the nam kao tod, which was an appetizer with crispy rice, pork sausages, herbs, and was actually sour and spicy. It was really good, and it gave me the salty and the sour, and the spice.
There's so many dishes I want to go back and try too... i.e. drunken noodle soft shell crab. Yes, deep fried soft shell crab on top of spicy stir-fried flat rice noodles.
I can't wait to bring my fiance back to try this gem!
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