Accounting for Thai taste

Accounting for Thai taste

Life speaks with two restaurateurs about their foreign-friendly dining establishments

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE

Bangkok's dynamic food scene has lately been world-class.

Perhaps because of their easy-to-pronounce name, most items ordered by Japanese diners are gai yang, khor moo yang and som tum.

Just like other metropolises, the city is dotted with imported star-studded restaurants and hipster eateries. Locals are quick to check out new gastronomic happenings, while Facebook-addicted diners excitedly flock to venues so they can be seen as chic and worldly-wise.

Amid these superstar culinary hot spots are some homespun Thai-style eating joints that thrive without the help of stars, decent decor, Instagram effects or media interest. Over the decades, they've survived economic downturn, political crises and even the fading favour for local grub. What's interesting about some of these places is that day and night, weekdays and weekends, they are packed with a crowd of foreign regulars.

We don't mean tourist-centric restaurants where Thai food is adapted to suit the uninitiated, but authentic local restaurants that have somehow attracted mainly a steady stream of expatriates.

Life talks to the management of two establishments that have become inadvertent hits among non-Thai diners.

Ban Isan Muang Yod

The ever-packed and boisterous dining room of Ban Isan Muang Yod restaurant, complete with glass-facade, is an eye-catching sight for the passers-by of Sukhumvit Soi 31.

The shophouse eatery is tucked within a dense forest of heavily-invested Western restaurants, Japanese sushi joints, modern dessert cafés and wine bars.

And while its neighbours enjoy the patronage of Bangkok foodies, the humble 100-seater is mainly occupied by blonde-haired, blue-eyed folks.

Each night the foreign droves come to partake in authentic northeastern Thai cuisine, prepared according to typical household recipes from Yasothon. 

Best-sellers included larb ped thod (spicy salad of deep-fried minced duck and herbs), som tum poo pla ra (green papaya salad with salted paddy-field crab and fermented fish), gaeng hed phaw (spicy soup of earthstar mushroom) and koi khai mod daeng (raw ant eggs salad).

"All-time favourite dishes among our farang clients are som tum and grilled fish. While the Japanese love khor moo yang (grilled pork neck) and jim jum (spicy hot pot)," said Supranee Khumkhrong, a veteran street vendor-turned-restaurateur.   

It was 2007's evacuation of the Sukhumvit Soi 33 food hawkers that led Supranee and her husband Thongchai to look for a new location after 20 years of operating on the footpath.

They found a one-unit shop house space available in an adjacent soi and decided to open their first roofed eatery that would cater to the same old clients: Thai pedestrians who like Isan-food. Little did they expect that the joint would become a favourite among foreign clients.

"We got to welcome farang and Japanese customers on the first month of opening. I don't know what brought them here in the first place, but despite the language barrier we were very happy to serve them," Supranee said.

"Our first foreign client was a Japanese man who came with his chauffeur. Later on, he brought along his friends and colleagues. Japanese diners are more adventurous compared to their farang counterparts. We even have a Japanese regular who often orders larb luerd (cow's blood salad)." Without any five-star culinary training, restaurant management course or even high school diploma, Supranee, who completed only Prathom 6 at school, believes that the restaurant's success is simply down to delicious food and word of mouth.

"We prepare our food in almost the same as we do at home in our farming village in Yasothon. We make it moderately fiery for Thais and much less spicy for foreigners. If you want your dish super fiery you need to request it," she noted.

According to her, the super spicy som tum is prepared with more than 20 fresh chillies and is very red in colour.

Today, 50% of Ban Isan Muang Yod clients are Japanese, 30% Thais and 20% Westerners. The menu comes in Japanese, Thai and English and with photographs.

The restaurant is manned by 20 staff, all of whom are from the Northeast — only one can speak English though.  

Sabai Jai Gai Yang

The ever-busy Sabai Jai Gai Yang opened in 2002 to offer northeastern cuisine prepared by a team of Isan natives to Thais in the capital. 

Over the past five years, however, the restaurant, located at the mouth of Ekamai Soi 1, has become more popular with non-Thai regulars than locals.

Every weekday evening the 400-seat establishment, consisting of unadorned air-con rooms, tawdry dining patios and a shoddy karaoke bar, is packed with expats, along with groups of Japanese office workers and factory boys.

Sinthorn Kaewsa-nga, the restaurant manager, said the factors that draw in customers to Sabai Jai Gai Yang is the combination of good food and the casual dining experience.

"Just how the restaurant's name suggests, clients should be sabai jai [relaxed and happy] when eating here."

Half of the restaurant's clientele is Japanese, 40% are farang and only 10% are Thai. Yet, of all 15 service staff members, none can speak either English or Japanese. 

"Over the past years we've found that foreign clients, compared to their Thai counterparts, are much easier to take care of, despite the language and cultural differences. 

"Though heavy drinkers, Japanese are sweet and compromising. Whereas Westerners are pleasantly straightforward. Thais, on the other hands, are usually more finicky and problematic. They would say the dish is too sweet, or too spicy, and often require us to fix it to match their preferences," the manager noted. 

When it comes to the language issues, Sinthorn said it's apparent that they have adapted to accommodate the staff, not the other way around.

"We can see their effort in speaking our language and not expecting us to understand theirs. Their understanding and pronunciation of Thai has improved as they return to our restaurant over the years," he said.

However, according to him, there is still some miscommunication between service staff and customers.

Sinthorn recalled one incident when a customer ordered tangmo pun (watermelon smoothie), but couldn't pronounce it correctly. The service staff mistook it for nam moo pah and so brought them fermented boar sausage instead. 

Other cases included the ordering of tom yum pla kraphong (sour and spicy soup of sea bass), but instead getting tom yum made with canned fish (pla krapong); and khao suay (steamed rice) being mistook for aw suan (the gooey oyster pancake).

Perhaps because of their easy-to-pronounce name, most items ordered by Japanese diners are likely to be gai yang (grilled chicken), khor moo yang and som tum.

Also highly popularis yum woonsen (sour and spicy glass noodle salad), phad phak boong (stir-fried morning glory) and steamed fish in spicy lime sauce. According to Sinthorn, the menu and recipes have been slightly adapted to sooth the urban palate.  

"Real Isan taste is way too strong for city diners. I don't think non-native palates would stand it. It's not just the degree of spiciness but also the combination of tastes that can be rustic and vulgar. Isan people believe in the concept of eating like a tiger. To be strong like the animal you have to eat raw meat," he said.  

The ever-busy Sabai Jai Gai Yang is favourite among expats.

At Ban Isan Muang Yod, international customers come to partake in the authentic northeastern cuisine of Yasothon province. 

Reservations signs with Thai spelling of Japanese names written on them are a very common sight at Sabai Jai Gai Yang.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT