Gai-tord Soi Polo

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Gai-tord Je Keey (Polo Fried Chicken)

Je Keey's gai-tord (fried chicken), somtum (raw papaya spicy salad) and Issan food are decent northeastern gourmet serve in Bangkok C.B.D.

It was almost 10 years ago I sampled Je Keey's fried chicken and raw papaya spicy salad, at that time in her non-air-conditioned shop. A revisit to Je Keey yesterday found that Je Keey had moved few meters closer to the main road (still on Soi Polo) in a modern decorated shop house, this time with air-conditioning facility.

Taste was very different in comparison to ten years ago. The yum (spicy salad) and soup (namely tom-zaap the Issan style spicy and sour soup) were not as spicy as before. Somtum pla ra (raw papaya spicy salad with fermented fish and crab, Baht 60) was decent but not outstanding. The gai tord (fried chicken, Baht 80 for half chicken) of which made Gai Tord Je Keey appears on Lonely Planet and a few foreign tour books, was a little disappointed on our table. The once frozen AA fryer chicken was well marinated on the skin, crispy, but loose in texture and no taste in its meat. We ate with Je Keey house sauce (pretty good, though) to enhance the taste of that bland chicken meat. Our dessert, lod-chong (green glutinous rice flour stripe in coconut milk, Baht 30) was not better than the fried chicken. No taste, no texture, just powder mixed with water and coloring.

However, all the yum dishes (Baht 50-80) were pretty good although heat index laying on the mild side but all ingredients and seasonings held a good balance to taste. The tom-zaap (Baht 60) was on the acceptable sour side though not too spicy, good to lift our appetite, and good for beginners. We will avoid fried chicken and concentrate on yum dishes if we shall return to Je Keey in the future!

Je Keey (Polo) Fried Chicken ***
137/1-2 Soi Polo
off Wireless Road
Lumpini, Bangkok 10330
Tel.: 02.655.8489

Open daily 7am - 10pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 500

(Delivery available)

Thai E-sarn

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Thai E-sarn Restaurant

Thai E-sarn Restaurant serves almost the best Issan grilled chicken in Bangkok. Presentation of the grilled free range chicken (gai-baan yang) didn't look excellent on the plate, but the taste was. Chicken was marinated to the right taste yield full aromatic from various Thai herbs and seasonings; succulent meat was tender, not salty but full of favor. Best to describe the chicken is aroi ma ma (or very delicious).

Grilled pork neck in Issan namtok dressing (nam-tok kor-moo-yang) is always my favorite order in any Issan eatery; in Thai E-sarn Restaurant its version didn't disappoint me. Another must order in an Issan eatery shall be the spicy raw papaya Thai-style salad (somtum Thai). Thai E-sarn somtum Thai did pass the mark. The shredded raw papaya and ingredients were fresh, with nice heat (spicy), sour and salty in good balance.

Deep-fried snake-head fish with Issan herbs in fish sauce (pla chong leoi-suan) is also a popular dish in an Issan eatery. Since I am not into snake-head fish, my deep-fried leoi-suan fish changed to sea bass (pla kapong) on requst and it came out with satisfying. Stir-fried squid in salty eggs (pla muek khai khem) maybe seafood that promotes high cholesterol. In Thai E-sarn Restaurant the salty eggs sauce stir-fried with the squid was just too delicious to be true, having us willing to forget the cholestrol index for a while!

But not every dish was heavenly tasty in Thai E-sarn. Our Issan spicy and sour soup (tom-zaap) had no favor. We felt like sampling boiled tap water with chilies, white pepper and extra salt in a bowl. Worst tom-zaap I ever sampled in Thailand.

The whole meal costed us less than Thai Baht 1,000 ($30).

All in all, dining in Thai E-sarn Restaurant was pleasant!



Thai E-sarn Restaurant ***1/2
Kaset-Navamin Road
Chatuchak, Bangkok 10230
Tel.: 02.940.2637

Open daily 11am - 10pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 500

Nittaya Grilled Chicken

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Nittaya Kai Yang

One of Thailand loved delis, gai yang or Issan grilled chicken.

In Hong Kong, the Issan grilled chicken was wrongfully named Pattaya grilled chicken by Hong Kong restaurateurs , with a reason. Wanna know why?



Nittaya Kai Yang ***1/2
9/225 Rachadaphisek Road
(Soi Supharuam)
Bang Sue, Bangkok 10800
Tel.: 02.913.9886

Open daily : 11 am - 9 pm
Pay (food only for two): around THB 600

All about Thai curries

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Kaeng, or Thai curry

Kaeng is widely eaten in Thailand, so how can you afford to miss it! Stay tune ..

Ooooops! Can you identify any 3 of these curries (in English) and tell me at least 3 ingredients in each of the three? (hints: not curry powder)
1. Kaeng keow waan
2. Kaeng phet
3. Kaeng massaman
4. Kaeng penang
5. Kaeng paa
6. Kaeng kua
7. Kaeng bhan
8. Kaeng som
9. Kaeng luang
10.Kaeng liang
... and Thailand has more curries than the above!