I'm on the move again with a touch down in Melbourne for a wedding with Abby, so of course we went in search of Khao soi and didn't have to go far (3 blocks from our hotel in the Central Business District) to find this fast foodish sit down Thai noodle bar.
They had quite passable Tod Mun Plaa (my all-time favorite street food in Thailand– fish cakes with kaffir lime leaves) but a bit overly processed and low on the all important kaffir lime leaves. Their Khao soi had plenty of vegetables– eggplant, mushrooms, cabbage, broccoli, baby corn, sprouts, mint, basil, and curry leaf, the latter a quite unique addition– and fried and thin egg noodles but no pickled mustard, lime, or fresh shallots to top it off and adjust taste. Broth was thick on coconut milk, not sour enough (with no supplementary lime to adjust it!), and still a bit watery despite an overpowering indian curry powder taste. Curry leaves, a pungent resinous leaf from India closely related to citrus that actually has little relation to the word "Curry" for a spice mixture even though they often appear in curries, were also a strange addition which I've never seen, but nice to find fresh in downtown Melbourne. The extra veggies were nice for me as a vegaquarian, but they should not come at the expense of the toppings that define this dish! Jack fruit smoothie was also tasty and a nice find, though definitely from canned jack fruit, not the delicate fresh fruit that inspired the tasty of juicy fruit gum.
Admittedly, we may be being extra critical about Yourthai since we had just come from the Mecca of Khao Soi, Chiang Mai, a few days before, so if your stuck in central Melbourne with a hunger for Khao soi, this might be worth a short visit, but not solely for the Khao soi, and if anyone know of any other good khao soi spots in Melbourne, please let me know for our next visit down under! All the other food in Melbourne was excellent, so there's got to be something else out there. Look for my reviews of the chocolate shops in Melbourne on my other blog, Chocolate from the Source, soon!
Yourthai Rice & Noodle Bar255 Swanston StMelbourne VIC 3000Australia+61 3 9663 8010
6 comments:
hey-
Wasn't sure where to leave this, but both locations of Chai (http://www.yelp.com/biz/chai-new-york) have Khao Soi, but they call it Chiang Mai Curry
I had no idea there was a community of fellow khao-soi fanatics. You might want to check out the recipe on my blog (pbsr.wordpress.com); look under the post called "A Willing and Eager Kitchen Slave." The recipe you link to needs to be more specific in its curry powder. I'd suggest massaman as the closest to the standard Chiang Mai version, although I think Samoe Jai's (which is much more "red" and pork-based) is the best in town. Cheers!
Just wanted to say you are my hero for writing a whole blog devoted to khao soi. I've only found one respectable version of this dish in Seattle but I'm crazy about it.
After a recent trip to Portland where I had Khao Soi at a restaurant called Pok Pok, I tried making it myself at home. I suppose it could have been worse on the first try, but it really didn't capture the essence. While poking around the internet for more recipes I came across your blog which led me to Juliet's blog and hopefully my second try will be better. I wish I had seen this earlier because I would have tried the food cart you mentioned. I am back in Boston now and miss the food carts terribly!
Always love a good read about thai food!
I have found a little treasure, although not so secret in chiang mai which is called Aroon Rai, 45 Th Kotchasan in the city close to the main east gate. Also, here is a great little blog on chiang mai restaurants as well:
http://cm-eat.blogspot.com/
Glad to see there is a community of people dedicated to the pursuit of outstanding khao soi. Generally hard to find in the States. Best I have ever had is at jatujak market in Bangkok, although I could not easily describe where it is within that complex. There was an elderly lady in the Seri Center on Srinakarin Road in Bangkok which also made very good khao soi. Best I found when I lived in NYC was at Talent on 34th St., but I only lived in NYC for a year and did not have the opportunity to explore some of the places off the island which had been recommended by Thai friends.
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