COCONUTS HOT SPOT — Though we call ourselves foodies and pride ourselves on being able to tell apart the many types of pasta, wine and sushi, I bet most of us know much less about our home regional cuisine.
Just as a quick experiment: how many of us can actually name more than five dishes from the North? Kao soi, sai aua, nam prik ong, nam prik noom; then what else?
Having been in Bangkok all my life, can my lack of exposure to northern foods be blamed on the fact that Bangkok’s representations of our own northern goodies are too mild (I have no problem identifying Isaan foods at all), or is it that the number of northern dishes are actually that limited?
After a dinner at Gedhawa — a restaurant hidden behind EmQuartier on Sukhumvit Soi 35, I don’t think it’s the latter.
The menu at Gedhawa is an impressive three-meter-long handwritten pamphlet, with a beautiful silk cover. Inside there are more than one hundred unique dishes listed, of both the authentic northern or Lanna cuisine and Gedhawa’s very own eclectic selections of Thai and fusion dishes. Pictures (really! just what we needed) are also provided for every one of the peculiar names or I’m sure we would be spending hours deciphering the menu.
Sai aua
Of course, I have to go for the super-star Lanna-cuisine items. Firstly, it’s the Lanna Hors D’Oeuvre (THB340) — a full platter of two most iconic chili pastes, nam prik noom and nam prik ong, served with kaab moo (pork rinds), sai aua (northern sausages), and assorted vegetables. Instagram this, and your friends will think you’re chilling somewhere in Chiang Mai.
Lanna Hors D’Oeuvre
Secondly, Gedhawa’s tasty mushroom soup (THB150) uses the wild Thob mushroom — the kind that looks like a small brown blob, the size of a marble, each giving a popping sensation when bitten into. Combined with the sweet and spicy coconut-milk-based soup, this is a very unique dish.
Fried chicken wings marinated in fish sauce
Thirdly, I can’t ignore the most simple and delicious duo — fried chicken wings marinated in fish sauce (THB100) and its best pal, sticky rice served in a pandan leaf wrap. Though these are everywhere to be found in the city, Gedhawa’s version is a cut above the rest.
Other authentic Lanna dishes include kao soi kai (crispy egg noodles with chicken curry — THB100), gaeng hung lay (Northern Thai pork curry — THB140), khai mod daeng (grilled spiced cake of ant eggs —THB100).
Also on offer are Naem mok kai (grilled sour pork sausage with egg — THB100) and prik noom yad sai (grilled green chili stuffed with minced pork — THB100). Glance down this list and you will get a glimpse of what people of the northern provinces enjoy eating every day.
Geddhawa fried omelet
However, if your visit to Gedhawa isn’t just to try northern dishes, I recommend that you also order the following: Hor mok talay (steamed curry seafood custard served in a coconut — THB250), kanom jeen sao nam (fresh vermicelli with coconut milk — THB100) and the restaurant’s signature fried omelet (THB140).
These dishes should followed with the Thai dessert-like santol compote. The desserts on the menu are not Lanna specialties, but they are very Thai.
Santol compote
I am delighted to have discovered yet another Thai cultural gem right here in the heart of the city. Although I was disappointed that not all hundred plus items on the menu were Lanna cuisine, it’s close enough. This is as close as you can ever get to Chiang Mai food without actually being there. The restaurant ambience, the friendly staff, and the Lanna flavors transported me to the (virtual) North for an hour or two.
FIND IT:
Sukhumvit 35
BTS Phrom PhongHours: Monday – Saturday, 11am – 10pm
