COCONUTS HOT SPOT – The owner of Soi Keb, Natsumi, explained to me in a light French accent that in Paris an interesting phenomenon is taking place: People are ditching McDonald’s in favor of kebabs as their go-to choice when it comes to fast food.
McDonald’s charges a whopping 12-15 euro for a combo meal, whereas kebabs are still cheap, which is one of the reasons they are gaining popularity.
To Natsumi, it was an exciting and glorious shift in popular taste; to me, it sounded like a lesson on the substitution effect from introductory economics class. It was only after I tasted one of these kebabs that I joined in on her palpable enthusiasm for the new trend in French fast food.
McDonald’s is overpriced in Thailand, but that’s not what drives people to Soi Keb, a new Sukhumvit storefront joint that’s opened up close to Phra Kanong BTS. What gets people in the door is the wonderful way the French interpret the kebab.
In Thailand, a kebab is a spit-grilled portion of lamb inside pita bread. In the USA, it’s a skewer loaded with grilled meat. But at Soi Keb it’s hearty baguette hosts a delicious mixture of chicken and duck. Natsumi, the founder, recommends slathering it with house-made samurai sauce for the full effect.
For THB145, you have a choice of five preparations: Chicken and duck, tikka curry, tikka paprika, Thai satay, and buffalo. I tried the popular chicken and duck as well as the tikka curry and the chicken and duck is what I wish all “fast food” would be.
McDonald’s aint got nothing on this sandwich. It’s real meat, put inside a real baguette, with real flavor. And lots of it. The Parisians are onto something.
The feeling after finishing one of these is of physical fulfillment. You know how Subway shops here seem to think that one or two meager slices of ham, salami, or pepperoni is an acceptable amount for a sandwich? That awful practice doesn’t happen at Soi Keb. You’ll be eating pieces of chicken off the paper carton the sandwich comes in because it’s stuffed to the brim, spilling over with the good stuff.
The atmosphere is entirely pedestrian—this is fast food after all– but the jovial owner, Natsumi, will take your attention away from the barren brick wall and lack of decoration with good conversation.
Soi Keb hits all the necessary notes of what a fast food place needs to be — cheap, easy and quick. It also brings a very specific and interesting cuisine to the mix, and, like in France, gives us a comparably priced alternative to the giant fast food chains that are fattening up Thailand at an alarming rate. Wouldn’t you rather say “to hell with McDonald’s!” and get fat from a delicious kebab instead? I would.
Vive le French kebab!
Find it:
Between Sukhumvit Soi 69/1 and 71
BTS Phra Khanong
Reader Interactions