Walking by Pii Nong Thai, I’m not sure what attracts more
people: the comforting emerald environment with table tops laden with food or
the bright market right next door. Indeed, the store offers an array of snacks,
condiments, and even merchandise. You know what they say about shopping hungry…
if you’re stuck waiting for a table, you may end up purchasing a lot of junk
food.
It’s a cute and colourful environment that extends into
their drinks. The teddy bear Thai milk tea ($8.99) graced many tables. A
pitcher of rich and silky tea with a shot of evaporated milk to allow diners to
customize its creaminess. The drink is a tad pricy but lasts the entire meal –
it’s a generous portion complete with a bear made from tea so it doesn’t dilute
the drink as it melts.
The pandan chicken ($18.99) is a great protein packed
starter. Essentially a small palm-sized piece of seasoned chicken thigh that’s
quickly fried in the leaf. While there wasn’t much pandan flavour, the
leaf did add a slight aromatic quality to the chicken.
Same goes for the grilled pork jowl ($18.99) that’s
listed as an appetizer but large enough to work as a main. Served with a cylinder
of sticky rice, the huge slab of pork is lightly grilled and simply adorned
with diced shallots, cilantro, and chilis. It’s served with a tangy tamarind jaew
sauce that adds a hit of acid to lighten up the meat.
For something to munch on with beer, the crispy mini crab
larb ($17.99) acts like popcorn shrimp but featuring thumb sized crustaceans
instead. Almost like soft shell crab but crispier, the fried morsels are dusted
with a sweet and salty spice and tossed with herbs and chili.
For the tried and true, their crispy chicken spring roll
($9.99) combines ground chicken, vermicelli, and vegetables to create a
dense sausage like filling wrapped in crispy rice paper. It’s crunchy and meaty
with a light fish sauce vinaigrette. You’ll get your fill of protein with this
as well.
Unless you really love the spicy Thai soup, the tom yum with prawns ($9.99) is enough to share amongst two. You’ll feel a sting but its tolerable, especially since there’s coconut milk (or some dairy element) added to give it a touch of creaminess.
Having visited Pii Nong during lunch and dinner, consistency
is a problem. Their dinner service was stronger, where the crispy ginger
beef ($18.99) was superb. Cut into thicker slices, the lightly breaded beef
remained tender and wasn’t dried out like some places. Moreover, the sauce was drizzled
on and placed at the bottom so you can adjust the sauciness of the dish.
At lunch, the crispy beef was still tasty, but much harder
and chewier. They also tossed it with a lot of sauce so that it was saturated.
Hope you like it saucy at lunch!
Similarly, during dinner the Bangkok street pad Thai with
shrimp ($25.99) was fantastic. The dish had plenty of wok hay and
the noodles remained distinct and chewy. The sauce was well balanced, mainly
savoury with a hint of sweet and sourness; flavourful without being
over-the-top.
During lunch the vegetable pad Thai ($21.99) just wasn’t as flavourful and the wok kay less distinct. Perhaps it’s because we requested gluten free versions for lunch, and this fundamentally changes the crispy beef coating or pad Thai sauce. But lunch was good, while dinner was great.
Luckily, their Panang coconut curry with chicken ($20.99) added the burst of flavour needed to the vegetable pad Thai. It’s sightly sweet and rich in coconut and chili. The sauce was lovely soaked on jasmine rice or tossed with the noodles.
If you’re not in the mood for sharing, the pad gra pow
($21.99) is a great balanced dish of steamed rice topped with stir-fried
minced chicken and long beans that’s combined with a fragrant mixture of fried
basil leaves, garlic, onion, and chilis. There’s just enough heat and even a
side of vinaigrette to add a light sour element to the dish.
For those who want something different, their Bangkok
street pad Thai with crispy pork ($24.99) was a nice change with bite-sized
slices of crispy pork belly adorning the noodles. It’s a bit heavy for me but
ideal if you’re in the mood for something hearty.
Pii Nong’s pla lui suan ($34.99) is rarely
found elsewhere consisting of a full branzino that’s fileted and deep fried. The
sweet and sour tamarind vinaigrette and herb, citrus, and cashew salad on top keeps
the dish light and summery. Just be aware for those who are weary of bones, you’ll
find them in some pieces.
I rather enjoyed the fish with the sauce from the green
coconut curry with chicken ($20.99) over top. The sweet coconutty sauce
combined nicely with the tartness from the citrus and herbs and gave the
branzino more flavour. On its own, the green coconut curry works for those who
don’t like spice, just pick out the slices of green and red chilis and you’re
left with a mild sauce.
My recommendation is to make a reservation. Even on a
Wednesday evening, they could barely fit us in. We managed to get seated after
the hostess felt bad for us and found a table if we promised to finish in an
hour. That wasn’t an issue as the food came out in a quick but well-timed pace.
Yonge and Lawrence is the second and now “flagship” location of Pii Nong. Aside from the restaurant and store, they’ll soon offer Thai massages as well. Something you’ll likely want to experience before eating, unless you want to be stretched and pulled on a full stomach.
In a nutshell...
- Must order: crispy ginger beef, shrimp pad Thai, grilled pork jowl, pad gra pow
- Just skip: vegetable pad Thai
Address: 3321 Yonge Street
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System
- Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
- 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
- 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
- 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
- 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
- 10 - absolute perfection!
Is That It? I Want More!
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