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 the dead of winter, dining at Koh Lipe Thai Restaurant can change your attitude. Set in the “restaurants” section of China Splendid Mall, the tired mall doesn't feel exciting, but walk into the cheerful restaurant and the exterior environment disappears – goodbye winter, goodbye tired looking mall. Hello, Thailand.

And the attraction is not just from the colourful environment. Koh Lipe serves some seriously delicious food. The goong moun ($13.95) is a can't miss appetizer. A flavourful but light shrimp paste (studded with carrot, chilli, and betel leaf) is wrapped in crispy tofu sheets that's like a spring roll but better. It's tasty on its own or with a splash of the savoury and sour Arjard vinaigrette.

Koh Lipe synthesizes the sour, salty, and umami elements of tom yum into a powder that covers the  chicken wings or peek gai tom yum ($13.95). Given it’s a dry rub, the batter on the wings remains crunchy, a great contrast against the juicy meat.

Their pad Thai with shrimp ($22.95) has the requisite elements needed for success: chewy noodles, enough sauce to cover the noodles without making them soggy, and crispy elements to add texture. I’m glad the chef was restrained in his use of tamarind, so the pad Thai wasn’t too sour, the flavours were perfectly balanced.

My first experience with guey tiew khaek or Islamic noodles ($17.95 for the veggies and tofu version) was not a success. Using the same rice noodles as pad Thai, they’re covered with an overly sweet red curry, which really needed a spicier element to create harmony. If anything, the best part of the dish was the onsen egg, the molten yolk adding a creaminess to the curry noodles.

For something spicy, the prik gaeng moo krob ($23.95) packs a punch and had me downing two glasses of water. A blistering hot curry paste covers fried and then stir-fried pork belly, soaking into the meat. While tasty, given the sauce was already oily, using pork belly as the protein made the dish too heavy, chicken and/or shrimp would be better.

For a flavourful curry, I prefer the khao neow gaeng ($22.95). Slices of chicken and fresh pineapple are covered in a heat-filled yellow curry that's spicy but bearable. The sticky coconut rice sitting in the pineapple gets covered in the sauce but is not saturated and goes wonderfully with the chicken. 

Our table was impressed with the pad gra prao ($18.95), a plate of steamed rice topped with ample amounts of minced chicken flavoured with basil, onion, and chili. All at once spicy, salty, and sweet, it blends into one as the thick yolk oozes out of the fried egg. While the dish has a similar taste to the prik gaeng moo krob, the sweet element helps make this a more palatable dish.

Despite having leftovers, we ordered the khao neow ma muang ($12.95) to share. One bite of the slightly salty mango coconut sticky rice and we were hooked. The sauce was warm and thin, so it coats the sticky rice so well. It’s paired with soft mango slices that adds enough sweetness to remind you it’s a dessert.

The sticky rice was so delicious we added a khao neow tu rian ($12.95) to try the durian version of the dessert. As a child, my first experience with the fruit was terrible - the overpowering aroma and texture made me feel like I was sucking on a moldy gym sock. My second taste at Koh Lipe was much better, the fragrant fruit mellowed by the sauce and rice. Nonetheless, I still prefer the mango version as the fruit is firmer to contrast against the soft rice and adds a tropical taste the durian lacks.

I would skip the tom yum fried rice with vegetable and tofu ($18) as it's also very tangy and two sour dishes were too much for one meal. Indeed, tom yum's recipe has lemongrass and lime, but these tart elements soaked into the rice it was powerful. Still, I enjoyed all the herbs: galangal (a peppery ginger), basil, and kaffir lime leaves, which added a freshness to the starch. The fried rice was just too wet - Chiang Rai likely uses fresh rather than day old rice – to the point that it tasted better as leftovers.

If you’re a fan of chicken devil, the crispy chicken chilli sauce stir fry ($19) is a stellar version of the dish. I love the big nuggets of battered chicken that’s very lightly covered with the spicy, savoury, and sweet sauce so they remain crunchy. Just get to the chicken quickly as there’s not a lot of pieces amongst the vegetables.

Do not take out your food... Chiang Rai takes the time to beautifully present dishes. Each adorned with deep fried rice noodle sticks, beet ribbons, a stalk of green onion, and an orange slice. And while the décor makes for a great presentation, on subsequent visits I’ll ask for dishes plain as it's also wasteful to discard the garnishes. By dining in you'll also benefit from Chiang Rai's cheerful environment. It won’t necessarily feel like you’re in Thailand, but still funner than sitting around at home. 

Jatujak Thai Cuisine is quickly becoming a chain of restaurants serving cheap-and-cheerful Thai food in the Toronto suburbs. After seeing so many of their dishes on Instagram and finding positive Google/Yelp reviews to back up the pretty pics, I decided to head north to their outpost located on Steeles a stone’s throw from Scarborough. From the outside, the storefront looks like any other plaza establishment, but once you enter, the dining room is surprisingly spacious and modern.  

Order a lunch special and they’ll arrive in no time – sometimes a worrying sign of premade food that just sits around and is assembled to order. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case with the pad Thai ($8.95). The heap of brown noodles studded with chicken, onions, and bean sprouts didn’t look like much, but once I had a forkful the seemingly too-wet noodles was the perfect consistency and the sweet flavours nicely balanced by the sour and savoury elements. While I couldn’t smell much wok hay when the dish was presented, the pad Thai did have a mellow smoky element that briefly peaks out while being consumed.

I’d skip the chicken green curry ($8.95), it’s run-of-the-mill and a tad sweet for my taste for something that has two chilies listed beside it on the menu. Truth be told, I was probably still a little salty from hearing that the steamed fish curry wasn’t available, something I really had my heart set on.

Jatujak’s beef khao soi ($15.95) could also use a kick of heat to really push the bowl to the next level. Still, it was a tasty dish with the creamy curry broth incorporating a hint of citrus. The combination of silky egg noodles with crispy ones were also on-point with equal amounts of both textures. There were also tons of brisket in the bowl, so this is a great choice for those who really want their protein.

Until my work-from-home schedule ends, and I re-join the downtown rat race, I’m glad to have found Jatujak who will satisfy my Thai cravings until I can taste Chef Nuit’s creations again. I guess their affordable price points, large portions, and ease of getting a table also doesn’t hurt either. If only they had the steamed fish curry – one day, you will get into my belly.