With the word Modern in
their name, Sala Modern Thai had me wondering what would be the evolutionary
steps in their dishes. Perhaps they’d replace the traditional rice noodles in
pad Thai with fresh made pasta? Maybe the menu would incorporate some sort of
fusion concept mixing Thai cuisine with other countries?
Turns out, neither seemed true; their dishes were the
staples gracing the Toronto Thai restaurant menus for years. In fact, if
anything, they even incorporated further elements of traditional Thai touches
like with their Bangkok pad Thai.
When my husband did an ex-pat stint in China, one of his
favourite restaurants was owned by a Thai couple who made the “best pad Thai”,
in his opinion. He fondly remembered the thin omelette that encapsulated the
noodles, a dish he never found in Toronto until seeing a picture of Sala Modern
Thai – really the sole catalyst for our visit.
The chicken version ($13) arrives covered in a thin crepe
that’s more flour than egg; upon breaking through you’re greeted with a pad
Thai made from chewy vermicelli noodles (as opposed to the typical thin rice
noodles) and a sweet and sour sauce that’s one of the best I’ve heard had –
it’s not overwhelming sweet or sour and there’s no tell-tale hint of red
indicating ketchup was used in lieu of tamarind.
True to their name, the fresh rolls ($6) are made-to-order
as the rice paper is soft, chewy, and lightly warmed. With a simple vegetable
and tofu stuffing, you get the contrasting textures of crunchy and soft ingredients,
with the Thai basil adding a refreshing essence. On the side, a sweet chili
tamarind dipping sauce and a small salad of lettuce tossed in, of all things,
ranch dressing.
Although I’d never volunteer to try suicide wings, I’m also
not a wuss when it comes to chili heat. Hence, we opted for the “spicy” version
(one step down from “Thai spicy”) of the kuaytiaw
tom yum with chicken ($11.50). Wow, what a humbling experience! There was
such a kick to the tom yum broth,
even with the rice noodles, that every second bite had me reaching for a
cooling drink.
The broth is rich and thick, filled with lemon grass and a
shrimp flavours (aside from all the chili). I do wish they used a bigger bowl
as ours was so packed with noodles that the soup became more of a sauce than
something you can spoon and actually drink.
If you’re going to try anything spicy, do yourself a favour
and order one of their iced teas. The Thai
matcha iced green tea ($5) is the traditional milk-based tea with a strong matcha essence added to make it less
sweet and milky. As an aside, Sala needs to do a better job at ensuring their
pricing matches up, this one item was listed differently on three places: menu
at restaurant ($4), actual charge on bill ($5), and menu on their website ($6).
Sala Modern Thai’s beef khao
soi ($13) is fantastic. Normally, the coconut milk mixed into the yellow
curry broth is a tad strong for me, at Sala it’s balanced so the broth stays
savoury while still feeling thick and rich. The soup sticks wonderfully to all
the crevices of the flat egg noodles and the crispy noodles add a bit of crunch
against the otherwise soft dish. Only two things could be improved with the khao soi: firstly, the beef was
overcooked and tasteless (tofu may be a better protein); and the so called
“soft” boiled egg arrived hard boiled and dry.
So what exactly is modern Thai? Interested, I turned to the
internet and found a Paste Bangkok post, where Chef Jason Bailey explains that
modern Thai is not only about using non-traditional ingredients but also
incorporating cooking equipment that differs from the traditional coals and wok
(such as an oven or slow cooker). The dishes must also have intense flavours
where you really get a punch of hot, sour, sweet, savoury, or bitterness. So as
it turns out, maybe all along, I’ve already been eating modern Thai.
How To Find Them
Location: Toronto, Canada
Address: 1262 Danforth Avenue
Address: 1262 Danforth Avenue
Website: https://www.salakitchen.com/
Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
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!
Other Gastro World posts similar to this:
