I can't feel this way much longer
expecting to survive
With all these hidden innuendos
just waiting to arrive
It's such a wavy midnight
and you slip into insane
Another Tuesday, another Taste. Another weird week. Novembers never seem to agree with me mentally, and the Winter blues seem to be hitting quicker than usual around here.
After a busy weekend, despite a Monday completely off I wasn't in any mood for a big food adventure that would occupy my entire day traveling across Toronto (which is a pretty big city don't ya know). Instead, for the second straight week it was back into Leslieville/Riverside... this time to sample Thai restaurant Eat BKK.
Eat BKK, a concept based towards recreating Bangkok street food (the 'BKK' represents those letters in Bangkok in fact), started out a few years ago as a little sit down spot in North York just south of Sheppard and Yonge Street. They've since expanded to five locations, with three of the newer outposts stationed strategically in "hip" food stretches like Roncesvalles, Bloor Street in the Annex, and of course Queen East... which is where I come in.
I'm criminally unfamiliar with Thai food, at least as far as I'm concerned. I mean, I spent two damn months in the place... the one completely on the other side of the world just so we're clear... but most of my Thailand culinary experience involved plenty of rice dishes, various night markets where I was probably too eager to purchase something that smelled good (if hooves are still attached, maybe stay away) and a rigorous routine of Corn Flakes with milk and honey in the morning. Man, 22 year old me was boring... he probably wasn't even horribly sad most of the time!
Oh... said the quiet part loud again. Anyway, I really enjoyed almost all of the food I had when in Thailand about six decades ago (whenever 2010 was, who knows), but since returning to North America I've rarely gone back to that excellent cuisine. Heck, even a really good place I reviewed a couple of years ago (and close to my house) isn't a spot I've ordered from more than a couple times. This isn't like a cheeseburger, pizza or any old sandwich for my taste buds, with stacks of previous knowledge and thoughts to draw from. Not in my wheelhouse with this one.
However, I know what I like and also like to think I have a decent sense of general quality with anything that enters my mouth (please don't insert your own joke here... because I just did). I also didn't have any expectations for Eat BKK going in: I knew very little about them beyond seeing their marquee at various places throughout town.
Walking into the Riverside location to make my take-out order, the interior aesthetic caught my attention rather immediately. The major wall with the tables had a very "street art" type of colourful mural which covered almost the entire surface. The rest of the restaurant reminded me a lot of the festivals I encountered in the small towns I visited in the middle part of Thailand: frilly colourful decorations and plenty of gold ornaments and writings in Thai upon a blackboard atop the bar. An unusual fusion that threw me off somewhat, but certainly a unique one.
Lets get into this actual food while my brains still almost work. I ordered one of their fusion-y dishes: a Khao Soi beef curry poutine. I know I know... I truly debated getting one of their actual currys in addition to this poutine item listed as a "Starter" on their menu... but also I'm not made of airports damnit. Besides, I felt this was an interesting way to experience both their interpretation of a classic Canadian dish with their general flavour quality as a Thai restaurant. There's a method to my cheapn--I mean madness. Probably.
I found it initially curious how they packaged the beef curry part separately from the fries, cheese and other toppings (which you can see in the header photo of course). It didn't take long for me to realize the cleverness in this set-up: soupy liquids will make french fries soggy extremely quickly, especially confined in a warm takeout container for many minutes of travel. Upon digging in, I wondered if I should simply use the curry as a dip for my still crispy fries and cheese... alas the thin consistency of that sauce made for a messy and ineffective method of eating this. As such, pouring it all on top seemed the prudent option.
Starting with the "poutine" half... sorry but this isn't really a poutine. It's possible other BKK locations use actual cheese curds or that they used to... regardless this here was a shredded cheese mix and so that's a strike against it. Frankly, it's really the only negative because otherwise this worked nicely. The fries have a light beer battered crisp/taste to them, while the generous dose of green onions combined with tiny crispy fried onions really add a nice cutting of flavour into that noticeable fried potato taste (this thing had all the onions, clearly). Ordering a dish from a Thai restaurant (mini)chain with french fries as a key component... yeah I was really just hoping the fries weren't awful. Fortunately, these hit the mark thanks to that slightly battered layer... even submerged in the curry the firmness and flavour of the fry persisted.
How about that beef curry. There's a nice mix of a broth-like consistency with some coconut richness, and a hint of soy (that specific saltiness) in the cooked beef itself. The beef was initially a bit tough, but allowing it to marinate (as it were) in the warm curry softens it up and really unlocks a pleasant tenderness and unmistakably beefy taste. It pairs nicely with the very onion-heavy fries and cheese as well: if these were regular potatoes instead of battered fries this would just be a Thai beef curry, and an enjoyable one at that.
I suppose in the absence of the poutine novelty, I would've liked a bit more punch of spice in the curry itself (there are hints of chili pepper but very, very mild). The beef is good enough but I imagine atop a rice dish instead of the advantage of soaking in delicious flavourful sauce... it would grade as pretty okay but not memorable by its own merit. As a portion size... it hit the spot for me and was pleasant in the stomach afterwards (an underrated element of ordering takeout, I feel). If considering it as an appetizer before a big main course, this poutine is big and heavy enough to probably require some sharing with people at the table.
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Overall! As introduction to Eat BKK, what I sampled impressed me enough to consider going back sometime again for an actual main course to judge. I didn't expect this to be bad but I had some concerns... instead I can tell this is a mini-franchise that gives a decent hoot about making delicious Thai food with caring process and preparation. I will go back again, so there's a future review right there. They also did the not-easy job of moderately impressing me while in one of my constant weird moods... that has to be worth a bonus mark somewhere on the quiz. Check them out! And let me know if you do/have already.
Bank Shots -- It's one thing to rob a bank... but robbing two banks in the same day? Well apparently even that wasn't big enough for somebody here in Toronto the other day, who attempted to rob three banks in the span of two hours! That's some wild stuff, man. Are we sure it wasn't actually this guy?
Tuesday Tune -- It's a song by The Cars.
That's it for this week. With all the cold weather and my motivation to go outside (or do anything really) seriously waning, we're gonna be playing it week by week with these Tuesday reviews for a while. Might end up taking an extended break in the future, we'll have to see how things go. Until next time, stay warm, stay healthy out there and don't spill that mustard.
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