(photo by Melissa Libby)
Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft
1745 Peachtree Rd, Suite Y
678.539.6181
Street food– that is, food available from street-side vendors using makeshift or portable stalls or carts– is universal, from South Africa’s bunny chow and North Indian Chaat to Middle Eastern shawarma and good ol’ American hot dogs. The concept stretches back thousands of years, but the trend of selling what is traditionally considered street food in upscale restaurants is a relatively recent development.
Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft, the latest offering from the family behind Tamarind and Nan Thai fame, is a perfect example of this dichotomy at work, offering moderately priced food in one of Midtown’s most spectacular settings (formerly occupied by Taurus). There’s an authentic tuk tuk– the 3-wheeled auto rickshaw popular in Asia– to greet you in the downstairs lobby; an exquisite elevator lined with Thai script; a dining room decorated with cookie tins, exotic artwork, and cushioned chairs modeled after those used by Thai royalty; and a bamboo-lined balcony affording amazing views of the ATL skyline.
The idea, according to General Manager Thaddeus Keefe is to, “create a casual atmosphere where people can come in after a long day and just hang out, have a few drinks, have some good food and not feel so formal.” Keefe and his Executive Chef fiancée Dee Dee (daughter of Nan/Tamarind owners Charlie and Nantha Niyomkul) have managed to do just that. Between the warm décor, romantic candlelight, hip-but-mellow music, and their signature Lychee Martini (vodka, sake, sparkling rose and lychee juice), we felt the edge of the workday melting away before our first dish had even been delivered to the table.
The menu maintains this low-key approach, focusing on small plates of finger foods with an average price of $9. “We wanted to introduce the people in Atlanta to real, traditional Bangkok street food,” Dee Dee says, “as a tribute to the things my parents ate when they were growing up in Thailand.”
We started with the Moo Yang, deliciously tender grilled pork skewers, which come hung from a swanky steel rack designed (and patented) by Dee Dee. The Hoy Tod offered an unexpectedly complex combination of textures and flavors, mixing a crunchy pancake with chewy mussels, crisp bean sprouts, scallions, cilantro and a robust sweet chili sauce. We really loved the Yum Woon Sen, a spicy salad of mixed seafood, minced chicken cellophane noodles, lime, onion and palm sugar. But our favorite was the Neau Sawan, a Thai beef jerky that was so remarkably flavorful we could’ve eaten it by the bagful.
Though family-style dining is Tuk Tuk’s intent, they offer a handful of larger entrees for those who don’t like to share. Try the Pla Haw Bai Tong, a whole catfish grilled inside a banana leaf with chili lime sauce; or Kai Yang, a moist half-chicken served with papaya salad and sticky rice. But you’ll really want to save room for dessert: We’d recommend the Tapioca Pudding, whose intriguing blend of coconut, lotus seed, taro and sweet corn provided the perfect antidote for the spice buzzing our lips and taste buds.
We visited Tuk Tuk during December’s soft opening, when they were still “ironing the kinks,” but Keefe and Niyomkul’s colorful concept had clearly already hit the ground running. It may not be as pricey as the family’s other restaurants, but once word on Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft gets out we have no doubt it will be just as popular. –Bret Love
(Originally appeared in Jezebel Magazine)
No comments:
Post a Comment