Chai Thung: Isaan Also Rises

But there is a murky, deeply flavored beef-tendon soup, spiced like a more complex version of the clove-intensive boat noodles at Sapp and shot through with chunks of soft, stewed cattle sinew; and a great version of deep-fried Thai beef jerky served with a roast-chile dip that resembles a northern nam prik oom. Isaan is known for its barbecue: spice-tinged grilled chicken, beef and pork. Salty, fat-spurting slabs of grilled sirloin are called nam tok, or “waterfall” beef, because of their tendency to weep juices on the grill. Chai Thung does barbecue pretty well too, although the dryish chicken may not actually transport you to hot nights in Si Saket.

The pla lui saun, a profoundly delicious dish of fish stripped of its spine, turned inside out and fried to a golden block of pure crunch, buried under a mound of Thai herbs, drizzled with hot, sweet sauce, may be the single best thing on the menu. As you eat, the bones crackle under your teeth, the cool fragrance of the cilantro and the threads of kaffir lime leaf spark the salty oiliness of the fish, and a top note of gingered sweetness weaves through the composition like a silvery trumpet line: spectacular.

Anne Fishbein

Barbecued beef

Anne Fishbein

Smoky grilled eggplant with pork and shrimp

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More About

• Chai Thung
• Barbara Hansen
• Renu Nakorn
• Eating Out
• Thai Food and Cooking

The chef’s famous dish of Chinese broccoli and deep-fried belly pork used to be my automatic order at Yai. In six visits to Chai Thung, I still haven’t gotten around to trying it.

 
Chai Thung, 1001 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 667-3432. No alcohol. Takeout and delivery. Lot parking. Cash only. Recommended dishes:nam kaow tod; Thai beef jerky; Isaan sausage;sai oua; fried fish with Thai herb salad (pla lui saun); bamboo-shoot salad; steamed trout;nam tok; beef-tendon soup.