By Susie Timm, Head Cheese
I had a sketchy experience with Thai food circa 1994 and declared it “off my list” of cuisine choices for over 15 years.
Recently however, my friends at The Roaming Boomers, Dave and Carol Porter convinced me to open my mind to the spicy fare. I reluctantly agreed.
Upon my first visit to Soi 4 Bangkok Eatery, I had a limited sampling of the food as I was slightly under the weather. I tried their keow wan roti, grilled skirt steak served on soft pillows of charred roti bread and a green curry dipping sauce. It was heaven. Insanely good. I also ordered a couple of steak skewers and extra dipping sauce with roti bread.
I am not sure if I’ve ever tasted roti bread more delicious than that at Soi 4. It was edible sheer bliss. The steak was tender and perfectly cooked.
Since that first taste, I have returned to Soi 4 a few more times for lunch and I have ordered the same steak appetizer. I have also tried the miang kum, a house specialty that is a fresh cut mustard leaf wrapped around coconut, palm, prawns and herbs. Also delicious combining sweet, crunchy and savory in one neat package.
I had the opportunity to sample several more dishes at a recent media dinner and I am officially hooked. I am no Thai food expert–by any stretch of the imagination, however the amount of positive press and reviews Soi 4 has received (including a 2011 Arizona Republic “Critics Pick” for best Thai in the Valley), I feel that I am in good company with my assessment.
Here’s a quick peek at what I dined on at the hosted media dinner:
Puja
‘Classic’ pork and crab meat fritters served with cool cucumber salad
Nahm prik ong
Northern Thai pork and tomato relish served with vegetables
Miang kum
Fresh cut mustard leaf wrap of prawns, pomelo, roasted coconuts, and Thai herbs served with sweet palm sauce
Dtom yum pla
Sea bass and enoki mushroom in spicy & sour lemongrass broth
Pad pak fai daeng
Stir-fried snow pea sprouts & shitake mushrooms with garlic, chili, and Thai black bean sauce
Hoi pad cha
Sizzling stir-fried Japanese scallops with wild ginger in red curry sauce
Hor mok
Steamed curried sea bass and napa cabbage in banana leaf cups
Lamb yang
Grilled Australian rack of lamb with smoked tomato relish
Kao pad pu
Thai crab fried rice
It was all quite tasty and I really enjoyed sampling items other than the beef appetizer. Although upon return I’d like to dive into another bowl of the sea bass, mushroom and lemongrass soup. And of course, beef with roti bread. I am an addict.
Check out Soi 4 by clicking here!
