Restaurant Review: PAI

PAI NORTHERN THAI KITCHEN

18 Duncan Street ~ paitoronto.com Instagram: @paitoronto ~ Twitter: @PaiToronto Co-Diners: Tim Golem, Theresa Golem & Peter Golem

Back in 2016 I took a trip of a lifetime and one of the destinations was Thailand. I have been dreaming of the flavours that I experienced there ever since. If you're like me, forever seeking truly authentic memories of Thailand, look no further than the Entertainment District's PAI. NOW Toronto voted them as the #1 Best Thai Restaurant 2018, they're featured in the Day of Gluttony: 24 Toronto Restaurants in 24 Hours video, and blogTO has named them #1 Best Thai Restaurant and #1 Best Pad Thai in Toronto. Reservations are highly recommended as this restaurant is regularly lined up out the door. Executive Chef and Owner Nuit Regular is from Northern Thailand herself and opened her very first restaurant in a town called Pai (northwest of Chaing Mai). After moving to Canada her goal was to bring the distinct flavour of Northern Thai cuisine to Toronto. She now owns a family of four different Thai restaurants in the city but considers PAI her home. You'll recognize the restaurant right away from its "highway signage," letting you know that you are about to enter the correct place: Thai food heaven. As you descend the stairs into Chef Nuit's subterranean Thai lair, the vibe feels extremely laid-back and unpretentious. It's as if you've stumbled upon some kind of secret basement - except that everyone is well aware of how good they are and it's no secret at all. This place isn't "traditional" Thailand in decor, not even close. It's more of a modern, young hippy's take on Thai, with beams and brick walls, twinkling string lights, and pictures of musicians and street signs as artistic pieces. The ambiance is the fun side of Thailand, captured in restaurant form. The dining room is always packed and busy. It's noisy and plates of food are constantly passing by... And the best thing for you to do is to jump in and hold on for the ride. The staff is friendly (but busy) and after a short wait we were seated at our table with the room's activity unfolding around us. I ordered a Thai Iced Tea ($5.75), my favourite thing to drink.

I loved the fact that they also do Thai buckets (complete with rum, Red Bull, and coke) but since I didn't want to die that night, I abstained. On the other hand, I was disappointed that Chang is not present on their beer list. Regardless, my Thai iced tea took me straight back to the hot, hot days that I spent in Thailand, constantly consuming this beverage in an attempt to cool off. Strong black tea paired with the sweetness of condensed milk is never wrong. Thai food involves complex layers of flavour and sophisticated balances; spicy, sour, a little bitter, salty, herby. Colour and texture are important; crispy, soft, cold, hot. This interplay between elements is what makes Thai food so thrilling and addictive. The best Thai restaurants in Canada are the ones that truly honour these intricacies and offer an authentic dining experience. There are a lot of Thai restaurants. There are far fewer good Thai restaurants. PAI is one of them (along with Maenam in Vancouver). The menu at PAI involves six different sections, none of which are overwhelmed with too many dishes. The menu is paired down to exactly the right offerings, showcasing exactly what is best. The group that I was dining with was ready for a feast! We started with the Som Tum Tad 'Papaya Salad' with Dried Shrimp ($14.00).

Shredded green papaya, tomato, long green beans, garlic, red chili, tamarind juice, long leaf coriander, coconut sugar and freshly squeezed lime. Served with pork rinds and shrimp chips.

The presentation of this gorgeous platter set the tone for the rest of the meal and built excitement for what was to come. I loved the crisp freshness of this salad. Most of all, I appreciated the zesty spice of the dressing used. The best papaya salad that I ever tasted was at a night market in Krabi, and it was exceptional in large part due to the punchy dressing that the salad was bathed in. The version at PAI is by far the closest that I have come to tasting anything else like it. I enjoyed the addition of texture with the crunchy and playful pork rinds and shrimp chips. An ideal way to begin a meal. Once the salad was finished the rest of our feast arrived all at once. Our table was an eclectic array of bowls, dishes, platters, all being passed from hand to hand. Colours danced across the table and tantalizing aromas beckoned us to dig in. From the Stir Fry section we obviously had to try Chef Nuit Pad Thai ($16.50), known as the best pad thai in the city.

Stir fried rice noodle in a homemade tamarind sauce with bean sprouts, tofu, egg, chives, long leaf coriander, shredded cabbage, fresh lime and house roasted peanuts.

You also get to select whether you would like your pad thai made with chicken, beef, tofu & veggies, or shrimp. I chose the tofu & veggies because our other dishes contained either chicken or beef. When asked about which spice level we wanted, I chose medium. Pad thai is such a standard dish in every Thai restaurant and this one did stand out to me as being a cut above the rest. The noodles were perfectly cooked and well-coated in the beautiful sauce. The peanuts added a great texture. Our only issue was that many of the vegetables were quite large and difficult to eat (you only get a fork and spoon in Thai restaurants). In the future I would likely order it with shrimp instead. While this pad thai was excellent, I also found that it got over-powered a bit by some of the big flavours in our other dishes. Next we made a stop in the Curries section. Curries are synonymous with Thai food, if you ask me. I could've (easily) tried all four of the ones on PAI's menu. Compromising, we ordered two. First, Gaeng Masaman with Braised Beef ($16.00). All of the curries at PAI are made with a mild/medium spice level, making them quite accessible to almost anyone.

Braised beef in a peanut tamarind curry with potatoes and pearl white onions and topped with deep fried crispy shallots. Served with steamed jasmine rice.

The first time that I ever tried a masaman curry was when I was in Thailand, and I have been hooked ever since. Often served with beef, this rich curry is big and bold. The meat was extremely tender (as were the potatoes), easily falling apart without the use of a knife. Deep, dangerous, and bit spicy, I was very impressed by the depth of flavour. You might want to bathe in this. I think that this is the dish that I have continued to think about the most. It must be tasted! Our next curry was the Gaeng Kiaw Wan 'In a Coconut' ($17.50). Because a green curry is too classic not to.

Green curry with bamboo shoots, makrut lime leaves, basil leaves and coconut milk. Served in a coconut and topped with Thai basil and red pepper sliver. Served with steamed jasmine rice.

The presentation alone was adorable! For this one you could choose between chicken, beef, fish, tofu & veggies, or shrimp. Selecting the fish was a no-brainer for me and I was so glad that I did. The white fish was gloriously tender and melted in my mouth, bathed in the beautifully aromatic green curry. This dish was sweet and delicate, while simultaneously bursting with flavour. One of the best green curries that I've ever had. Our final dish, from the Chef Nuit's Favourites section of the menu had to be Khao Soi ($16.50), the best dish that I ate in all of Thailand.

Fresh egg noodles in a golden coconut milk curry topped with crispy noodles, coriander and green onions.

Khao soi is a famous soup from Northern Thailand and I have been so pleased to see it on more and more menus in Canada. (I think everyone is realizing just how amazing it is.) PAI serves theirs with a choice of braised beef, chicken breast, chicken drumsticks, or shrimp. The chicken drumsticks are by far the most correct choice because this is how it is served in Chiang Mai. I think that PAI is the only place that I have come across in Canada that serves it this way! The tender and juicy chicken fell straight off of the bone. This soup is the magic of Thailand captured in a bowl. Every aspect of Thai cuisine is embodied here. We didn't order dessert but I certainly noticed the thai iced tea ice cream on the menu and am dying to try it! I can see why everyone says that PAI is the best Thai restaurant in Toronto. It is. I think it's because they are making real Thai food, which should go without saying but isn't always the case. I picked up on a certain "funk" within the curries that we ordered that really hit the authenticity mark for me. These dishes tasted like real Thailand. PAI is a magical place and I can't stop thinking about the food.