Thai-mazing.

You guys, Seth and I went to Bangkok last night.

Ok, not really. But it felt that way to us at dinner at the new (and just barely-opened) Thai food restaurant in the old Taurus space, Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft. Opened by the daughter of the family who own and run Nan and Tamarind Seed and her fiancé, Tuk Tuk is like their funky little sister dishing up authentic Thai street food.

As DD, the owner, (who is a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e. and deliciously spunky, by the way) explained to me, the food at Nan and Tamarind is cuisine that Kings and Queens would eat in Thailand. She wanted to open a restaurant that would pay homage to her mother and grandmother’s cooking and the food she grew up eating. Although many people told her she would have to “Americanize” her fare to suit a southern palate, she remains completely committed to authenticity, and I am here to tell you it is AMAZING.

They haven’t had a grand opening yet, and I hesitated to even write about it here because Thaddeus (DD’s fiancé and co-owner) was telling me that they wanted to keep the opening quiet for the first month in order to work out any kinks and also as a “gift” to the neighborhood, but it’s SO amazing I hated not to share it with you all and I know our readers aren’t judge-y.

Seth, of course, had been before (dude has some kind of weird spidey-sense or something with new and awesome restaurants) and insisted we go this week, and as I’ve mentioned before, that is a command I am always happy to obey. He’s just never wrong.

Last night, we sat at the bar and shared several items from the small plates menu. Think Thai Tapas. Here they are in no particular order. (ok, I lied. I am telling you about the jerky first because it rocked my world.)

- Neau Sawan - it’s kind of like Thai beef jerky. These little strips of beef came out warm with a side of amazing sticky rice and were so perfectly seasoned and slightly sweet we were in heaven. We almost consumed the whole plate immediately, but Thaddeus clued us in that the dish was EVEN better room temp. And he was right.

- Mieng Kum - Ok. I could eat this daily. It was a spinach leaf wrap with lime, ginger, onions, roasted peanuts, and coconut in a caramelized palm sugar. It was SO refreshing and delicious and there was enough ginger to give it a real kick. LOVED.

- Pla Muk Yang – Grilled calamari (my favorite) with the MOST delicious chili sauce I have ever tasted. I wanted to drink it. Plus, I adore grilled calamari.

* we also got a noodle dish that Thaddeus and DD recommended that wasn’t on the menu with pork and noodles and all kinds of other deliciousness.

One thing that really struck me was how healthy everything was. Everything was grilled and nothing was heavy or creamy. Well, until dessert.

For dessert, Thaddeus suggested 2 items: the Tapioca Pudding, which, admittedly, I would never have ordered on my own, and the Old Fashioned Thai Coconut Ice Cream. Y’all. Heaven. In a bowl. The tapioca was delicious. It was served with cubes of taro, coconut, and ice cream and it was divine. The Old Fashioned was coconut ice cream on top of a cube of sticky rice with palm seeds and crushed peanuts. Spectacular.

OK, I had no idea that palm seeds were little gumdrop looking things:

But they are. Thaddeus instructed us to hide some under our ice cream to eat at the end and they were AMAZING.

Ok, so obviously I liked this place. A lot. In addition to the amazing food and the super cool owners, the space (although not completely finished) was gorgeous as well. A huge difference, in my opinion, from flashy Taurus. It’s understated and just beautiful and every little nuance in the restaurant has been deliberately put in place with careful thought by DD and Thaddeus.

Seth and I were fortunate to get a little tour as Thaddeus explained the décor as well as their philosophy on sharing time with people and attempting to improve their day over a good meal. They are both so passionate about what they do and it shows.

I don’t know if it was the stories or the two ENORMOUS glasses of delicious wine I consumed, but I was really kind of inspired when I left!

Plus, just FYI, a Tuk Tuk is a Thai rickshaw and there is one in the lobby. And that is awesome. Fact.

xx, L

Tuk Tuk Thai Food Loft
www.tuktukatl.com
1745 Peachtree Rd
Atlanta, GA 30309
(678) 539-6181