Sino-Southeast Asian cuisine may not elicit long queues or rabid hankerings, but pair it with a pretty good drinks list, buzzy vibes and cool interiors (there’s a vintage car parked in the dining area) and this newly opened restaurant on Chakkraphatdi Phong Road in the old town may just actually pull in discerning foodies—even those who live in the inner part of the city.
What used to be an old shophouse is now an eatery that showcases playful and creative tweaks on old family recipes. The food here has deep Chinese roots although you will also find a few classic dishes from all over Southeast Asia. The name of the restaurant stands for “down to food,” but it can also be derivative of the Chinese words dao, tu and fook which means “knife, to apply and blessing,” respectively.
The decor alone makes this place a standout. An old Morris Ten automobile is parked just inside the door, a conspicuous complement to the wooden tables, vintage bric a brac, and Chinese-style chairs that came with the place. (We expected nothing less than retro cool anyway as the restaurant is co-owned by Vudi Somboonkulavudi, the brains behind famed flea market Made By Legacy.)
Try the crispy-fried starters before easing into the sharing plates. We were especially impressed by the hand-cut eggplant fries (B120), which came with sriracha sauce, duck nuggets (B120) served with hoisin ketchup, and duck fried chicken (B220) served alongside purple coleslaw. Or opt for something lighter like the Salad Hoo Moo (B220), which mixes pig ear and wood ear mushrooms that have been marinated in spicy dashi dressing.
For the sharing plates, don’t miss the five-spice roasted duck (B320), a dish that roasts Muscovy duck in a clay pot and then serves it with an aromatic five-spice gravy; and the fish fillet in soup (B280), which comes with a flavorful shallot sauce. Also worth considering are Red Guts + Squid (B220), a dish of chicken giblets and crispy squid in red curry paste, and Sino Beef Stew (B280).
The bar (all lit up in green) serves a variety of drinks, including Chinese beer, Vietnamese coffee, and cocktails with a DFT twist such as dry martini (B320) with a Chinese olive. A few mocktails and good cheap wine are also available.