Southern Thai cuisine is known for proffering spice-heavy flavors that leave a burning sensation in your mouth. The Bangkok branch of a decade-old restaurant in Koh Samui, however, takes it easy on your palate and offers an easier-to-eat approach to famous southern specialties.
Tucked inside Chulalongkorn-owned community mall I’m Park, the mainland outpost of Surat Thani-born Yoong Khao Hom aims to transport guests to the original branch on the Gulf of Thailand with native decor (light wood, woven basket lamps, colorful batik cushions) and a family-friendly vibe.
Despite churning out dishes whipped up with house-made curry paste and most of the ingredients flown from the southern province, we can’t help but think that Yoong Khao Hom in Bangkok offers southern Thai cuisine for beginners (good news for those who can’t take the heat). The usually spicy moo phad kapi (stir-fried pork with shrimp paste, B180) and kung phad kapi sator (stir-fried shrimp with shrimp paste and green stink beans, B220) are toned down with the use of a sweet and sour sauce. (The latter actually swims in the murky kapi "soup"). The gaeng khua hoy knom (river snails in yellow curry, B180), which is infamous for its fiery flavors, contains extra sugar and coconut milk at this eatery, making it easily palatable for the spice-intolerant. Stir-fried baegu leaves with egg (B160), another southern favorite, deliciously benefits from its fragrant aroma, crunchy texture and relatively heat-free taste.
We skipped dessert (as we'd had too much sugar for one meal) but the Thai tea pudding with palm jelly (B80) and black grass jelly in syrup with the palm-like fruit luk chok (B80) seem like interesting choices.