I like my Thai food greasy, dirty and cheap. (But not my date.) That’s just how authentic Thai food should be. After all, in Thailand, platanas are served with a side of flies (not fries) and hot tom yum soup come in charred metal bowls. Greasy, dirty and cheap but totally mouth-wateringly delicious.
So when I was invited to try a classy little Thai eatery in the middle of the bustling Sunset Boulevard, I was hesitant. Is the food actually going to be… light? Clean? Costly?
Turns out Night + Market at Talesai is a happy medium.
Created by owner and chef Kris Yenbamroong (who also runs the conservatively old-fashioned Talesai Thai restaurant next door), Night + Market serves up a flavorful menu of popular Thai street food (the heavier, meatier stuff) paired with hand-selected wines.
The vibe of Night + Market is a mix of hipster-chic (old tennis films play on one side of the wall) and casual comfort (long wooden communal tables fill up the space).
And the food is able to maintain the authenticity of simple Thai street food while experimenting with a little bourgeoisie. We were served 15 delicious dishes paired with three wines for the evening. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
fried pig tails | My favorite dish of the evening. Will, our generous host for the evening, described it as “pure, fat, love.”
pork satay skewers | Just like authentic street food! But (thank goodness) without the side of flies.
kar moo parlow/ whole braised pork hock | Reminded me of one of my favorite authentic Chinese dishes.
sai uaj/chiengrai herb sausage | Chris said he and the staff often spend hours hand-making these sausages.
salt crusted sea bream stuffed with herbs | Light, fluffy, like butter.
kaokluk gapi/shrimp paste-seasoned rice | Colorful, fresh dish.
hot pot tom yum shrimp soup | The most popular dish in Thailand was satisfying; tangy with a slow numbing burn.
pad thai | Normally one of my favorite dishes but with so many other good, meaty stuff around, hard to devote too much attention to it.
ob gai/chiengrai chicken stew | Are we still eating? Yes we are.
homemade ice cream in Ovaltine, graham cracker and malted milk | No meal is complete without dessert! In this case, light ice cream to perfectly cap off the warm evening (warm from all the wine we’ve had by this time.)
Night + Market also has this great backspace perfect for a summer BBQ and some light jazz band. Definitely pay a visit during one of those warm summer evenings.
Our dinner companions also contributed greatly to making the entire dining experience perfectly delectable. Thanks for educating and entertaining Audrey Magazine, fellow bloggers TummyDiaries, KevinEats, GastronomyBlog, and Fooddigger!
Night + Market at Talesai
9041 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
310.275.9724
www.nightmarketla.com
All pictures courtesy of TummyDiaries and KevinEats
Related Articles
Southern California, get ready for a bigger and better 626 Night Market on Saturday, July 28, at Centennial Square in front of Pasadena City Hall. Audrey Magazine, along with others that experienced somewhat of a logistical nightmare when the night market launched in April, is cheering the organizers on as they prepare for round two. [...]
Audrey Magazine braved bumper to bumper traffic and a parking ticket on April 14 to join the masses (nearly 10,000 people) at the first 626 Night Market in Pasadena, CA, “a central gateway point to introduce local businesses and entrepreneurs [from the 626 area code region],” said one of the founders, Taiwanese American Jonny C. [...]
As you may know from our previous post, the L.A. Flea Market opened up at the Dodger Stadium this summer and Audrey Assistant Editor Janice Jann and guest Helen Wong decided to help scrounge for the best vintage finds, sniff out the food trucks and give you tips and bits on…How To Navigate A Flea [...]
I used to be Martha Stewart. Or, at least I wanted to be. I wanted to spend my days handmaking paper scrapbooks, growing begonias and wild roses, and “antiquing” — scouring flea markets for my ever-growing collection of handblown green glass bottles. I know. Sick. Thankfully, I’m so over that phase of my life. (I [...]
We’re full swing into APA Heritage Month, and there are celebrations in every major city in the U.S. San Francisco is no exception; they’re holding their 6th annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration tomorrow, Saturday, May 15. So if you’re in the area, go check it out. Organized by the nonprofit AsianWeek Foundation in cooperation with [...]
“greasy, dirty and cheap”
Well I got two of the three bases covered.