The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CHAI YO MODERN THAI
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At Chai Yo Modern Thai, there’s no need to look around for starter staples like a green papaya salad or satay when the nam prik ong platter is an option.
You dunk this spread of crispy lotus chips, curly cue pork cracklings and fresh cucumber slices into a chunky dip of chiles, ground pork and roasted tomatoes.
It’s not only a fine way to start off an evening at Chai Yo, but a reminder that a chef ’s willingness to push boundaries is exactly how a cuisine evolves.
Chai Yo does this by dusting off ingrained ideas about what Thai food should be, as in a decidedly non-Thai protein like beef cheeks in the melt-in-your-mouth neau panang entree. The same dareto-be-different attitude is applied to octopus in lemongrass salad, although the results met with less success; the grilled octo came out rubbery. It still was more memorable than the lobster tom kha coconut soup and vegetarian spring rolls that held more garnish than substance.
Pad Thai traditionalists will find a version with eggs that are used as a crepe base, upon which cellophane noodles et al. are piled. Although generous in portion, as most Chai Yo dishes are, tamarind permeated the entire dish, with citrus and sour notes commanding everything.