Yok Restaurant
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This week we discovered a true Thai gem. Its the Yok Restaurant, a newly-opened restaurant that serves nothing but real, honest-to-goodness authentic traditional Thai food.
Now, if youre thinking you wont like this restaurant because you dont like spicy hot food, dont stop reading just yet. Because as Khun Yok, the restaurants owner explains, most real Thai food is not necessarily spicy hot.
And she should know! Her great-grandfather and great-grandmother worked in the Royal kitchen at the palace of King Rama V; her great-grandfather was a chef, and her great-grandmother made desserts. Khun Yok (Ploynaphat Ratsitthi) herself has owned and operated five Thai restaurants. The first one was in Copenhagen, where she lived for 12 years. 7 years ago, she came back to Thailand and opened a restaurant in Pattaya. Then she moved to Bangkok, where she had two restaurants. Now she has returned to Pattaya, and opened the Yok Restaurant a few months ago.
The Yok Restaurant is located in Naklua on Soi Potisan, opposite Soi 8. The charming outdoor setting has been made to resemble the wood house that Yok grew up in. Her brother Niti, who also works in the restaurant, did all the wood work; it took him about three months. The walls are decorated with collectible Coca Cola posters and celebrity photos ranging from Elvis and Marilyn Monroe to B.B. King and John Coltrane.
Khun Yok does all the cooking herself, including all the homemade sauces. Im very happy when I cook, she says and it shows in the quality and tastiness of the food. Yok is also happy to help you choose from the wide variety of dishes on her extensive menu, according to your preferences for tastes and spiciness. Her English is excellent in her spare time she teaches Thai to foreigners, including a monthly lesson at the Pattaya Expats Club meeting.
We sampled an incredible variety of food from Yok's menu containing more than 140 dishes. Every one of them was delicious, and few were hot. All of them cost between 75 and 95 baht.
We started with deep fried Spring Rolls with Plum Sauce. A popular dish, but you wont find any better than these!
Next to arrive was the Grilled Beef Spicy Salad with Japanese Cucumber, Mint, Lemon Leaf and Garlic. Simply out of this world, as was the next dish, the Dried Pork deep fried with Pickled Vegetables. This was followed by the ever-popular Kaeng Masuman (Chicken or Pork cooked with chunks of Potatoes in a rich Peanut Sauce).
Yoks seafood dishes are exquisite, even for those who arent normally seafood lovers. The Dried Chili Paste with River Prawns looks hot, but its not. The Stir Fried Squid with Salted Egg Sauce is very tender and yummy. The Deep Fried Prawn wrapped with Egg Noodles is not all greasy as deep fried foods often tend to be, and the Fish Eggs and Crab Eggs with Spicy Sauce is a very interesting delicacy to say the least!
Although most of her recipes have been handed down from her great-grandfather and great-grandmother, Khun Yok has created a few of her own, based on stories that her mother has told her about life in the royal palace. For example, Yoks mother said her great-grandfather used to make Tom Yam (a type of Thai soup) made with Sour Mangos. So she is experimenting with a Tom Yam with Sea Bass and Sour Mango, a very interesting combination.
We asked Khun Yok what are the most popular dishes on her menu. All of them! she replied. It just depends on what tastes you like.
The Yok Restaurant is open daily from 5 pm to midnight. There is customer parking behind the restaurant. Oh, and be
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[1].jpg "PATTAYAPEOPLE WEEKLY READ ON DEMAND")
