I had one of the most delicious, complex and spicy things today and this was at Pok Pok, aptly named after Papaya Pok Pok (also known as Thai Papaya salad). Pok Pok is most well-known for its fried chicken wings, but after eating mouthfuls of their potent Pok Pok, I now realize why the restaurant is not called Wing Wing. I ordered the Wing Special, which included 3 wings marinated in fish sauce, garlic and sugar, deep fried and tossed in caramelized fish sauce and sugar with a heaping side of papaya pok pok, Vietnamese daikon radish pickles, fresh cucumber slices and a hunk of sticky rice.
Now, I've had papaya salad many times, but have only had memorable papaya salad on 2 occasions: once at the night market in Chiang Mai and once at a random Thai restaurant in Central Market called Ginger. Now I can add to those occasions and say that this was the most satisfying and sneakily spicy papaya salad i've had in the U.S. It was marinated in just the right amount of sweet fish sauce, with a kick of spice that just creeps up on you and catches you by surprise after you've already ingested a mouthful. My mouth was on fire, but it was the perfect set-up to tear into the juicy, garlicy, yet perfectly crispy chicken (far superior to korean fried chicken), complimented by the sweet Vietnamese daikon radish pickles and the coconut sticky rice wrapped in a plastic bag which reminded me of the Taiwanese breakfast rice balls. Look at the platter of beauty below! Although it was what you might call a 'hole in the wall', Pok Pok pays careful attention to detail, with free servings of pandan flavored water (Delicious), and plenty of wet wipes to clean your fingers with. It was a memorable meal and I plan to be back soon! J, not sure if this is your thing but woww it was pretty amazing.
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