Mai Thaiku

Everyman food from Thailand

Unchalee Ayucharoen (Oh to almost everyone) knows Thai food and Seattle's restaurant industry, having worked at Jai Thai in Fremont for nearly four years and Thaiku in Ballard for 10 years. She was a cocktail waitress and became a manager at Thaiku. Around 2008, she started talking to her boss about doing something different with the food-more authentic street food using real Thai ingredients. She thought Seattle was ready and knew Seattle's Thai population needed a place to get real Thai food. "What we have in Seattle is good food, but Thai restaurants cater to Americans. Thais and those who've traveled to Thailand can't find the food they had when there," she explains. "Thai food has so much to play with-fresh ingredients, herbs and spices. We want to offer the street food experience where you order what you want, how you want it. Maybe some skewered meat, som tahm (green papaya salad), and sticky rice. In Thailand you say what you want-'not so sweet, three chilies.' People eat som tahm every day in Thailand; we have seven types on our menu. Thai street food is all about freshness."

Photo by Connie Adams

With high temperatures in Thailand, most food is light. Mai ("new") Thaiku offers primarily street food from the northeastern part of Thailand that has spread all over the country. "Thai people are all about food, all times of the day. Street food comes from carts and small shops that have no seating, just food windows. People with carts might serve som tahm, grilled chicken and pork skewers and sticky rice starting at 10 a.m., staying open until it's gone. Different people/carts/food come out for dinner. They just serve a few things. Street food is different from home-style cooking which is what you find at hotels as well as homes. More curries like panang."

They knew they faced a challenge, introducing people to Thai street food, so different than 1) what we know in Seattle, and 2) different from what they did at Thaiku in Ballard. "I knew if we could get people in, they would like it. We do everything fresh. We buy exotic fruits and vegetables in the International District. We don't bulk our dishes up with cheap vegetables like carrots and celery. Those aren't used in Thailand. We're doing the real thing. All our ingredients and sauces, like tamarind, are high quality. And we make everything in-house, traditionally, using a mortar and pestle. My favorite som tahm is made with fruit: pomelo, guava and mango. It's so good. We don't want to compromise the flavors, so we use hot basil, not just basil. We use local dill and it's a little different from Thai dill, but very close. We're lucky to live here because we can get so many items. We use more lime than most people, and no MSG. We chose dishes for the menu that we could do right with what we can get."

Oh's first menu had no curry or Pad Thai on it. They had both in Ballard, but she wanted to do something different. Although their current curry is more difficult to make, and is from scratch, it's all worth it to Oh when someone tastes it and tells her how good it is. Their new Pad Thai is based on a dish in Oh's home town. It's a family recipe the family wouldn't part with, so she tasted and tested and has it on her menu now. "It's the best Pad Thai! It's different for so many reasons. It's about ingredients and balance. Real Thai noodles; chives, not green onions; palm sugar, not cane; fish sauce that adds flavor, not just salt."

New customers or returning Ballard customers get a full explanation of what to expect from the menu. About 10% of the menu is made up of the most popular items from the Ballard location (closed in December 2011), the rest is new and different. "In Thailand, we share dishes and eat everything at once-we don't really have appetizers and single plates. Our menu has small plates so people can have lots of different flavors. The size and taste is just right, very satisfying. I've had people tell me that when they want to eat healthy, they think of us. I like that. Food can be healthy and very satisfying. When I go out for non-Thai food, I always overeat because there is so much on the plate."

They intended to reopen elsewhere after Ballard closed, it just took longer than they thought. When the Phinney Ridge property opened up, they felt it was just right: a house, 'Thai cozy' with yellow walls, wood cabinets, and white tile surrounding the open kitchen window. It's about half the size of their old location. "Our neighbors have been very supportive," says Oh. "We thought at first that the hardest to win over would be the older people, but they're the ones who really love the food. We need people to know where we are. We're back from the sidewalk and people can miss seeing us."

The Fu + Kun + Wu bar with herbal elixirs has come along to Phinney Ridge as well, and they've added several new herbal drinks. The old bar was quite large; this bar is quite small. "We may increase the size of the bar, maybe taking some of the outdoor space or even reworking the inside. We'll see," says Oh. The summer was busy with their outdoor seating; they're thinking about adding a bar outside in front as well where people can have appetizers and drinks.

Thaiku's location and menu may be new (opened February 2013), but you'll find the same "from the heart" food, service and atmosphere as the old Thaiku. Don't miss the chance to try real Thai food in their new home.

Mai Thaiku
6705 Greenwood Ave N
Seattle, WA 98103
206-706-7807
www.thaiku.com

Photos courtesy of Mai Thaiku unless otherwise noted.

Connie Adams/January 2014