For five years, Sam Loke lived in north-east Thailand and became enamoured with the local culture and food. It was while she was there that she began thinking up ways to bring a piece of Thailand home with her.
“Thailand left a huge impression on me and I knew I needed to bring the food of north-east Thailand to Malaysia somehow,” says Loke.
Although Loke had zero experience in F&B, she decided to open a Thai eatery devoted to the food that she had grown to love, when she returned to Malaysia five years ago. To help her pull off her fledgling endeavour, she roped in her Thai best friend, Nampejna-mnung Sutarratanamanee (better known as Angie), as the chef and a business partner.
And that is how Thai restaurant Yad Yead Phod Cha Na opened five years ago in the Kuchai Lama area in Kuala Lumpur. Things were not all smooth sailing at the beginning though and Loke says she had a steep learning curve as she was a newbie to the industry.
“Oh, at the beginning, it was very, very challenging. My partner and I argued all the time, but over time, we learnt from our mistakes and improved our communication and eventually things fell into place,” says Loke.
In terms of the food, Loke has stuck to her guns and focused on the north-eastern (or Isaan food) that she grew to love and that is little known outside of Thailand.
Isaan cuisine shares a similarity with food from Laos and is characterised by plenty of local herbs and spices. It also features cooking methods like grilling and barbecuing. Interestingly, nearly 25% of people in Bangkok originate from the Isaan region.
“At least 70% of the menu is traditional north-eastern Thai food and the remainder is more common Thai food like tom yam. Otherwise most of our food is totally different from the regular Thai fare out there,” says Loke.
Many of the dishes at Yad Yead Phod Cha Na are based on heritage recipes that Angie has inherited from her grandmother and continues to make the time-honoured, traditional way. Sauces are made from scratch and many – like the eatery’s barbecue sauce – are unique, in-house recipes.
To start a meal here, try the Sashimi Prawn (RM30). Here, plump, raw tiger prawns are coated in a special sauce two minutes before serving. The result are prawns that are slippery soft and velvety smooth. Riding astride this is a punchy, fiery garlicky sauce that awakens the senses and adds so much character to the meal. This is a light, uncomplicated meal that showcases the natural beauty of the prawns to full effect, with some added spicy connotations to enliven this aquatic affair.
Up next, have a go at the BBQ Lemongrass Pork Sticks (RM20). Here, a pork mixture made up of 50% pork belly and 50% lean meat is marinated overnight with lemongrass and other herbs and spices and grilled to perfection. The meat is succulent and packed with the tropical nuances of the lemongrass, which comes through in each mouthful.
The sauces served on the side add heat and a light sweetness to the meal, accentuating the meat even further and taking it to altogether fun new dimensions.
For something decidedly off-the-beaten Thai track, indulge in the Fried Crispy Kangkung with Seafood (RM30), which is Angie’s grandmother specialty. Here, you will discover battered, fried water spinach (kangkung) that has been cooked perfectly, is crispy to the touch and makes for the ultimate guilty delight.
In this iteration, will you find yourself reaching for your greens with so much enthusiasm!
Served alongside the crispy kangkung is a seafood dish that features copious amounts of fat prawns and squid slices coated in a rich gravy, with lightly nuanced astringent qualities riding alongside a wave of spicy, fiery elements. It’s a unique combination, but each individual piece in this delightful puzzle is a stand-out.
Seafood aficionados would do well to order a serving of the Steamed Spicy Lemon Squid (RM35) which features squid rings stuffed with pork and swimming in a jazzy, snazzy lemon-enlivened sauce that is poignantly memorable for its citrusy undertones as well as the furious fieriness that torpedoes through the sauce like a bullet.
This is a powerful meal that combines simple elements together to make an unforgettably lively, energetic dish.
Next, try the Grilled Spiced Pork Neck Salad (RM20). Here, slices of pork are marinated overnight and then barbecued before being topped with a secret concoction of ingredients that include lemon leaf, peppermint leaves and a house-made sticky rice powder (incidentally, glutinous rice is a key component of Isaan food).
The result is a dish that you are unlikely to have tried elsewhere before – one that combines perfectly-cooked pork that is malleable and tender but still has a firm chew and bite with other ingredients that give it an interesting flavour profile. It is also lightly herbaceous, and not overwhelming.
The BBQ Salted Fish (RM55 for 800g) is another slightly unusual offering that features salt-baked barbecued fish alongside a sauce made up of fresh chillies, lemons and peanuts. The fish is crusted with salt atop but can be pried open to reveal tender, flaky flesh.
The sauce on the side is just delightful and definitely adds a light-hearted, vivacious element to the meal.
Having run the eatery for five years now, Loke is aware that she is onto something special and is intent on expanding the brand’s footprint.
“I will open another outlet next year. I am in the middle of planning, and actually looking at opening in Bandar Puteri Puchong or Sunway.
“This is because from what I’ve noticed, when we first started operations, many of our customers were from nearby areas but these days, many of the regulars are from Petaling Jaya, so I think I need to open another outlet that will serve their Thai food needs,” says Loke.
To order from Yad Yead Phod Cha Na, send a WhatsApp message to 011-6132 3015.
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