I came here for the Loi Krantang festival yesterday and can't contain my excitement. Having recently moved to Austin (from NYC and LA prior), I figured that I'd have to give up finding superb Asian cuisine (except Vietnamese). Arriving at this Thai temple to find two dozen or so food vendors for this fe(a)st was like coming upon cases of ice cold Topo Chico in the middle of a desert.
Sure, one vendor served pad thai and some curries, but many of the offerings represented the cuisine of Northeast Thailand (Issan) and Laos. This has to be some of the best Thai food in the Austin area, and it is incredibly authentic to boot. Sticky rice galore. Sour sausage. Yen tau fu with cubes of congealed blood, squid, shrimp and fish balls. Bags of kaffir lime leaves and incendiary Thai chilis for a good price. Skewers of grilled meats, including chicken hearts. Deep-fried and grilled whole fish. Fantastic deep-fried bananas. Mystery surprises wrapped in bamboo leaves. Freshly prepared papaya salad. Fantastic little stacks of coconut and rice pancakes reminiscent of kanom krok (but alas, no actual kanom krok). And dozens more iterations of desserts based on those ingredients, sometimes laced with palm sugar. Then, I ate an entire one of those chilies and lost track of the rest.
Pinch me, I must still be dreaming! And anxiously awaiting the feast for the Thai new year in April. read more