Soi Polo Fried Chicken
Soi Polo is one of those restaurants like Chote
Chitr that is a secret to no one with even the vaguest chowhoundish tendencies.
Was it the doing of R.W. Apple Jr.? I don’t know.
It would take me more than the
five days I had to scout out (no, not gems–I decided this week that that word
is no longer usable) un-blogged stars. Thailand is tougher than Singapore and
Malaysia with their English-friendly signage (and Malay is written in Latin
script with food words that are easy to figure out) plus you really need to
stick in one place for a while to get a sense for what’s truly off the radar
and noteworthy.
But after two previous fried chicken-free Bangkok
visits, Soi Polo had to be done. Known for its fried chicken and som tam, and
that’s exactly what we ordered. The chicken was crispy, golden and covered in a
mulch of fried garlic. Good, but certainly not the world’s best. I like the
sweet crunch from the garlic and the meat was moist, but I’ve yet to encounter
anything that beats the simple perfection of Willie Mae’s Scotch House, the New Orleans
favorite is no less discovered than Soi Polo.
Straightforward payapa salad with fresh shrimp, no
dried seafood or fermented crustaceans.
Chang beer on ice and a wad of sticky rice pried out
of its plastic interior rounds out a nice lunch.
I’ve read reviews disparging the air conditioned restaurant that used to be a small stand, but it was certainly not air conditioned unless I was missing something. No amount of fans can counteract the humidity.
The size of chicken at KFC Thailand instagr.am/p/N5Kdv0RmMm/
— Ryan Mo (@TehWateva) August 4, 2012
Speaking of fried chicken, I saw this tweet while at
MBK and had to see for myself.
It was totally American-sized, but you do get real plates and silverware. Don’t forget the sweet chile sauce.
The coleslaw, however, came in a plastic container and was nowhere near the size as the salad-bowl version in the ad.
Soi Polo Fried Chicken * 3 Soi Polo, Wireless Rd., Bangkok, Thailand
Follow
