A typical Thai street kitchen food experience as a pop-up: Restaurant Soi Thai (11. August 2022)
The Soi Thai is an annual pop-up restaurant which serves Thai food in Thai Street kitchen style – and booking in advance is an absolute must! The choice is simple: There is the “Soi Thai Menu” (CHF 65.00) which changes every day. And there is nothing to choose, really, unless you have intolerances. The starters were “Hot Dog ‘Sai Üa'”, “smoked fish salad with green mango” and “Moo Ping”. And all of it is quite delicious – especially with the slightly spicy sauce of the Mon Ping.
When they served a soup (“Tom Yam with mussels”) next, I was quite sceptical since I was expecting an overwhelming seafood flavour. Turns out I’m wrong – the soup was intense, tasty, full of flavour and a bit spicy. Other than that, you couldn’t taste the mussels in the soup (only if you ate them) which was a very positive surprise.
Then it was time for the round of main courses ranging from “green curry with catfish” which was quite delicious and absolutely okay in terms of spiciness.
The “beef heart salad” was nice and refreshing – and spicy as hell. It doesn’t look like, and it doesn’t feel like at first – but the moment you actually have had a few bites, you realize how spicy the dish really is. And your body needs a bit of time to cool down and cope with the heat.
The “Neam Pork neck” was perfectly juicy and great in terms of texture. On top of that, the egg yolk sauce was creamy and smoothening the whole bite even more – delicious!
The “Pad Pak Bung Fai Däng” did not look too appealing, but frankly it was a delicious vegetable dish which was perfect to accompany the meat-heavy dishes.
We also went for an additional “Kingfish Ceviche” (+ CHF 32.00) which was great. Frankly, the portions are big enough though, and you do not need an additional dish. In any case, if they have the kingfish ceviche, then I can absolutely recommend you to try (and enjoy) it!
Last but not least, they served “Coco Ice Pop Soi Thai Style” which were not only refreshing, but also surprisingly intense and tasty. What surprised me the most was the fact that the combination with the nuts on the ice pop actually worked very well.
The place is really like a little Thai street kitchen – and due to the fact that you get to sit on little (uncomfortable) plastic chairs, are right next to the kitchen (potentially) and get all the heat and steam, it really feels like being in Thailand.
The waiters are friendly and make sure you have everything you want and need – which is quite lovely. So, all in all, as long as the Soi Thai is still up and running, I can personally recommend you to go and try it out. If you can’t, try it next year.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Soi Thai
Rämistrasse 24
8001 Zürich (CH)
E-Mail: hunger@soithai.ch
Homepage: http://www.soithai.ch
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
