Jitlada's amazing Southern Thai menu
Thanks to Chicago hound Eric M.'s rather obscure post a few days ago, we tried some of the Southern Thai specialties at Jitlada which has been under new ownership for a year now. Wipe away all memories of the old Jitlada, print out Eric's translation
(http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=13933) and get over to Jitlada if you want a really unique, authentic, and yes, possibly painfully hot Thai experience.
Here's some photos:
http://eatingla.blogspot.com/2007/06/...
Chowpatty
Jun 22, 2007 11:39PM
Thanks - great review and pics. I'm there next week for sure. And thx for the link to Eric's work - wow. That red snapper looks crazy.
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I also ducked into Jitlada becomes of EM's post a few days ago. I looked at the back of the menu at the portion written entirely in Thai. While some specialties were out of stock (or out of season), that menu is certainly large enough to warrant coming back to do more explorations.
I printed out the translation the morning of Eric's post and they were a little bit confused at how I was armed with such information. Needless to say, I hope they're ready for the "Chowhound effect" as fans flock.
I had the oxtail soup (which actually reminded me of something I might find at the Thai chain frequented by the Mexican population, Thai Ocha) as well as the soft-shelled crab curry which was amazing.
Haven't completed the blog post yet, but the pics are uploaded:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/taste-buzz/577979778/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/taste-buzz/577972948/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/taste-bu...
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wow, the soft shell crab curry looks interesting -- what was the spice level like?
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It had heat but not enough to distract away from the flavor, only enhance it.
To give you an indication of my spice tolerance, at Chili My Soul, I can eat a 6 with no problems, 7 gives me a delightful burn, and at 8 I start noticing the spice more than the flavor of the dish.
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Is this the soft-shell crab listed on Eric's menu translation (No. 18)? and if not, then please please give us your insider info. on how to order this because I simply must have some. Thx.
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Not if I can get it first! ;-D
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WANNA BET? i'll thumb-wrestle for it!
but still need to know if it's a special item that Eric needs to identify for us...please Eric, don't keep us in crab limboland!
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It's on the standard menu under seafood.
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Thank you...i went to their website but menu/info. pages won't open, Eric's trans. was tempting enough- your photo of the soft-shells...well, sealed the deal.
...at least the website gives a map- I can set the OnStar...(now if i could just find my car keys)...
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You raved about that particular preparation after your first visit and I don't doubt that it was indeed great, but if you are ever feeling a bit more, ahem, *adventurous* on one of your future visits, I would encourage you to try the soft-shelled crab curry which appears on the Southern menu (and on my translation of the same, i.e. "phat phet luuk taw puu nìm"). [FWIW, it also appears on the standard menu under the heading "Curries," as "Southern Curry with Soft Shell Crabs."] At any rate, this prep. includes a very notable Southern delicacy called sa-taw, or the "sator bean." Similar in appearance and texture to a locust "bean," sator has a bitter and pungent flavour profile which folks come away from absolutely loooooving or absolutely HATING. Like I said, though, only if you are feeling *adventurous*
http://www.paradasia.com/1a14_Petai_p...
Regards,
E.M.
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for a group of 4 or more, would both at one sitting for a side-by-side be too much? (...imho there can never be too much soft-shelled crab). really appreciating your insight, this is a marvelous read...almost can taste it. wish i had smell-o-vision. (guessing the sator bean can't be any stinkier than durian, true?)
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I think two orders of the curry would be great for four, particularly since you're probably ordering other things off the menu as well. It might be too skimpy if that's all you were ordering among the 4 of you.
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well, actually what i meant was orders of both types of soft-shelled crab ( one in your photo and the one with satar bean that Eric described) - would that be too much of a good thing?
but yes, absolutely double orders of whatever we get, or there won't be enough for at least two if not three people ;-)
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I actually meant what you meant also; ordering one each of the different soft-shelled crab.
If that's all you're going to eat, then order two orders of each crab dish, but I would just order one each if you plan on exploring other things on the menu. Worst case scenario is that you have to put in another order!
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or take something home...we are most definitely on the same page ;-) thx.
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Put it this way, ordering both dishes side-by-side would be, traditionally-speaking, rather "un-Thai," but if that's what you want to do, knock yourself out. <smile> Generally speaking, two liquid, rich-style curry dishes of any sort is one too many for a standard Thai table array. Thais instead are after balance, and if you are interested in putting together a traditional-style meal at Jitlada which has a decidedly Southern Thai-accent, it'd be much more "proper" to order some combination of the following for a party of four:
-One or two grilled or fried snack/appetizer items
-One or two simple salads
-One clean and light soup
-One rich curry
-One or two meat and/or vegetable stir-frys
-Loads of steamed white rice <smile>
If you look back at my original writeup--the one which included the photographs--and you look through the *second* series of photos therein, you will get some idea of what I am talking about composition-wise.
Good grilled or fried snack/appetizer options from Jitlada's menu(s) would include beef or chicken satay (a classic Southern Thai snack), country fried chicken, Thai honey ribs, and dried/fried beef "jerky."
Good salad options from Jitlada's menu(s) would include beef salad, squid salad, coco mango salad, pickled crab salad, raw blue crab salad (available by special arrangement), Amphoe Pak-style papaya salad, crispy catfish salad,
A good soup option from Jitalada's menu(s) would include the tom yum, sup hang wua, tumeric-seasoned soup with chicken, sour and spicy soup with giant shrimp, and poh tak. [NB I would NOT order tom kha, as it is not neutral enough to counterbalance the richer Southern-style curries and frys. Besides, depending on which curry you order, tom kha could be rather redundant with all of that coconut milk going on.]
A good curry option from Jitalada's menu(s) would include green curry with egg-yolk-stuffed fish balls, Southern Thai-style curry with dried mudfish and water spinach, spicy curry with beef and pickled cassia buds, spicy tumeric-seasoned curry with catfish and wild tea leaves, Phat(tha)lung-style spicy, tumeric-flavoured dry curry with pork or beef (NB It's hotter than hell), and massamun lamb shank (a classic Southern curry).
Good stir-fried meat and/or vegetable options would include the various fried whole fish dishes, chinese water crest [sic] on flambe [sic], chinese broccoli with crispy pork, chinese broccoli with salted fish, asparagus stir-fried,
--It is important to note the conspicious absence of both noodle and fried rice dishes in my list of suggestions above. Again, ordering these items as part of a traditional Thai table array would be rather "un-Thai." <smile> There IS, however, one rice dish which I would encourage any explorer of Jitlada's Southern-style offerings to try: kao mok kai. I very often liken this classic dish to Thai-style "biryani." <smile>
In any event, there are no "rules" when ordering Thai food so please feel free to dismiss any/all of the above commentary entirely. <smile>
Regards,
E.M.
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ZIKES Eric, i feel as if i should be buying you dinner!!...all the Thai eating essentials...this is fantastic. i've highlighted key pts., will use as crib notes when no one is looking... whaddya bet i see some other diners holding on to the same ;-)
...some of our group do not carry the asbestos tongue and plumbing gene that I and a few others feel fortunate to have 'darwin-ed', ...but it appears there's something for everyone.. again, much appreciated. L.
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Sataw/petai is delicious, but it does haunt you a bit when you go No.1. Think 'powerful asparagus'. Don't let that stop you, though. Lots of people love asparagus, right? Besides the flavour Erik mentioned, the beans also have a wonderful texture: firm and slightly chewy, like al dente pasta.
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i had the soft-shell crab about a week ago.
it was a truly, wonderful, amazing dish.
i can't remember how, exactly we ordered it.
the combination of flavors and textures was indescribably phenomenal.
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As they say in the parlance of today's youth... soft shelled crab curry: off the hook. I love that dish. Just the right combination of textures and spices and oh man where has the dish been all my life. Add a little bit of steamed rice and it's perfect.
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Oh, my God, I couldn't be happier!
That is a great writeup, Patty.
Thanks so much for taking the time.
And, thank you all for the votes of confidence!
Regards,
Erik M.
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Eric, if you have any other finds, we're listening/reading!
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Hi, mc michael
I mentioned (and provided menu translations) for three other establishments in the original thread:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/413075
I have a few more in the works, including a lengthy piece on Ruen Pair which includes a detailed explanation of why, exactly, all of those Chinese-style dishes can be found on the menu. <smile>
But, if you want something else to chew on right now, read my post linked above. Therein, you will find a link to my review of the hyper-authentic Northern Thai offerings at Spicy BBQ Restaurant.
Regards,
E.M.
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Terrific, Eric.
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Jitlada Thai was the second meal I had after returning from Chicago, 2 days after I had a lousy meal @ Lotus of Siam (geez, what a sham..)
Jazz reports business is up. I also met another foodie couple who've read Chowpatty's post.
I have to put in my 2 cents here:
The "coco" mango salad has a distinct taste of coconut water. It could be the abundance of peanuts, but I'm pretty sure it's coconut water.
The egg-yolk-stuffed fish balls green curry is extremely tasty. And it won't burn you a new discharge hole like the tumeric beef.
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Dang that sounds great. I used to go there ALL the time.
Do they have beer?
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Yes, they have beer and a rudimentary wine list. Now all they need is to lay in some good wine like at Lotus of Siam in Vegas.
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Visited again today for lunch, as I had to try out some of the "wet" curries, and I'll indeed confirm that it was some hot hot stuff, but in very exciting and flavorful way.
It's my new favorite Thai restaurant. Sorry, Ruen Pair.
My blog post (with pics)
http://taste-buzz.com/searing-souther...
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Thanks Eric M. for the translation. I loved the clams in curry with tea leaves. So good! We also had the fried red snapper with the fried garlic on top and the dried fried beef jerky. I will be back to try the steamed mussels and flambeed prawns they told us about. I like how all the waitstaff are the kids/niece/nephew of the owners. Thanks so much!
--oh and I forgot to mention that I was disappointed that I forgot to bring my copy of Eric M's translation. I described what he did and they brought out a copy that they had printed! They were thrilled to say the least and I saw them giving the translated menu to other parties as well.
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Hi, choctastic
Thank you for the feedback. I spoke with Tui just the other day and he told me that the response so far has been tremendous. I am so glad that you too had a good experience.
That clam dish ("kaeng hawy bai cha-phluu" in Thai on the Southern menu) is one of the most unique dishes that I've tried so far, and I found it truly delightful. BTW, in case you didn't already know, "bai cha-phluu," or the "wild betel leaf" which is used in that dish, is the very same leaf traditionally used in the Thai snack, "miang kham."
On my very first visit I got a glimpse of that acclaimed steamed mussel dish as it made its way to another table. Captivated by the manner in which it was presented, I asked Jazz about it and she was quick to say, "Very popular with the Thai customers. One of the favourite!" That is all that it took for me. <smile> At any rate, I don't remember hearing about the "flambe [sic] prawn" ("kung sa-dung phao" in Thai on the standard menu). I will have to ask about that the next time.
Regards,
E.M.
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Whoa is this a fantastic (re)discovery. Thanks to Erik and Patty!!!
Descended on the place last night with 4 friends and let Jazz do the ordering. We loved it. Especially the previously mentioned Soft Shell Crab curry, the mango salad, the fried fish w/garlic.
PLUS...a very respectable Khao Soi, the hard to find curry-coconut noodle (don't know if it is on the menu but Jazz's face lit up if I asked if they have it). A beef curry was kind of tough. A pad thai was wonderful.
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More notes: the eggs used in the stuffed fish ball green curry is indeed salted duck eggs. This remains my fave dish in the entire menu so far.
We had the fried fried tumeric sea bass topped with fried garlic today. Splendid dish. And my Southern Thai friend insisted on ordering the Kaeng Tai Plaa. AGAIN. I cried like a wuss after 3 teaspoons. They ordered it "regular". Jazz said it could have a bit more kick.
Translated menu now on Yelp as well. Jazz's daughter served us tonite in between watching Korean drama. The whole family was there including the son's girlfriend, the son, etc. Ciao Bob's party was brought up in passing conversation as well.
Manila mangoes is utilized in sticky rice and mango at this moment. ALMOST as good as Taiwanese mango shaved ice. almost.
Finally, I really do not understand the comment suggesting Jitlada get themselves a wine list like LoS, an insult IMO
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excellent- , we go in two weeks, and am so ready! where is the seabass on the spice scale, does it lean to the mild or hot side? again, sounds great.
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That one is not too spicy at all -- Fried Garlicky Yumminess. I have to admit one of my party wass not a heat fiend. She ordered a simple pad thai, I expected to be underwhelmed, but noooooooo waaaaaay.....it was the best pad thai I ever had. They do things righteously. The green mussel starter has a broth no one could stop dipping their shells into to slurp it up.
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Excellent- another one to add to the list ;-) ... and the pad thai sounds like the perfect safe haven for a few in our group - i was afraid that if everything was high octane, they'd never talk to me again (or never be able to).
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Why is it an insult to suggest they get a better wine list? It was just a passing comment and not something I would necessarily take advantage of as I'm fine with beer, but there are no Thai restaurants in L.A. with real wine lists and judging from this board, there's lots of wine lovers out there -- so why not, if someone at the restaurant happened to be interested in pursuing it?
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I'm not a frequent poster, but I am a frequent reader and I dragged three friends out to Jitlada last night. It was certainly the best Thai food I've had in the U.S. We just moved to L.A. and my Thai town tasting has just begun, but I've already forgotten about poor old Sriphapai in Queens, my previous gold standard.
Between the 4 of us we ordered 5 dishes. We started with the mango salad, which was almost smoky with coconut. It was spicy, but the spice didn't overpower the sweetness. Very good.
We ordered 3 curries, we wanted to follow Eric's advice, but we were just drawn to the curries. I guess there was no risk of us being mistaken for authentic Thais anyways. We had the green curry with fishballs. I loved it but my SO thought that the duck yolks were somewhat foot-smelly. I thought the spicing was not overpowering and the vegetables were perfectly cooked - the thai eggplant was not at all mealy. Plus, the green curry itself was among the best I've ever had. Our next curry was shrimp and pineapple in turmeric broth. We ordered this mild, so I can only imagine what spicy would have been like. My poor squamish friend. The broth was thin, and it had an almost Tom Yum flavor profile - the pineapple sweetened the firewater nicely. I was also impressed that the shrimp were not overcooked. Very nice. The last was my favorite. Catfish and wild tea leaves in turmeric curry. It's hard to describe how great this was, the tea leaves were a little bitter, but they added a dark richness to the broth. Again the catfish was cooked just right in the broth. The spice in this dish was intense, but it grew slowly and didn't mask the complex flavors. One of the best things I've ever eaten.
Finally, we were already full when our seabass with turmeric and fried garlic came out. That didn't stop us from picking it clean. Our waitress (Jazz I think) suggested that we pile some mango on top of it - that was a great idea. Again, the fish was cooked perfectly and the garlic was sweet without being burnt.
Thanks so much to Eric for his translation, all of our menus had the translation on the back page and Jazz was just thrilled that we were there. It was a great night. I can't wait to go back (but first, I can't wait to eat my leftovers).
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I've been going to Jitlada a lot since Erik's first post, and was thrilled to see the translation finally make it as part of the menu. I showed up last night in a party of five at 9pm, and I think I might have seen you guys there. I brought a Thai friend of mine whose family is from southern Thailand and she was completely beside herself. Usually, as the resident 'hound in my group, I'm the one who does the ordering, but she took over for us and whipped up a great meal. My favorite was this minced chicken dish that resembled larb but was deeper in flavor and less sour and more smoky. It was served with an iced bowl of veggies, so I dipped a fresh cucumber slice in there: the interplay between hot and cold was amazing. We also ordered the soft-shelled crab curry (dry) as well as the pineapple and catfish curry (wet), the mango salad, a baked chicken dish of some sort, and I think one more that I'm forgetting at the moment. We closed out the meal with mango and sweet rice. After tip, it came out to $20 each for the five of us.
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Well, Jitlada lived up to all my expectations! Jazz greeted us enthusiastically ...and when she saw me clutching my Eric M. print out, she ran immediately to grab a notebook of the pictures and menu printed from this thread...she wanted to know my board name, and then began sharing a list of other hounds who'd recently been in, also mentioning the party of 20 scheduled for tomorrow night (eatingla folks is that you?).
We started with the vegetable spring rolls and chicken satay, then THE green papaya salad with shrimp and red onion, stir fried asparagus, pad thai, THAT SEABASS with crispy garlic, THAT SOFT SHELLED CRAB with curry, and THOSE green mussels...incredible. I had fixated on THAT SOFT SHELLED CRAB since first viewing SauceSupreme's flickr pic, and was not disappointed...same with the fried fish with crispy garlic...we picked that pescine clean...but even as incredibly good as both the soft-shell and finned friends were, the true deal maker was THOSE MUSSELS, and not so much for the easily extracted molluscs as for THE BROTH they were swimming in...absolutely addictive!!! short of mainlining it, I not so subtlely moved the bowl close enough so I could reach the ladle without be interrupted by my dining companions- that bowl was mine... we slowly but deliberately demolished everything so no left overs. Jazz suggested dessert and tho' initially hesitant it didn't take much persuasion...don't remember what we actually requested, but the result was a sampler of fried bananas, fresh coconut ice cream with a sprinkle of mung beans and yellow chick peas with the fresh ice cream cloaking palm seeds, and mango with sticky rice...much of it on the house thanks to Jazz not wanting us to be denied. Her enthusiam is absolutely infectious, she started reciting other things she thought we would like...I told her next time we'll let her pick our menu. She mentioned a number of times how thankful she is to those who have been spreading the word about the restaurant, and was genuine in her sincerity. Hospitality rating- 5 stars!
A few rounds of Thai coffee (again, thank you Jazz)...we arrived at 6:30, rolled out just before 10...excellent food, great hospitality, all fabulous. Kudos to her niece who was our friendly and attentive server. We can't wait to return and move into some of the spicier selections as well.
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Huzzah! Soft shelled crab curry!
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We are going tonight, but we're not the group of 20 Jazz mentioned that were going for lunch -- hopefully they'll give us a report. Looking forward to trying lots of dishes with a bigger group this time.
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excellent...Jazz mentioned some sort of appetizer that had scallops and shrimp, possibly in a spring roll of some sort that i'm already putting on the list for Round 2...sounded marvelous. Enjoy!
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She may have been referring to haw mok thaleh, or "seafood hor mok" as it appears on the standard menu. If you are not familiar with this item, hor mok is a curry-flavoured "custard" of sorts which traditionally contains some form of seafood and is steamed in a cup-shaped banana leaf wrapper. Very few restaurants in the US do this dish a service; I expect that you are in for a treat.
Regards,
E.M.
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oo-ah...and even if not what Jazz had in mind, it definitely sounds like something we need to try. Thank you Erik.
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Yes, we had the hor mok last night -- it was amazing, much better than the version I had once at Kruang Tedd. It wasn't in a banana leaf but in a small custard cup, slightly spicy with a strong kaffir lime leaves undertone - wonderful.
We had quite a feast -- steamed mussels with a piquant green sauce; loved the clams with tea leaves; I didn't think I would like fish balls but that curry had one of the most flavorful sauces; whole bass was a bit dry but fun to pick at all the garlic; soft shell crab curry was different from anything I've had before and quite delicious; the blue crab salad was perfectly spiced, sour and pungent; loved the tangy rice salad -- I'm having it for lunch today.
Sticky rice and mango, homemade coconut ice cream and fried bananas were all scrumptious although we were completely stuffed.
What a great meal...
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Yummm...the other night the blue crab salad waltzed by us to the next table as we were polishing off the last tidbits o' bass...when I asked Jazz what I'd seen, I was almost tempted to order some...definitely a case of eyes bigger than stomach. Next time!
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i missed most of this, so how do we get the special stuff here or is there a separate menu (i.e. the northern thai menu at lotus of siam) or what?
is the Soft Shell Crab in curry sauce, the specials dish to get here? along with Seabass with Garlic, and Blue Crab salad?
do they have the good dishes at both lunch and dinner?
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The menu is available for both lunch and dinner, though it all my depend on availability of various ingredients. But the menu is there.
There is a separate menu for the really distinctly southern staff (it's on the back page; now with translations!) but they also have southern accents on the menu as a whole. In fact, the soft shell crab curry is part of that main menu.
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