Krua Chum Sai’s atmosphere screams old-school with its décor featuring pictures of khon dancing on the walls, faux flowers and doily curtains, right down to the sickly smell of the cologne of the grandpa clientele. If you drop by for dinner, you will be surrounded by a lovely, older crowd who come for the karaoke, singing heartwarming Thai folk songs, the Eagles or other old-time favorites—and chances are you will be asked to join in, too. The very presence of this crowd suggests you’re in the midst of an authentic Thai restaurant. The food sticks to a classic tone with dishes like yam sadao (neem flower salad, B150) or gai baan tom madan (soup with chicken and Thai garcinia, B150), which are tangy but not overpowering. And the local free-range chicken tastes just as it should—chewy, dense and juicy. We highly recommend the see krong pad ped (stir-fried baby back ribs with herbs, B150), too. The dish is wonderfully fragrant, cooked to perfection, with full-on yet well-balanced flavors. The yam hua plee (spicy salad with banana blossom and boiled eggs, B150) is also very strong and potent—there’s no holding back on the spice. While the pad pak tam lueng nam liab (stir-fried ivy gourd with Chinese olive and pork, B150) still can’t measure up to the kind of a pad pak dish you’d find in a top Chinese kitchen, it’s much better than average. It’s only missing really good quality Chinese olives, while the aroma is a little lacking. If you’re looking to finish your meal with dessert, the bua loy (taro balls in coconut milik) is a much better bet than the looktarn loy keaw (toody palm in syrup), which doesn’t taste as homey as you’d hope. Overall, Krua Chum Sai serves up great, classic Thai food in a very charming atmosphere where even karaoke is somehow made adorable.
