When we found this huge open-air restaurant, O-Yaou (meaning Thai traditional coffee with milk), we started to dislike the rainy season because its open ambiance is so nice. It’s so relaxing to sit and dine out in its vast garden with friends that we wished the day would stay dry. Sitting in a garden surrounded with big trees made us feel comfy like we were at a friend’s home. (Our houses certainly didn’t have this kind of garden.) They had faux antique ceramic plates with pictures of red chickens on them. If you are old enough, you’ll be familiar with them. Tables and seats had no pattern but were made from a curious combination of wood, glass and iron. It took time to pick an appropriate one. There were some tables under a roof by a bar and stage for musicians but we preferred to be close to greenery. An attentive waiter recommended two signature dishes—O-Yaou Tom Saeb (spicy and sour soup with pork rib) and Yam O-Yaou (spicy salad with fried egg, Chinese pork sausage, shrimp and pork). We took his advice. Other dishes of note were muu som laap (balls of fried minced pork mixed with shrimp and topped with mayo) and fried chicken. Every dish was presented in a simple way like home cooking, but their flavor wasn’t quite as good as mom’s. (Yes, mom is the best cook ever.) The fried chicken was cooked well and wasn't oily; but the tom saeb wasn’t as spicy as it should have been. The last dish was a bit confusing because it was called laap plaa chon jim jaew. When we opted for laap plaa, we expected to see minced fish, but it came whole, large and steamed with jaew sauce (Isaan spicy sauce) on the side. Anyway, it was the best dish we had that night. The fish was soft and sweet without any fishy smell and the sauce added the perfect amount of zest. In the end, the dishes were OK, but nothing was really outstanding. The mediocre food didn’t really bother us too much, though—it was hard to be unhappy in a place so green and relaxed. Live acoustic music, good conversation with friends and a couple drinks helped as well. Though the singer couldn’t hit all the right notes, the mellow vibe put us in such a good mood we forgave him.
