You may have already noticed we’re big fans of this place, finding any excuse to write a glowing reference to its delicately balanced and often hard-to-find Thai dishes. Based on the many experiences we’ve had at this petite three-story shophouse, we continue to think the hyperbole is truly justified. In fact, we’d go further and, at the risk of having the city’s foodies storming the BK offices armed with steak flambés, argue this could well be the best Thai restaurant in town at the moment. Suppaniga’s décor is a cozy mix of earthy tones and vibrant splashes of yellow, while it’s cooking borrows both from the owner’s grandmother’s hometown, Trat, and where the family now lives, Khon Kaen. We don’t think there’s anyone else in town offering a combination quite so successful: Thai dishes that are this good, a stylish but relaxed ambience, and prices, which, while not street-stall-cheap, don’t make the eyes water. There’s genuine delight and excitement seeing friends you’ve brought here for the first time discover such increasingly rare dishes as the standout moo cha muang (pork with Guttiferae tree leaves, B170), whose wonderfully rich and sour tomato sauce is a revelation, or the sublime blend of flavors at work in the nam prik khai pu (crab meat with chili paste, B190). Produce is always fresh and carefully selected, but seasonings are just as impressive, blending smooth but powerful tastes together, such as in the delicious yam pla salid tod krob (deep fried leaf fish spicy salad, B150). It’s not all perfection—we found many of the desserts like the bua loy with sweet salted egg (B80) a little too sweet, while the poo ja (steamed crab and pork meat in crab shell, B230 for 3 pieces) are a little dry and bland—but it usually comes close. From the floral plates that could be lifted from your grandma’s sideboard, to the heavy crystal cut glasses, even down to the cute mini-urinal in the toilet, the attention to detail goes way beyond the kitchen. Service is immaculate, knowledgeable, friendly and fast. The owner’s clearly got a magic touch, indeed his other restaurant Somtum Der has proved so successful that he’s just opened a new branch in New York to a lot of buzz. With Supanniga, he’s raised the bar for dining yet further in this town, and managed to strike that perfect balance: a Thai restaurant that’s both welcoming and affordable but still exciting and chic enough to make sure you’ll definitely want to be coming back again soon.
