restaurant review: jaekoy in bangkok

In my last post, I introduced you to my friend, Lex. Mr. Sazy Rock met her during his travels and I've since met her during ours. She's been living in Bangkok and was happy to show us her eating haunts. 

For our next outing, Lex has introduced us to her friend, Han, who was originally from Isaan, in the northeast region of Thailand. Although Han now happily lives in Bangkok, he still wanted to eat some of his hometown's cuisine every so often. 

On this outing, Lex and Han introduced us to their favorite Isaan restaurant in town. Isaan cuisine is known to be spicy, which I love, and pungent, which I also love. So, we were very excited to check it out. We went to Jaekoy, located off the Ratchathewi BTS stop.

The Jaekoy Feast.

The Scene

The restaurant was a big space with no real distinctive characteristic other than having garish fluorescent lights and long metal tables. Despite the lack of ambiance, the place was full of young looking locals. It was a lively place. It was also a place where not a lot of diners lingered. They ate and took off when they were done.

I'm glad Han was there to help guide us through the menu because someone had to write down our order on a piece of paper. I'm almost certain though that non-Thai speakers will get assistance from the staff if needed.

The Food

Lex and Han were fully in charge of ordering and they made sure we feasted.

Crisp Catfish Salad - Shredded catfish with corn starch - it was crisp but light. Mr. SR adored this dish and couldn't stop eating it.

Catfish Salad.

Grilled Pork - The meat was tender and the dipping sauce was a rich, sweet and spicy tamarind sauce.

Pork.

Grilled Duck Mouth - This dish was basically a bunch of duck bills. They were crunchy and bony but a bit dry. I found it more interesting in theory than in reality. But, Mr. SR enjoyed them.

Duck Mouth.

Spicy Mushroom Soup - A very tasty soup. This dish was spicy, earthy and sour. (Sorry, I can't find my picture other than the "group" picture of the food above.)

Fried Chicken with Garlic - it was crunchy and good but just a tad bit dry.

Fried Chicken.

Squid with Garlic - Some restaurants tend to overcook squid. Luckily, this squid dish was perfect. The squid was firm but not too chewy. The spiciness of the dish also provided a nice kick in the mouth.

Squid.

Papaya Salad - This dish had dried shrimp, limes, tomatoes and peanuts. The fish sauce tasted sweet somehow. Overall, the dish was very good and very sharp. 

Papaya Salad.

The Price

The Menu.

For four people and all the food we ordered, our meal was fairly reasonably at just a little over $35. Not bad.

The Verdict

We never got the chance to visit the Isaan region during our trip. But, luckily, Jaekoy provided us the opportunity to get acquainted with the region's cuisine. Even better, we have now met a new friend in Han. 

Have you tried Isaan food? How did you like it?