Soul Food Mahanakorn

We decided to go to a new restaurant on Thonglor after reading a good review about it from the BK magazine. Here is a quote from the BK magazine article:

'Long-time food journalist for beloved American magazine The Atlantic and elsewhere, Jarrett Wrisley recently decided to cash in his chips and transform an old, unused shophouse on Thonglor into an American-style, Thai-food-serving izakaya. It now looks all set to be the new place to be, drink and eat one of the most lovingly curated gab glaem et al menus we’ve seen in a long while.'


The room was dark with mood lighting. The decor is a nice mix of concrete floor and different woods used throughout the room either on the walls or from the vintage Scandinavian tables & chairs. The custom-made art was eye-catching and interesting because it caught the basic street food scene of Bangkok.


The first dish was Nahm Prik Two Ways. This northern Thai dip with char grilled green chilies and roasted tomato salsa. Served with vegetables, quail eggs and pork rinds was really yummy. There is a huge difference with a home made nahm prik and those sold in the stores; it just tasted fresher and had more life to it. The contrast of colours, textures and flavours is always a good thing with a nahm prik dish. 150 baht.


The next dish was Southern Style Samosas. This dish was a minced chicken, cumin, spring roll wrapper and accompanied with a mint & yoghurt dip. The samosas were deep fried to a dark gold brown, they were perfectly crispy on the outside with a tender and flavourful filling. Nicely done. 110 baht.


The next dish was Yam Makrua Yao. This sour & smoky Bangkok classic egg plant salad with boiled duck eggs, mint, coriander & bacon was absolutely lovely. The eggplant was so fresh, plump and tender. It had so much flavour. We like the creativity with the duck egg. 140 baht.


The next dish was Geng Om Curry. This Lao/ Issan curry with grass-fed beef (this is a really good thing because we are anti grain-fed beef), chilies, pumpkin & dill with red sticky rice. This curry was so rich in flavours & textures. Such a good thing. 140 baht.


The next dish was Fish in Banana Leaf. This dish consisted of fish wrapped in a banana leaf and grilled. The fish was so moist and tender with full of flavour. 120 baht.


The next dish was Sticky Tamarind Rib. The tender pork ribs were braised in a spicy tamarind barbecue sauce and grilled. The meat just fell of the bones. The sauce was a combination of sweet, tangy & spicy. Finger licking good. 140 baht.


The next dish was Nahm Tok Moo. This Issan style pork, marinated in fish sauce & tossed in a fiery dressing with herbs was so tasty. 120 baht.


The next dish was Sai Ooah Sausage. This home made northern Thai sausage was very tasty. The fresh herbs & pork meat were visually evident. The sausage had good texture and flavour. 130 baht.


The wine we bought from the restaurant a Root: 1 from Chile at 980 baht. We were really surprised how well it accompanied the food. The wine was ruby-red, spicy red berry and cherry aromas. The wine was easy to drink and offered sweet raspberry and cherry flavors and it had a long finish. Good value and quality ratio.


Overall; the food at Soul Food Mahanakorn was really yummy. Their version of cooking regional Thai food is authentic & clever by going back to basics. They make their own curry paste & nahm priks (instead of using industrial ones), which is a rare thing to see these days. The owner was telling us that since they care about the food they serve and where it comes from, they source many of their ingredients from small farms in the northeast of Thailand. For example; their rice is organic and fair trade, their meats are free-range, and their menu is seasonal with daily specials. We like this philosophy very very much.

The food is not only good but very affordable in a very cozy & comfortable setting. This will be one of my neighborhood restaurants from now on.

Address: 56/10 Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thong Lor)
Phone: 085-904-2691
Opening Hours: Daily 6:30pm-1am
Nearest train: BTS Thong Lo

www.soulfoodmahanakorn.com