What chefs order at Philly’s hottest Thai spot

Since it opened in the Italian Market in 2019, Kalaya has been one of Philadelphia’s favorite restaurants. Chef Nok Suntaranon’s southern Thai cooking seems to inspire obsession in her guests, the food at once comforting and surprising in its richness, textural variety, and sometimes, heat. Since moving the restaurant to a larger space in Fishtown at the end of 2022, Suntaranon expanded the menu, but that variety hasn’t stopped chefs across the city from developing strong feelings about the restaurant’s menu. These are the dishes that Philly’s chefs can’t stop going back for.

The crispy garlic chive rice cakes are a good way to understand one of the most appealing qualities of Kalaya’s food: the textural contrast between the chewy-soft interior and the crunchy-fried exterior. Chef Michael Ferreri of Irwin’s says no meal at the restaurant is complete without them.

“Being able to achieve that level of crunch and that soft, almost gelatinous texture is wild,” he says. “They also are very chive-forward and I always prefer food that tastes like what it says. It’s hard to hide behind simple flavors like that so I appreciate that aspect as well.”

Alongside the chive cakes, Ferreri is loyal to the tofu curry for the same reason.

“The tofu is so spicy and sweet and again, texture is king,” he explains. “The soft tofu against the snappy beans, next level. And it’s the perfect example of the spice that I love, a little sweet but perfectly balanced so you keep wanting more instead of being turned off by the heat.”

While Kalaya is known for large format options like the Tom Yum Kalaya, a show-stopping dish that comes towering through the dining room with river prawns cascading out of the bowl, several chefs mentioned how much they love the vegetable sides. The pad pak kad dong, or pickled mustard greens, are a particular favorite.

“Always order at least one pickled mustard greens for yourself, and some more if you want to share,” said Fred Muser, a Philadelphia restaurant industry veteran. “It’s been my go-to since Nok was at the original location.”

Joey Seitz, a restaurant chef de cuisine in Philadelphia, reiterated this point.

“The mustard greens are funky and a little bit too salty, but the amount of salt allows it to act as a palate cleanser,” he said. “You can’t miss the sides of mustard greens or charred cabbage, they might literally be the best two bites of the meal.”

“The caramelized pork belly slaps so hard,” say A.J. Sarno, co-owner of Isgro Pastries, referring to the restaurant’s nam prik kuhn pu. “It’s got everything: fattiness from the pork, sweetness from the caramelization, heat from the chili, a mixture of textures. It’s a perfect dish in my opinion.”

This caramelized mackerel dish is a new addition to the menu. Suraya executive chef Rob Wolff says it’s his favorite thing on the menu right now.

“They cook a whole mackerel for seven hours and it absolutely melts in your mouth,” he says.

Of course, Suntaranon herself has opinions about what’s best on the menu. After a night on the line, she says she often eats a bowl of rice with salted mackerel, or whatever is left in the curry pot.

“When I have friends at the restaurant, I always make sure everyone gets the goong phao,” she says, referring to the whole grilled river prawn entree. “I also make them order the pla nung manao — our whole steamed branzino.”

Jesse Ito, chef-owner of Royal Izakaya, confirms this.

“The branzino is an absolute flavor bomb,” he says. “That’s my favorite dish.”