A modest but significant burst in new, noteworthy Thai restaurants lit up Chicago over the last year and a half, with small, independent operators offering relatively uncompromising food compared to the oversweetened, dumbed-down Ameri-Thai standards much of the city is used to. They’re not pioneers. They’re walking in the footsteps of the folks behind Spoon, Aroy Thai, and Andy’s Thai Kitchen, among others. In some cases they’re veterans of those kitchens. You know all about Rainbow, perhaps the first of this new generation. But interesting and uncommon food can now be found at Paula’s Thai Kitchen in Lincoln Park, Tom Yum Cafe in Lakeview, and West Town’s JJ Thai Street Food. Uptown’s Immm Rice & Beyond is a unique-to-Chicago model specializing in khao rad gang, or rice and curry dishes (the term “curry” here used loosely), arrayed on steam tables from which the customer chooses a single dish or combination.
As it stands Suriyawan goes shopping each morning in the markets around Broadway and Argyle and creates a daily menu usually of nine or ten dishes based on what he finds. Supply realities demand that some of these items repeat themselves, but usually there are at least one or two new things to be had each day.
Still, there’s a uniform rusticity to a lot of these dishes that comes about in part by the time they spend settling on the steam table. As with any buffet, it’s important to find the sweet spot. Suriyawan’s menu is posted on Facebook each morning, but arrive too early and some dishes may not be ready; show up too late and they may be gone.
4949 N. Broadway 773-293-7378immmchicago.com
