Tuk Tuk Thai - Taco Tuesday
cc: Anajak Thai (Sherman Oaks)?
I have spent plenty of time on Sawtelle in my life, but very little time at the northern edge, at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard. It’s a cooler, funkier little micro area than I remembered. There’s a board game shop swarmed with people, a dvd rental store (those still exist?) and an old school theater.
And then, a ton of thai establishments. Tuk Tuk Thai, Talay Thai, Emporium Thai, Ban Ban Burger, Bangkok BBQ, Cafe Franca, all within a stones throw. Has anyone ever referred to this little part of Sawtelle as Sawthai? Because if not, let’s get it going.
On to Tuk Tuk Thai. The place was packed at 8PM. No open tables inside or out, so I had to sit at a communal high-top style table. Good for them!
Tragically, they were out of draft singha.
The server mentioned that the tacos were bite sized, so I ordered all three. (In reality, they are not bite-sized. I got probably five bites out of each).
Cumin Fish Taco
The batter on the fish was a little darker and held together a tad worse than one might want, but by no means was it falling apart. The batter itself mostly faded into the background, and the fish was cooked well and perfectly mild, essentially a blank canvas for the rest of the ingredients. Mango, pickled onions, garlic (thankfully just a hint), chili, lime. There’s a lot going on here, and while it flirts with “too much” going on, it mostly works. It’s fresh, it’s bright, it’s tasty. The blue corn tortilla from Komal was served piping hot - fantastic! Oh, and it’s spicy. I’d eat this again.
Thai-Braised Beef Shank Taco
Is there a difference between the consistency and taste of blue corn vs yellow or white corn (whichever this is)? For whatever reason, this Komal taco was less soft and fluffy, a little more rigid, and it didn’t taste quite as good as the blue corn tortilla. The smokiness overpowered a bit here, the same way I feel about some mezcal. The meat itself was fine. I think it could have been braised a little bit more - it wasn’t tough, but it wasn’t completely falling apart like a good braised beef should be (in my view). I also don’t think all the ingredients and flavors were fully complementary - there was a hint of clash. This wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t on par with the fish taco. Probably wouldn’t order it again, but I would eat it if someone put it in front of me.
Thai Pork Leg Taco
Same tortilla comment as the beef taco. You can see some of the pork sticking out, and it looks fine if a little dry. And indeed, my first bite had that very impression. It was okay, but not great. However, the next bite was bad. Just a big mass of fat and gristle. I set this one down and didn’t finish it.
The server asked for my feedback at the end, and I mentioned the fatty gristle on the pork taco. She had said she had heard similar things from others, so hopefully they act on that feedback. My nose was like a leaky faucet by the end. These things are shockingly spicy, but in a slow-burn kind of way. I think the flavor profiles, aside from the smoky char of the beef taco, all kind of lean in the same direction: a lot of acidity, a lot of heat, sometimes some fruit to cut through. I wish each taco had a bit more of its own personality.
In sum: one pretty good, one mediocre, and one bad. Don’t see myself rushing back for taco tuesday. I’m probably more interested in coming back and trying the regular menu. In fact, maybe I’ll do a crawl and hit all six Thai spots in the vicinity, one dish at each.
