A Night in Northern Thailand

We had read so much about Little Serow (pronounced arrow) that we decided to make a field trip with two of our food loving friends.  We thought that the threat of rain might temper the appetite of other foodies, but to our dismay there already was a line outside of this tiny restaurant when we arrived at 4:50 p.m. with raindrops falling.

Little Serow seats 28 - 8 at the bar and the rest at tables along the wall of this sea green  basement environment with low ceilings, an open kitchen and staff in “vintage” dress. The restaurant opens its doors at 5:30 p.m. and takes no reservations.  Everyone is served the same six courses. As we looked through umbrellas at the people ahead of us, we wondered how many were saving places for others yet to come.

Owned by Johnny Monis and his wife,  Anne Marler, the idea for this restaurant came from the time they spent in Northern Thailand after their wedding in 2011. This region of Thailand is not represented by our local Thai restaurants with their seafood dishes from the South or the coconut milk curries from central Thailand.

Since all the tables were now taken, we were guided to seats at the bar and were greeted warmly by our server who took us through the six course menu, explaining ingredients with great detail and enthusiasm.  The entire staff at Little Serow must take happy pills, and their smiles are infectious.

Our Singha beers arrived with a bowl of raw veggies (two radishes - watermelon and daikon -  cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, Thai basil and Thai eggplant) and a basket of sticky rice for dipping.  Each course was shared by the two of us and had a distinctive sauce or relish ready for our sticky rice.

First to arrive was a combination of diced mushrooms, tamarind and chilies to be spread and eaten on pork rinds. A light peppery flavor announced what was to come in other dishes.  

Tiny pieces of fried catfish, thinly sliced green mango and dried shrimp were next, and portions could be rolled in lettuce leaves or eaten with a spoon.   A very unusual dish  of sour fruit , shrimp paste and palm sugar came. This was followed by finely diced chicken livers with hot Thai peppers to be eaten on slices of cabbage. The tastes were complex and tongue tingling.

Crispy rice with sour pork and peanuts in a sweet and sour sauce arrived, followed by greens in a salted fish and egg sauce.  And finally the most memorable - melt in your mouth pork ribs with dill in a Mekong whisky sauce. 

Little Serow is a terrific food adventure.  No complicated menu or detailed research is required.  Sit back and enjoy each course. Although the small plates had enough for two or three bites per person, we all had very full stomachs as we left.