Pai On Duncan Is Your Answer To Authentic Thai Cuisine

For anyone that’s traveled to Thailand, descending the stairs to Pai will be a nostalgic experience. In contrast to the mountainous 762 turns one must climb en route from Chiang Mai to Pai, the seven stairs down to the comfortable Duncan Street restaurant is only a few-second journey before entering another world.

The aroma of deep curry, fresh coriander, vibrant lemongrass, sweet holy basil and biting chilies envelop you instantly upon entry. Concrete floors, exposed brick and rich wood sets the scene. Repurposed school chairs, cultural relics, and doors and window frames have been brought directly from Pai itself. The dining room has been pieced together in much the same way as the family-run restaurants in the Mae Hong Son province. Again, Pai is no different – it’s a love story, slowly pieced together over the course of a decade.

Nuit and Jeff Regular first met on the back of an elephant– Nuit, a hard working Thai nurse, and Jeff, a mellow backpacker. The two fell in love: Nuit with Jeff’s attitude and humour; Jeff with Nuit’s intelligence and remarkable cooking ability. He encouraged her to open up a restaurant, and in 2003 Nuit spent her days at the hospital and her nights at The Curry Shack in Pai, their first venture together. A year later Nuit and Jeff were married and they moved to Jeff’s hometown of Toronto. It took the couple four years before they launched Sukhothai, but since then, Nuit’s talents in the kitchen have inspired a new wave of Thai cooking in the city. Her authentic flavours and extreme reverence for traditional ingredients has changed the perception of every patron who thought pad thai sauce is supposed to be red.

Now with two Sukhothai locations, the inception and departure from Khao San Road, and a partnership in Sabai Sabai, the tandem are ready to present Pai, a true homage to Nuit’s cultural and culinary roots. Within Pai also exists Be-Bop, a nod to the famous music venue, café, restaurant and bar in Pai. The high-tops and highballs will be served until last call alongside a separate snack menu.

At Pai, Nuit’s flavours are decidedly northern. Long, lingering spices that build on one’s palate are drawn out in the tom yum soup and the pad gra prow. Deep, rich curries like the khao soi and gaeng massamam nua will warm you to your core. Herbaceous, citrus spiked beef salad remains as a perennial favourite.

While loyal and engaged fans will recognize many of the menu items at Pai, the unique draw to this new bastion of Thai culinary supremacy is their private room. It’s quite literally a seat at chef Nuit’s table. Parties of up to 24 will have the good fortune, as we did last night, to experience Nuit’s culinary prowess in her own element.

Carte blanche menus are served tableside by Nuit herself. She will explain the characteristics of the wild Thai peppercorn and Siamese cardamom she uses for the fragrant laap jua (pork and offal salad). She tells stories of snake hunting escapades with her brothers as ladles of sweet and sour northern oxtail masala curry are spread over rice. She recalls the relaxed pace at which communal Thai meals are enjoyed back home – an allusion that resonates as you look around at your dining companions, lean back in your chair, and slowly exhale as you take it all in.

Will you be getting your Thai on at Pai? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.