Chicago | 🇹🇭 Salty Egg Yolk in Papaya Salad?

The sound of sizzling woks from the kitchen hits you as soon as you walk in—giving full-on Thai street food vibes! 🍳🔥 The menu is adorable, and from the descriptions, it seems to focus on snacks from Thailand's Isan region, with some really unique combinations. Are there any foodies familiar with Isan cuisine here who can explain its style? 🤔 🍛 Talay Pad Pong Karee Seafood yellow curry. One of their signature dishes—stir-fried squid and shrimp coated in thick yellow curry sauce. The squid was chewy, the shrimp decently fresh, and the curry was perfect over rice! Recommended, though the squid didn’t hold the sauce well. 🦐 🥗 Tum Tuk Tuk The most unexpected papaya salad I’ve ever tried! We got the "full combo" version, which came with dried fish, glass noodles, crispy pork skin, salted egg yolk, crab legs... a wild mix! Compared to other papaya salads, this one leaned more spicy than sour (and their spice level is no joke—we ordered level 1 and still felt it 🌶️). Maybe it’s an Isan thing, but the salty egg yolk paired surprisingly well with the spicy-sour flavors. Skip the crab legs though—they were just two skinny sticks added for show. 🦀 🍜 Signature Pad Thai So. Sweet. This might be the sweetest Pad Thai I’ve ever had—they even serve extra sugar on the side! (Suddenly it makes sense why this place attracts so many white customers 😅) The prawns were delicious, though! 🍖 Ka Prow Moo Krob Crispy pork belly rice! So fragrant—the thick-cut pork had perfectly crispy skin and was coated in a sweet glaze that made it easy to devour the whole bowl. Best eaten hot, or it can get tough once cool. 🥓 Overall, this spot leans spicy and sweet. Most diners were white, but the staff were all sweet-talking Thai sisters! 😊 The food isn’t as tasty as JJ Thai, but their unique papaya salad is worth trying—the rest is up to personal preference. Be prepared for a short wait during peak hours since the place is pretty small! ⏳ 📍 Tuk Tuk Thai Isan Street Food 2852 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657 #RestaurantRecommendations #HiddenGemEats #GlobalFoodies #FoodCollector #Chicago