Minneapolis | Bangkok's Green Canopy

Minneapolis truly surprised me, and in a big way—especially when it came to the food. I never expected a city in the Midwest to offer Cantonese cuisine on par with Beihai-style: char siu that was lean but never dry, roast pork with crackling skin, springy wonton noodles, and even red bean soup delicately infused with tangerine peel flavor. Forget comparing it to San Francisco or L.A.—it could easily outshine many restaurants in Macau! And apparently, this isn’t even the best Cantonese food Minneapolis has to offer! Beyond Cantonese, there’s also Kura Sushi—a conveyor-belt sushi chain that’s surprisingly not far off the quality I’ve had in Taiwan! But what left the deepest impression was a Thai restaurant called Gai Noi. I’ve always liked Thai food, but most Thai restaurants in the U.S. leave me underwhelmed—I’ve had one too many Pad Thais drowned in ketchup and sour mango sticky rice. Gai Noi, however, was recommended by a Thai friend who simply said, “It is just good.” After trying it, I couldn’t agree more. The food here was something I never thought I’d encounter in the United States. Compared to many tourist-adapted Thai restaurants in Bangkok, Gai Noi—despite being in America—felt even more authentic. I’ve always been pretty straightforward when it comes to food: good is good, no need for philosophical musings. But the moment Gai Noi’s dishes touched my tongue—the instant Thai chili hit—without exaggeration, I was instantly transported to Thailand. Or rather, the taste unlocked memories of Thailand stored deep in my mind. Yet, even more striking than the food was the ambiance. Gai Noi isn’t trying to imitate Bangkok—it is Bangkok. Before even stepping through the door, just standing on its red-brick pavement and glimpsing those dark green walls, I felt an overwhelming sensation: Minneapolis’s atmosphere was fiercely trying to rush in, but Gai Noi’s Bangkok energy pushed back, ebbing and flowing like the meeting point of saltwater and freshwater. Once inside, it was purely Bangkok—Minneapolis couldn’t penetrate this space. And this wasn’t some Bangkok street stall; it felt like a trendy eatery in Thonglor—stylish, modern, and unmistakably Thai. This wasn’t just “like” Bangkok—it was Bangkok. If you knocked someone out, flew them from Bangkok to Minneapolis, and dropped them inside this restaurant, I guarantee they’d have no idea they were in America. I thought I had gotten over my longing for Bangkok, but after visiting Gai Noi, all those beautiful memories came rushing back, fresher than ever. Maybe I should go back around Christmas? 🤭 — Camera: Olympus EP7 Lens: Tokyo Kogaku Topcor-S 50mm f1.2 — #MinneapolisEats #BangkokTravel #ThaiFoodWithdrawal #MissingBangkok #LightAndShadow #Greenery