Did you know that modern Thai restaurant Jay Nok, by the Olympic Village has brunch? Well, I would be surprised if you did, considering this is only an on occasion monthly affair.
Hey Haaa! is a monthly Thai brunch party hosted by Jay Nok in collaboration with REWIND604. And we visited for their second reiteration a few Sundays ago. Here, we got to enjoy old flavours and gold beats, from their unique Thai inspired, brunch menu paired with live throwback R&B sets by REWIND DJs. Attendance was free, but advanced booking recommended, seeing as this menu is not available any time else. So be sure to look out for the next one, next month to be able to take in the fun.
Otherwise, during the day the restaurant operates and offers, the old Sala Thai menu. This is traditional Thai dishes for lunch. They then switch to the modern fusion offerings of Jay Nok for dinner. The restaurant is named after the chef. “Executive Chef Jay Nok has crafted a playful and satisfying menu that blends traditional Thai street food breakfasts with modern twists”, as taken from the press release.
For those looking for a more docile brunch experience, this is not it. With the likes of Lil Wayne rapping in the background, plus the restaurant’s naturally brazen street centric decor. From coloured lights and the wallpapered ceiling, to the vibrant plates before us. The entire menu sounded exciting, it all peaked my curiosity, so was hard to choose.
We started with their Thai ice tea flight. This is a must, for those who love Thai style iced tea, as much as I do. You get the classic as well as a matcha and an iced coffee version, each with sweetening cream. I still prefer the original though.
They also have other exclusive brunch cocktails, only available on this menu. Like the Muay Thai Caesar, given its name because it has a “kick” with chili-infused vodka, thai sriracha, clamato, worcestershire sauce, and a seasoned rim. It was more spicy sauce than tomato based, with a sweeter rim instead of salty. I thought it a playful idea, but it was missing depth and the umami of Clamato juice in a classic Caesar. I would have used some of their beef broth below to offer a richer flavour and more salt; for a more savoury cocktail, as I know caesars to be. It was however complimentary to the food below.
The White Lotus was a unique cocktail that tasted like peanuts and not peanut butter. Dry gin, elderflower, soursop nectar, peanut orgeat, lemon, miraculous foamer, and roasted peanut. This was a little more muted and was best served as breath of fresh air in between all the sweet and tangy sour bites below.
We started with the Thai-ger Prawn Salad, finding the pun funny. Tiger prawns, alfalfa, brussel sprouts, and mixed seasonal greens. This served a similar function as the cocktail above, offering a freshness to help wash the palate in between bites with its crispy and juicy, julienned strands.
The Pink Noodle Soup was a new one for me. Pink from the red bean curd. Although, apparently it is common to add ketchup for the colouring and its sweet acid. Here they used tomato paste instead. Tiger prawns, squid, ground pork, thick rice noodles, red bean curd, tomato paste, and a seafood broth. I liked both the shrimp and the squid as more neutral seafood and how they added a more firm texture in contrast to the slippery noodles. They also went well with the sweeter soup. There was little ground pork, so that it didn’t weigh the dish down. I only found the salmon out of place, as its bold flavour called a lot of attention to itself, and was a great contrast to this sweeter offering. I would have liked no fish of a more gentle, fattier one like sablefish.
This was a similar case for the Tom Yum Seafood Soup Rice. I wanted the hot and sour flavour of this iconic Thai soup so ordered it for the broth alone. It was described as a play on congee with rice soaking in the broth to give it a softer texture. The menu listed baby shrimp, squid, mussels, rice, and hot & sour tom yum seafood broth. So I was surprised to see more salmon. And once again I found it distracting. This dish was already fragrant and harmonious without it. It could be its addition was due to the fact that it was in season when we visited. Overall, I did like this dish and deemed it a great one for a day after a night of drinking.
The Full Thai Fusion Breakfast was a fun one. It looks simple, but grows on you with three different types of sauces you can use to mix and match combinations. Thai basil omelette, french fries, tamarind gravy, green curry, brussel sprouts, and ketchup. The fries were the perfect thinness and texture for nibbling. The sprouts chewy with crispy bits, and pack full of flavour. And the omelette refreshing and light with the brightening basil. But once again it was the sauces that brought it all together, giving you so many ways to enjoy this platter between sweet curry, tangy tamarind, and some acidity from ketchup. Each element of the plate paired well with each sauce.
And in order to make this platter less vegetarian, you can order a side of bacon to add on to it like we did. Although it did come after this plate. Salty, fatty, and crispy bacon.
The Mini Beef Boat Noodles came highly recommended by the owner of the restaurant, so we had to give it a try. This is a smaller portion size for brunch only. Beef slices, thin rice noodles, bean sprouts, rich umami beef broth, and thai basil. The secret is liquid pig’s blood to give the soup its thickness and substance. This also ensured the noodles couldn’t absorb it all, as it was straddling solid and liquid. It reminded me of beef satay soup, rich and lush, this was a satisfying dish that I would order from their regular menu.
And we couldn’t walk away without dessert considering that they have pandan on the menu. Pandan Basque Cheesecake. I love how vivid they had the green. Prepared a head of time, the cheesecakes was a little hard, so I suggest taking your time with it, to allow it to defrost some. I prefer my cheesecake softer, however having it like this had it melting in your mouth like ice cream.
In short, this was a fun idea and way to introduce the potential of a regular Thai brunch to Jay Nok, as they continue to foster their modern fusion Thai concept that I have not seen and experienced elsewhere. We did find a few of the dishes and their flavours homogeneous it their tonal sweetness . However, this is something that most won’t have to worry about, as we ordered more than most, to be able to try more for this post.
Jay Nok Modern Thai
127 W 2nd Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Y 1B8
(604) 683-7999
jaynokthai.com
