Khao Kang Maruay in Haymarket, opened by Vin and Nararat Carromprath in 2020, serves Isan-style Thai food alongside a wide-ranging menu of dishes from across Thailand.
The modest restaurant is BYO-only, with an extensive laminated menu featuring page after page of photographs. Its strongest offering, however, is the selection of hotpots, particularly jaew-hon, a traditional Isan soup made with pork bones, lemongrass, galangal and makrut lime.
Served in a small pot over a gas burner, the broth arrives with prawns, liver, beef, pork, chicken and squid for diners to cook at the table. A powerful nam jim jaew dipping sauce, sharpened with roasted and ground sticky rice, completes the dish.
There is plenty more to explore, including som tums and larb, whose lime-driven sharpness gives the minced-meat salad an intense sweet-and-sour edge. A cuttlefish kra pow brings holy basil and fierce chilli heat, while the boat noodle soups are rich with spice and blood.
After the heat and intensity of the savoury dishes, assorted coconut desserts provide a gentler finish.
Khao Kang Maruay is part of Haymarket’s growing Thai food scene, which also includes Huamoom, Satang, Seri Bar and Yok Yor.
