East Side King Thai Kun Unleashes Spicy Fare in Rock Rose Today

It’s here: East Side King Thai Kun’s brick and mortar will open today in the Domain’s Rock Rose district. The new restaurant features cuisine similar to "what we eat in Thailand," according to chef Thai Changthong. Chef de cuisine Clinton Kendall explained that it’s an "evolution of what we did in the trucks." Check out the full menu below.

Food will be served in three ways. For lunch, expect fast casual counter service with a menu similar to the trucks’. Dinner is a full service affair with servers and larger family-style dishes, like whole fried fish. At a later date, the counter window will open for late night bar patrons with four or five convenient items.

This lunch menu sounds like a good way to start the week... pic.twitter.com/oOifTVNQTr

— Thai-Kun (@thaikunatx) February 22, 2016

Desserts will be kept simple, like rice pudding, egg custards, and other ingredients like pandan leaves and coconut. On the drinks side, there will be beer, wine, and draft cocktails concocted by Qui’s beverage team, using sake, amaros, and other light spirits.

The bigger space affords the team room to experiment and use different techniques, like the wok station visible from the open kitchen. Thai Kun will be open for lunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and then dinner on Monday through Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m., until 11 p.m on Friday, and all day on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and until 10 p.m. on Sunday.

Lunch
Khong Wang (appetizers)
Issan Sausage: fermented pork sausage, cabbage, ginger, Thai chili
Chicken Wings: fried chicken wings, tamarind, Thai chili, fish sauce
Chicken Skins: fried marinated chicken skin, tamarind chili sauce

Ahan Jan Diao (entrees)
Thai-Kun Fried Chicken: deep-fried chicken thigh, chicken fat rice, boom sauce, cucumber, cilantro
Pad Thai: stir-fried rice stick noodles, prawn, egg, peanut, bean sprouts, Chinese chives
Kao Man Gai: steamed chicken thigh, chicken fat rice, fermented soybean sauce, cucumber, chicken broth
Boat Noodles: boat noodle soup, rice stick noodles, pork, liver, meatballs, bean sprouts, water
Grilled Beef: grilled marinated beef, cabbage, cucumber, nam jim jaew

Dinner
Khong Wang (appetizers)
Chicken Wings: Thai Kun fried chicken wings, tamarind, Thai chili
Mussels: stir fried mussels, young green peppercorn, kaffir lime, Karachi root, serrano pepper, basil
Chive Cake: pan fried chive cake, jalapeño, soy nam jim
Issan Sausage: fermented pork sausage, cabbage, ginger, Thai chili
Zap Issan (served with sticky rice)
Papaya Salad: green papaya salad, fish sauce, Thai chili, cherry tomato, shrimp paste, lime, peanut
Larb: ground pork cooked with blood, lime, toasted rice powder, Thai chili, red onion, cucumber, cabbage, mint
Clay Pot: bean thread noodles cooked in a clay, prawns, pork belly, shitaake mushroom, green onion, Chinese celery, fried egg

Ahan Kap Khao (family style)
Roasted Chicken: roasted marinated half chicken, coconut milk, soy, garlic, white pepper, nam jim jaew, boom sauce
Whole Fish: deep-fried whole loup de mer, green mango salad
Crab Rice: Thai fried rice, crab meat, egg, green onion, mushroom, soy sauce