15-05-2025
Sorn Thai toasts a grandmother's cooking in modern digs in McLean
Supisa Teawbut figured she'd sell a lot of pad thai when she opened Sorn Thai in McLean in March. Patrons surprised her when they ordered more kanom jeen namya instead. The entrée, rice noodles with fish curry, is one of 10 dishes in a category called 'Sorn's Obsessions' and a lovely introduction to a Thai restaurant unlike any other in Northern Virginia.
Diners' eyes are pulled in first. The vermicelli — a fine white nest circled with diced green beans, crisp bean sprouts and pickled green mustard — rises from a dazzling orange-gold curry that fits in lemongrass, garlic and gently peppery finger root. A crisp branzino filet leans against the noodles. It's quite a show for $20.
Kanom jeen namya is also a nod to the owner's late grandmother, Sorn Teawbut, whose version of the dish was such a hit in her hometown in southern Thailand, neighbors would flock to the house with empty bowls when they heard she made it, says Teawbut. 'Everyone in the family knows how to make it,' says the owner, who adds that her grandmother had a dozen children. Talk about a sweet hand-me-down.
Teawbut, who goes by the nickname 'Boom,' is no stranger to the business. Thai fans know the food served at Donsak Thai Restaurant, her casual little outpost in Woodley Park in the District, is some of the best in the area. (When my predecessor, Phyllis C. Richman, and I last supped together, takeout from Donsak — including springy ground pork meatballs with tamarind sauce and a salad of fried tofu, onions and cashews splashed with lime juice — filled the table. She got the leftovers, lucky legend.)
While a traditional Thai eater could happily graze the night away at Sorn Thai, the fresh face benefits from a Thai chef whose last professional kitchen was at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Santa Barbara: Prapassorn Teawboot, the owner's sister, whose menu in McLean embraces lots of modern touches. In addition to a larb made with minced chicken, for instance, the chef makes a meatless version featuring chopped, fried Brussels sprouts, and shrimp cakes are rethought as round shrimp croquettes, perched on sweet plum sauce.
Every small plate I've tried was a dish to remember. Haaw-mohk, a small square of fish mousse, has a texture that falls between cornbread and custard, a taste that marries the sea with chiles and lime leaf. Presented on a banana leaf, the soft orange mousse is finished with micro-cilantro and tiny dried baby anchovies, garnishes with star power. Another day, another nice takeaway: warm banana blossom salad, strewn with fried shallots, nipped with red chiles and arranged with smoky grilled prawns.
The kitchen turns out a respectable pad thai, best spritzed with lime before tackling, and a fine green curry with folds of pork, tender bamboo shoots and Thai eggplant. A lot of the competition can execute something similar, however.
You go to Sorn Thai to fill up on the menu's 'obsessions.' Along with kanom jeen namya, the pleasures include moo hong: dark chunks of braised pork belly and crisp green bok choy in a stew warmed with cinnamon and star anise, a sauce best absorbed with tender milk buns that eat like savory doughnuts. There are also sweet prawns and green papaya slices lounging in a stinging and tangy golden curry. The seafood dish, geang som, gets its kick from tamarind and is familiar to home cooks in southern Thailand, says the owner. The key to success — concentrated flavor — is keeping the broth at a simmer, she adds.
Khao yum, a Crayola-colored rice salad, gets the beauty award at Sorn Thai. Julienne mango, carrots, red cabbage and green beans make up the vibrant heap, rounded out with jasmine rice tinted blue with butterfly pea flower, valued for its medicinal benefits and as adornment. (Women in Southeast Asia sometimes tuck the flower behind an ear.) Fish powder and shrimp paste in the dressing ensure the tongue is as entertained as the eyes.
The best Thai cooking tends to be a balance of five flavors: salty, sweet, sour, bitter and hot. If there's a quibble with some of the food here, it's a tilt toward sweetness in the black duck sauce for the roti-wrapped shredded duck and the peanut-and-pork filling of the fluttery steamed 'butterfly' dumplings. Both could use less sugar.
Sorn Thai and Donsak don't look like family. The younger restaurant, set in a shopping center, opens with a handsome bar opposite tall tables hugging a wall and moves on to an exhibition kitchen and a larger dining room. What's not white seems to be green, wood or coconut leaf wallpaper. 'She loved green,' says the owner of her grandmother, whose welcoming home the owner hoped to convey in the design.
There's no red carpet here, but the restaurant makes it feel as if one has been rolled out for customers. Delivery is free within 2.5 miles for orders of $25 and more, staff are quick to greet and seat, and the cocktails are as considered as the cooking. First among equals is the apricot-colored pineapple daiquiri balanced with Aperol. Best of all, even though there's background music, the noise level never interferes with conversation.
The sighs of pleasure from around the table? You can hear them at Sorn Thai.
