Unlike the glitzy restaurants peppered around Rittenhouse Square, many of the best Philadelphia spots are hidden in quiet, residential neighborhoods. Kalaya, a Thai restaurant that opened in Bella Vista this June, is one of them. If you’re going from West Philly, you’ll pass by the Italian Market before you find this little restaurant right next to a daycare center. It might feel like a major excursion from campus, but the restaurant has its ties to Penn: Nok Suntaranon, who co–founded Kalaya and is in charge of running the kitchen, is the wife of Wharton professor Ziv Katalan, who is Kalaya’s primary investor.
With its calm light blue exterior, Shepard Fairey–esque wall art, and playlist featuring “Tainted Love” by Soft Cell and “Livin’ on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi, Kalaya seems westernized at first glance, but a closer look at the interior suggests otherwise. The dark wooden tables still have their natural crevices, and the most prominent wall art features a classic red–and–gold painting of lotus flowers.
One glance at the menu made it clear that Kalaya was not in the business of catering to American expectations. For one, the usual pad thai was nowhere to be seen. The server—pointing to the X’s that noted the spiciness of each dish—explained that the spiciness levels cannot be adjusted. Earlier in July, the founders told The Philadelphia Inquirer: “We can’t change the integrity of the dishes here. We don’t want to discourage people, but it is spicy, you know.” It’s right there in Kalaya’s logo: “authentic Thai kitchen.”
The sakoo sai hed—tapioca dumplings with shiitake mushroom & peanut filling, red chili, and lettuce—were good, but perhaps not great as an appetizer. The outer texture feels just like the tapioca balls you taste in bubble tea. It can feel a bit oily at first bite, but the cilantro balances that out. The real difference, though, is in the filling. The mushrooms and peanuts give the inside of the dumpling a nice earthy taste. While that’s certainly an enjoyable flavor in most cases, it did not work well as an appetizer here because of this earthiness. Perhaps the goong chae nam pla—the shrimp with spicy nam jim—would have been better for the role.
The kang gai khao mun—the chicken curry with cilantro, pandan & coconut rice—started out sweet like the Thai curry I know and love, but eventually had a kick like the Thai curry that I had when I was actually in Thailand. This one was listed with three out of four X’s for spiciness. The chicken’s texture was just right, not too dry. What really made this dish, though, was the rice that comes with it. The coconut rice, greened with pandan leaves and garlic, had a slightly creamy texture that complemented the curry very well.
The curry was great, but Kalaya seems to be even better at seafood. The goong aob woon sen—baked shrimp with glass noodles, chinese celery, garlic, ginger, cilantro, long hots, oyster sauce and soy sauce—was the star. The three shrimps were some of the biggest I’d seen in a while, and when I leaned closer to the pan, I caught a whiff of the sea. The oyster sauce came on the side and gave a tangy flavor to the glass noodles. Switching between the curry and the noodles made for a delightful dinner.
With the amount of detail in each dish, I could tell that the people of Kalaya cared about the food they were serving—and how could they not, when the restaurant is named after Suntaranon’s mother?
TL;DR: An authentic Thai restaurant in the Italian Market that doesn’t pull its punches.
Hours: Monday–Tuesday: closed
Wednesday–Friday: 5 p.m.–10 p.m.
Saturday–Sunday: 12 p.m.–3:30 p.m., 5 p.m.–10 p.m.
Location: 764 S. 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Price range: $$
