Marnee Thai: Authentic Thai Food in the Inner Sunset

By: Asian Eats, Aug 08, 2008
Tags: Bay Area, Eatz |

AsianWeek Marnee Thai: Authentic Thai Food in the Inner Sunset



SAN FRANCISCO — Stepping foot into Marnee Thai on Ninth Avenue, one senses authenticity. Amber-colored walls emit calmness. Chefs demonstrate their knife skills preparing fresh garnishes.
Dressed in a dark Thai silk shirt, Kas Chai greets you with a smile. A recent graduate of UC Riverside, the 22-year-old carries on the legacy started by his father, founder Chai Siriyarn.
Marnee Thai’s road to success has been a long one. When the first location (on Irving near 23rd Avenue) opened in 1986, his father worked 16 hours a day.
“During my childhood, the restaurant hours made it impossible for me to spend time with him,” Chai said. “I finally get to know my dad more as a person by working with him daily.”
Chai now faces his own sacrifices. While his college friends go to clubs and parties during the weekends, he commits himself to the restaurant. After the restaurant closes, Kas and his father remain in the kitchen, mixing their award-winning pad Thai sauce and other family recipes. He admits that it is a lonely life, but he’s motivated by his vision to continue the family legacy.
“Don’t get into the restaurant business simply for the money,” Chai cautions, “because the stress you’ll experience will be enough to make you crack if your heart is not in it.”
With the restaurant now established with a consistent clientele, father Chai has become a guest lecturer at the Culinary Institute of America. His father’s cookbook that includes recipes from Chai’s grandmother, Thai Cuisine Beyond Curry, can be purchased at the restaurant.
The Spicy Angel Wings ($7.50) appetizer has been known to rival the popular dry fried chicken at San Tung. The wings are all about flavor combination, drenched in a honey glaze, amplified with a stir-fried chili-garlic sauce and garnished with fried basil leaves.
For a cool contrasting appetizer dish, the Green Papaya Salad with sour and spicy lime dressing does the trick. The Chicken Satay ($7.50) is sweetened with their peanut curry sauce and has a smoky char flavor. The Tom Yum ($7.50), a rendition of sweet and sour soup, stimulates the appetite with citrus notes of lemongrass and lime juice.
The Pad Thai ($7.50), arriving in a colorful orange-red sauce, is especially great here. Chef Chai has won numerous awards for this popular rice noodle dish. Texture is what separates it from other Thai restaurants: The sweet and sour sauce seeps into the noodles cooked al dente. The fish sauce and tamarind juice balance out the dish well.
The Panang Beef ($8.95) is tender, the tasty result of hours of stewing. The full-bodied sauce displays a slightly spicy flavor from the curry paste, but the coconut milk creates a silky finish.
Reminiscent of a carnival funnel cake, the Chewy Roti with coconut is a great finish to the meal. This dessert is all about temperature contrast: Chilled coconut ice cream pairs well with a circular, room-temperature roti cake.
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1243 9th Ave.
(415) 731-9999
2225 Irving St.
(415) 665-9500
San Francisco
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Daily Hours:
11:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
(For both locations)
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Prices: $15 and up

Damn north! Every time you post these food articles just makes me hungry. I should go on a diet just reading the food forum. haha.