Khan Toke Thai House

5937 Geary Street | San Francisco, CA | (415) 668-6654

As a surprise, G took me to Khan Toke for an early dinner. Even though this restaurant have been here for a very long time, we have never been there mostly because I was reluctant to go.  I find their shoes-off policy weird.

Anyway, we finally did go, and it was an interesting experience to say the least.  Firstly, we have to admit that restaurant seemed a bit sad-looking due to the carpet seemed well-worn.  And the place looked a bit past its prime, but the old-styled decor does lend a bit of charm.  G appreciatively commented on the lovely wood carvings, and some of the ornate decor. The servers wear traditional Thai dress which is very different from the other Thai places we have been. Although I have never been to Thailand, I think this is an authentic experience.

As soon as you enter, there’s a shoe attendant requesting you to take your shoes off and a waiter escorting you to one of the tables. You basically tuck your feet underneath the opening and sit normally, or you can try sitting cross-legged. I opted to be comfortable and tuck my feet under the table.

We had water and a bottle of Clausthaler (non-alcoholic beer).  We then skipped appetizers and went for the spicy bean curd with vegetable dish and the spicy squid with basil. I thought both were delicious, but G thought that they were a bit skimpy on the sauce.  We discussed this and finally settled that the dishes were potent in which the sauces were concentrated (more spicy) than most of the other Thai places we have tried.  We both love their brown rice which was perfectly cooked and really complimentary to their spicy dishes.  For dessert, we tried the mango sticky rice (mango, salty sticky rice covered with coconut milk and topped with crispy rice) and tapioca pudding (tapioca with corn and covered with sweet coconut milk).  Both were delicious, but we were armoured with the sticky rice because of the unusual texture and sweet and salty taste.

All in all, an interesting dining experience.