Chote Chitr?

[shygye]

Has anyone been to Chote Chitr restaurant? Comments?

 

Chote Chitr is known for two dishes in particular: banana flower salad and mee krob. Both were sublime. The banana flower salad is made from chicken, shrimp and the shredded flower from the banana tree, seasoned with coconut milk, lemon juice and chilies.

[HeartThais]

I was there 3 years ago based on the NY Times review that many people have read. The place is tiny and easily missed off some narrow sois. I think it could fit about 12-16 diners. That's ok because when we were there, only one small group was eating. I was really surprised by how unkempt the place was. It looks like your typical down-the-soi Thai-customer restaurant.

 

I can recall at least two dishes. There was a banana blossom salad and some sort of grilled eggplant dish. Both veggie dishes were enjoyed by all. I think we also had some fishcakes and a stir-fried dish with prawns.

 

Food was not as memorable for me as it was to the NYT. Throughout the meal, I kept thinking the reviewer must be one of those guys that give extra stars for obscurity. The food was good. Everything was pretty tasty but not the kind that you go out of your way to get.

 

If you are a newbie to Thailand, I think you'll enjoy the whole adventure of straying off the path and getting a very local Thai feel. If not, I think you might find the trek not worth it and a bit anti-climatic.

[samak]

and where is it?

i like yam hua plee (banana blossom salad)!

[AloyMak]

Head west on the main street that has Democracy Monument. Take a left on Thanon Tanao. About 1000 meters, there is a small street Praeng Phuton. Take a right and it is about 20 steps in. I ate there first about 4 years ago and just had a meal there with a couple of Thais. It reaffirmed my first impressions.

 

First of all, the person who owns the place is a real sourpuss. The people I was with remarked that it was no wonder the restaurant was empty because she was thoroughly unpleasant. There are pet dogs inside the restaurant and that again turned off the thais because they were worried they might not wash their hands after touching the dogs.

 

The food though was considered excellent by all. We had the banana flower salad which was sort of a sweet version of papaya. The eggplant salad was a miss - the smoky flavor from the grill was downright acrid. The highlight was a squid with palm hearts cooked in coconut oil. Absolutely delicious. We also had a traditional soup in a light broth with ground pork and spinach. Also delish. Both Thai people remarked that the menu had a lot of items that you could never find in a typical thai restaurant and were quite intrigued.

 

4 years ago, I was a complete newbie to thai food and I thought the food was normal. Now that my tastebuds are a bit more mature, I realize how good the food is. However, the service and the lack of hygiene keeps it from being a recommendation. That said, if you are in the mood for some extraordinary but traditional thai fare, you might enjoy it. Just don't expect to impress anyone you bring there with the ambiance or the service.