Location: 486 Front Street West, Toronto (inside Wellington Market)
Website: https://kaokang.ca/
Kao Kang, which is part of The Well’s recent expansion, is a spinoff of Koh Lipe, a Michelin-noted Thai restaurant downtown.
Michelin-adjacent eats in a food court? Yeah, sign me up.
The guy behind the counter noted that the pad gra prao (“holy basil, chili, green bean, garlic, fried egg on rice”) is their most popular dish, so that’s what I went with. You can get it with either chicken or beef; I went with beef.
I enjoyed it. Was it the best version of this dish that I’ve ever had? No, absolutely not. But it’s still a food court. Let’s temper our expectations here.
It’s very, very sweet, and is kinda lacking in the umami punch that you typically get from this dish. It’s a bit one-note in its flavour, but is thoroughly pleasant, with a mild spicy kick and a perfectly cooked fried egg on top. I don’t think I’d order it again, but I’m not mad I ate it.
Michael Eats 