Phanom “Patrick” Suksaen, owner of Toronto Thai eateries Eat BKK, Jatujak and Si Lorn, has opened a new restaurant in Baldwin Village named after the island where he grew up in Southern Thailand — Koh Lipe. The colourful, two-storey restaurant specializes in Southern-Thai dishes from the island region, but also serves Thai favourites such as green curry and Pad Thai.
I’m from the south, so I wanted to do something that will show off southern food. It’s quite spicy and a lot of people in Toronto like spicy,” said Suksaen in an interview with NOW Magazine.
The stink bean — or petai — is a key ingredient in many of Koh Lipe’s dishes. The waxy bean is well known for its terrible, lingering odour and can easily overpower a dish if not used correctly. “They way we cook it, the spicy, salty — it can balance the stinkiness,” says Suksaen. “I want to let people try it. It’s fun. I want to showcase what we eat to Toronto’s people.”
35 Baldwin Street
