RED HOOK — The neighborhood's only Thai restaurant opened on Van Brunt Street this week, offering authentic flavors from northern Thailand, its owners said.
Brooklyn couple Carlos Padillo and Kanlaya Supachana decided to open Kao Soy at 283 Van Brunt St., a former check-cashing facility, last year. After renovating the space, they opened the new eatery on Monday.
Supachana, who is originally from northern Thailand, moved to the city more than a decade ago and has worked in Brooklyn restaurants for 15 years, she previously told DNAinfo New York.
For Kao Soy's menu, Supachana turned to her hometown of Chiang Mai, as well as recipes and techniques she learned from her father years ago, she said.
The menu features familiar favorites like Som Tum, a spicy green papaya salad that's served with shrimp and Pad Thai and made with fresh rice noodles. Next week the restaurant will also begin serving authentic dishes like its namesake Kao Soy, meaning "curry noodles," a well-known dish in northern Thailand, the couple said.
"A lot of these Thai places don't have original food," Padillo said. "They Americanize it."
Kao Soy is the neighborhood's only Thai restaurant, Padillo said. A Yelp search for Thai eateries in the neighborhood finds the closest options in the Columbia Street Waterfront District.
The restaurant also offers delivery and take out.
To contact Kao Soy, call 718-875-1155.