A popular Thai restaurant on Vancouver's Commercial Drive is kicking things up a notch by adding a second location, and they're moving into some just-vacated digs.
Kin Kao announced Wednesday its second location will be at 317 East Broadway in Mount Pleasant. The restaurant space was previously occupied by Black Lodge, the Twin Peaks-themed vegetarian and vegan bar/restaurant that closed up shop at the end of February.
"We are grateful and honoured to be taking over a space that was previously occupied by a city favourite," said Kin Kao on Instagram. The restaurant added its team is humbled to be in the neighbourhood with other admired spots like Superbaba, AJ's Brooklyn Pizza, Como Taperia and Brassneck, to name a few.
The restaurant shared an archive photo of the address showing the building back in December 1975, when it was the Yellow Submarine record store. From 2006 to 2013 the location was home to Rhizome, a "café, community space and social justice hub."
"This 90-year-old building will be the home of our next adventure," says Kin Kao.
The name Kin Kao means "eat rice." The restaurant espouses a "less is more" approach to its fare centred on authenticity. "We deliver a compact but diverse selection of authentic Thai dishes. Inspired by tradition, executive chef, Tang Phoonchai, a native of Bangkok, hand selects spices imported directly from Thailand in combination with fresh local ingredients hand picked daily, delivering refined street style food to home cooked meals," reads the Kin Kao website.
The modern Thai restaurant is known for its traditional dishes, like Pad Thai, Panang curry, and chicken Satay. Other popular items include a deep fried pork belly, larb, and a red curry duck. They also offer a selection of craft beer (and the Thai must-have, Singha) as well as a number of B.C. wines.
No timeline has been revealed yet for Kin Kao's second outpost. Follow @kinkaokitchen on Instagram for updates.
