Introducing: Pai, the new Thai clubhouse from Nuit and Jeff Regular
Introducing: Pai, the new Thai clubhouse from Nuit and Jeff Regular
Name: Pai
Neighbourhood: King West
Contact Info: 18 Duncan St., 416-901-4724, paitoronto.com, @PaiToronto
Previously: A Golden Griddle
Owners: Sukhothai and Sabai Sabai owners Jeff and Nuit Regular, with Janet Zuccarini (who also owns Gusto 101)
Executive Chef: Nuit Regular
The Food: Thai food experts Nuit and Jeff Regular are slowly introducing Torontonians to Thailand’s full panoply of regional cuisines. They serve central-Thai food at Sukhothai, northeastern Isan cuisine at Sabai Sabai and now, at Pai, traditional dishes from the country’s far-northern tip, which is known for its particularly fragrant and spicy food. Options include a gingery gaeng hunglay curry with oxtail, a pork-and-offal salad, and a DIY papaya salad with salted crab. (The plates are served family-style, and eating with your hands is strongly encouraged.) A simpler menu of bite-sized snacks (e.g. pork rinds, mussels) is available at Bebop, the casual, all-day snack bar.
The Drinks: During the day, Pai operates as a laid-back café, serving coffee-based drinks made with beans from Thai coffee company Doi Chaang. Evening options include Thai-inspired cocktails, draught beer and bai wun (sometimes called “jelly beer”), which is basically a beer slushie.
The Place: “Pai” is the name of a backpacker’s oasis in northern Thailand where Nuit Regular lived and cooked for a decade. The restaurant was designed to capture the look and feel of the town. There are intricately carved teak panels (from a 20-year old house in Chang Mai), artwork and prints from the region, and an open kitchen that looks a bit like a market stall. The hippie, easy-going atmosphere carries over to Bebop, where guests can shoot hoops while waiting for their drinks and snacks.
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- <strong>Pai’</strong>s 24-seat patio flanks the restaurant’s Duncan Street entrance
- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Introducing: Pai
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- The space was designed to evoke the look and feel of Pai, a popular backpackers’ town in northern Thailand where owners <strong>Nuit</strong> and <strong>Jeff Regular</strong> met and fell in love
- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Introducing: Pai
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- The “Bamboo Bar” is a cushioned seating area that accommodates six to eight guests
- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Introducing: Pai
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- Nuit Regular wanted her open kitchen to resemble a market stall, complete with aged tin roof panels and fresh produce displays
- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Introducing: Pai
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- <strong>Bebop,</strong> the little bar attached to Pai, is a tribute to a northern Thai music bar by the same name. The space is open all day and is outfitted with bright patterned banquettes, high-top tables and a mini basketball hoop
- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Introducing: Pai
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- We have it on good authority that customers who make a basket (under <strong>Jeff Regular’</strong>s supervision) will win a free dessert. As huge basketball fans, the Regulars are hoping the Raptors might drop by
- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Introducing: Pai
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- Pai’s 20-seat private room has a big-screen TV and a window that opens up into the restaurant’s main dining room, giving guests direct access to the bar
- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Introducing: Pai
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- <em>Hoi meng puu nung</em> is one of the bar snacks served at <strong>Bebop,</strong> the all-day snack bar. It consists of steamed mussels with Thai basil and a dipping sauce made with lime, coriander and fish sauce ($6)
- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Introducing: Pai
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- <em>Tom yum kung mor fai</em> is a savoury, spicy and sour shrimp broth flavoured with galangal, lemongrass and kaffir lime. It’s served in a Thai-style hot pot with prawns and black tiger shrimp ($15)
- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Introducing: Pai
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- The <em>pad Thai woon sen</em> is made with thin glass noodles instead of flat rice noodles ($16)
- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Introducing: Pai
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- <em>Hung lay hang wua</em> is a sweet-and-sour masala curry with ginger, tamarind and roasted peanuts. It’s made with a choice of pork belly or oxtail (as pictured), and served with rice ($15)
- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Introducing: Pai
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- <em>Tum tad</em> is a green papaya salad with garlic, red chili and a sweet, citrusy dressing. It’s served with a choice of shrimp or salted crab, plus rice noodles, veggies, pork rinds and shrimp chips ($12)
- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Introducing: Pai
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- The unique spices chef Nuit employs in her cooking include two types of Szechuan-style peppercorns, Thai peppercorn, Siamese cardamom, Thai fennel seeds and birds-eye chilies
- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Introducing: Pai
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- Pai is really a love story between the Regulars—they met, fell in love and began their restaurant careers there
- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Introducing: Pai
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- Pai owners Jeff and Nuit Regular
- (Image: Renée Suen)
- Introducing: Pai
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![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/pai-toronto-restaurants/&title=Introducing: Pai, the new Thai clubhouse from Nuit and Jeff Regular&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/pai-toronto-restaurant-11-intro-624x395.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_282916" align="aligncenter" width="656"]Click to view gallery [/caption]
Name: Pai
Neighbourhood: King West
Contact Info: 18 Duncan St., 416-901-4724, paitoronto.com, @PaiToronto
Previously: A Golden Griddle
Owners: Sukhothai and Sabai Sabai owners Jeff and Nuit Regular, with Janet Zuccarini (who also owns Gusto 101)
Executive Chef: Nuit Regular
The Food: Thai food experts Nuit and Jeff Regular are slowly introducing Torontonians to Thailand's full panoply of regional cuisines. They serve central-Thai food at Sukhothai, northeastern Isan cuisine at Sabai Sabai and now, at Pai, traditional dishes from the country's far-northern tip, which is known for its particularly fragrant and spicy food. Options include a gingery gaeng hunglay curry with oxtail, a pork-and-offal salad, and a DIY papaya salad with salted crab. (The plates are served family-style, and eating with your hands is strongly encouraged.) A simpler menu of bite-sized snacks (e.g. pork rinds, mussels) is available at Bebop, the casual, all-day snack bar.
The Drinks: During the day, Pai operates as a laid-back café, serving coffee-based drinks made with beans from Thai coffee company Doi Chaang. Evening options include Thai-inspired cocktails, draught beer and bai wun (sometimes called "jelly beer"), which is basically a beer slushie.
The Place: "Pai" is the name of a backpacker's oasis in northern Thailand where Nuit Regular lived and cooked for a decade. The restaurant was designed to capture the look and feel of the town. There are intricately carved teak panels (from a 20-year old house in Chang Mai), artwork and prints from the region, and an open kitchen that looks a bit like a market stall. The hippie, easy-going atmosphere carries over to Bebop, where guests can shoot hoops while waiting for their drinks and snacks.
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what an awesome place! Great food, great service, great spot! Congrats Nuit & Jeff!!!
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