Kin Khao (San Francisco, CA)

Kin Khao
55 Cyril Magnin St
San Francisco, CA 94102
Dining date: 12/23/15

Kin Khao is blogger Pim Techamuanvivit’s first restaurant, opened in early 2014. Here, Techamuanvivit shares the flavors of her Thai homeland with a slightly modernized take. The restaurant has received generally positive reviews including a Michelin star in the 2015 guide.

Kin Khao is certainly a bit ‘expensive’ for Thai cuisine, but I stopped in for a spontaneous weekday lunch to try a few items. The pricing is slightly more approachable at lunch, however the menu offers significantly less options.

Pretty Hot Wings nam pla fish sauce+garlic marinade, tamarind+sriracha glaze

These wings resembled buffalo wings in preparation, fried and covered in an acidic glaze. These weren’t too spicy at all (which I was OK with) and still had a little bit of crispiness underneath the sauce. Good flavor, too.

Khao Mun Gai chicken fat rice, ginger-poached chicken, Pim’s secret sauce, served with a cup of chicken broth

The Thai version of Hainan chicken was next. Slices of chicken breast were poached well with a savory sauce. The rice had plenty of chicken fat for extra flavor, though didn’t have the aromatics (ginger, shallots, etc) I really wanted. The broth was just OK; I thought it lacked some depth.

Salt Cod Fried Rice seasoned with namprik relish, soft-boiled egg, green onion, cilantro

The kitchen had to redo the egg on this one. Explained as a runny yolk, the first attempt was cooked through. This dish as a whole had great aromatic flavors though, vibrant and with plenty of depth. Delicious.

I was only able to try a handful of dishes, but I enjoyed Kin Khao. The wings were good and the khao mun gai okay, but the salt cod fried rice was a true standout. I would return for dinner.