Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

The elusive mid-range of curry heat

In search of khao soi

Khao soi: crispy noodles add to the fun of a soupy noodle curry dish
Khao soi: crispy noodles add to the fun of a soupy noodle curry dish

"Hey, what's the name of that Thai spot we liked?" my friend called to ask.

Place

Aaharn Thai

1202 Kettner Boulevard #104, San Diego

Good question. I'd found its menu on a web delivery service, and I'd never once had to pronounce the restaurant's name out loud: Aaharn Thai. Officially, it calls itself AAHARN by Koon Thai.

A nondescript exterior for a downtown Thai restaurant, pronounced Ah-harn.

"It's called Ah…" I started, "Ah…. Oh, just pick me up," I said, "I'll show you where it is."

Sponsored
Sponsored

It's downtown, a block up from the Museum of Contemporary Art. It's not the most visible restaurant location, sharing a small indoor complex with wellness businesses including a massage therapist and a float spa. But it had a decent lunch crowd.

We'd come here looking for a specific dish: khao soi. It's a Burmese influenced dish I'd tried and loved during a trip to San Francisco a few years back. At this moment in history, Myanmar may not seem like an exemplary melting pot of cultures. But geographically, the nation formerly known as Burma sits at an enviable crossroads for fans of eastern culinary traditions. In addition to Thailand, it shares a border with both India and China.

Which brings me back to khao soi: chicken curry served over egg noodles. Technically, I think it's egg noodles served in a soup of chicken curry, pickled cabbage, and shallots. But either way it's topped with crispy egg noodles. That means, in addition to the novelty of eating curry over noodles instead of rice, you get the novelty of crunchy noodles soaking up curry to create a pleasing mix of crunchy and chewy textures.

The yellow curry sits somewhere between Indian and Thai style curries, pungent and nutty, with a coconut milk base. What I discovered from that first experience with Aaharn is that their take on khao soi is an incredibly spicy dish. I'd ordered medium spice — right in the middle between very mild and super hot — and. it. burned.

My brain loved the flavor of the curry so much I wanted to savor it, but with each bite my mouth told me to down a beer and try to salvage the smoldering embers of my tongue instead. It went on like this, to my pain and delight, until I put my leftovers in the fridge. The next day I went back for more, and ate it cold, as if doing so would cool the spice down a bit. It did not.

So on our visit to the restaurant, I confidently ordered the khao soi mild as can be. Too mild, it turned out. While the pleasant nuttiness was there, the curry didn't seem to have enough midrange without the heat to bolster it. Fortunately, service included a ramekin of chili oil, which I could use to get it just right.

As for the chicken itself, it didn't seem as good at lunch as it had with my dinner order — a bit of gristle — so consistency with this dish could be lacking. But when it's on, it's on. I recently learned they serve khao soi at Soi 30th in North Park, so I'll revisit soon in my quest to find anything like Burmese food in San Diego. If anyone knows where to get a good tea leaf salad, do share.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Didja know I did the first American feature on Jimi Hendrix?

Richard Meltzer goes through the Germs, Blue Oyster Cult, Ray Charles, Elvis, Lavender Hill Mob
Next Article

Angry Pete’s goes from pop-up to drive-thru

Detroit Pizza sidles into the husk of a shuttered Taco Bell
Khao soi: crispy noodles add to the fun of a soupy noodle curry dish
Khao soi: crispy noodles add to the fun of a soupy noodle curry dish

"Hey, what's the name of that Thai spot we liked?" my friend called to ask.

Place

Aaharn Thai

1202 Kettner Boulevard #104, San Diego

Good question. I'd found its menu on a web delivery service, and I'd never once had to pronounce the restaurant's name out loud: Aaharn Thai. Officially, it calls itself AAHARN by Koon Thai.

A nondescript exterior for a downtown Thai restaurant, pronounced Ah-harn.

"It's called Ah…" I started, "Ah…. Oh, just pick me up," I said, "I'll show you where it is."

Sponsored
Sponsored

It's downtown, a block up from the Museum of Contemporary Art. It's not the most visible restaurant location, sharing a small indoor complex with wellness businesses including a massage therapist and a float spa. But it had a decent lunch crowd.

We'd come here looking for a specific dish: khao soi. It's a Burmese influenced dish I'd tried and loved during a trip to San Francisco a few years back. At this moment in history, Myanmar may not seem like an exemplary melting pot of cultures. But geographically, the nation formerly known as Burma sits at an enviable crossroads for fans of eastern culinary traditions. In addition to Thailand, it shares a border with both India and China.

Which brings me back to khao soi: chicken curry served over egg noodles. Technically, I think it's egg noodles served in a soup of chicken curry, pickled cabbage, and shallots. But either way it's topped with crispy egg noodles. That means, in addition to the novelty of eating curry over noodles instead of rice, you get the novelty of crunchy noodles soaking up curry to create a pleasing mix of crunchy and chewy textures.

The yellow curry sits somewhere between Indian and Thai style curries, pungent and nutty, with a coconut milk base. What I discovered from that first experience with Aaharn is that their take on khao soi is an incredibly spicy dish. I'd ordered medium spice — right in the middle between very mild and super hot — and. it. burned.

My brain loved the flavor of the curry so much I wanted to savor it, but with each bite my mouth told me to down a beer and try to salvage the smoldering embers of my tongue instead. It went on like this, to my pain and delight, until I put my leftovers in the fridge. The next day I went back for more, and ate it cold, as if doing so would cool the spice down a bit. It did not.

So on our visit to the restaurant, I confidently ordered the khao soi mild as can be. Too mild, it turned out. While the pleasant nuttiness was there, the curry didn't seem to have enough midrange without the heat to bolster it. Fortunately, service included a ramekin of chili oil, which I could use to get it just right.

As for the chicken itself, it didn't seem as good at lunch as it had with my dinner order — a bit of gristle — so consistency with this dish could be lacking. But when it's on, it's on. I recently learned they serve khao soi at Soi 30th in North Park, so I'll revisit soon in my quest to find anything like Burmese food in San Diego. If anyone knows where to get a good tea leaf salad, do share.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Top Websites To Buy Instagram Likes + Bonus Tip!

Next Article

Reader 1st place writing contest winner gets kudos

2nd place winner not so much
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.