Lots of us love Isaan food, no matter how much of a negative connotation it has. It’s healthy, tasty, cheap and makes us sweat like pigs, giving our blood pressure pleasant jolts without the need for sexual contact. But sometimes when we want to have that low down food, we can’t be bothered to wait in a long line or sit next to some exhaust laden parking lot in the hot Bangkok sun. If this sounds like you, scream hallelujah! A brand new Issan restarant just flung open its doors on the ground floor of the air-conditioned Glorious Phenomenon itself, Siam Paragon. It’s called Café Chili. Not so fast: Rumor has it that the owners of the place are hiso gals. Is it going to be fusion food or perhaps Isaan fare so mutated that it no longer resembles the dirty, stinky plaa raa we all know and love? We went in to get a closer look.

This foxy café sports a high ceiling and mezzanine with over 70 seats, as well as an alfresco area at the front of a tiny lagoon. The place might look like the typical extravagant décor of a Paragon restaurant, but it’s quite distinctive as a café where you can just sit and chill, sipping your wine with some larb. Don’t be fooled by the location and the décor—this outlet guarantees all customers authentic recipes straight from their original provinces. (For instance, their plaa raa is from Khon Kaen and muu yor is from Pathum Thani.)

Generally, all the dishes here have preserved the genuine flavor of Isaan—salty, sour, spicy and not sweet (unless you ask). The look might be different from what you’re used to, as some dishes have been adapted for this setting. Their grilled lamb with jeaw dip and sticky rice (B350) looks a little different, for example, but it tastes great. One of the local foods that we haven’t seen around for ages, steamed chicken with local herbs (B150), is available at Café Chili. Of course, somtam is a must and they offer not just ordinary tam Thai, tam Lao or tam Thai with puu (somtam Thai with salted crab), but they also have jungle som tam (with bamboo shoots, phak grached, papaya, kaffir lime, B110). You might want to try O My God (laap salmon, B250) with black sticky rice (B25) for a light lunch with selection of wine (B900-3,000) or a glass of Black Label (B180).

While we were dipping our sticky rice in jeaw, we chatted with Khun Nawarat Sittapak, co-owner, about her unique outlet.

Why Isaan food?

I personally love Isaan food. Every time I’ve heard of a new and tasty Isaan food restaurant anywhere, I’d jump in my car and go for it. No matter where or how much it cost. Then I realized, there’re a lot of people who love to have Isaan food but can’t be bothered with the heat, the crowds and the environment where most Isaan restaurants are located. So my friends and I came up with the idea of having an Isaan restaurant that everyone could enjoy—both for the food and the venue. You can sip your wine while enjoying your laap.

Seems like you have gathered a lot of dishes from throughout the Northeast.

Yes, what we do now is try to introduce people to Isaan foods that they’ve never heard of, which are all yummy. Introducing these to people is hard but I think we’re doing very well. We still have an endless list of items we will add bit-by-bit. We don’t want to give our customers culture shock, and we don’t want them to be like "what the f***?" I’m certain that customers will experience the authentic taste of Isaan at our restaurant since our ingredients, recipes and chefs are from the region.

Dining details

Expose your Isaan inside in an upscale atmosphere at Café Chili. Open daily 10am-11pm, at G/F Siam Paragon, Rama 1 Rd., 02-610-9877/-8. MC, V, AE.