Growing up in her parents' Thai restaurant on Fairfax Avenue--Chao Krung, open since 1976--it's not surprising that Katy Noochla-or owns four restaurants of her own. After all, the mangosteen doesn't fall far from the tree.
While her parents, Boon and Supa Kuntee, focus on traditional Thai cuisine, Noochla-or (pictured) went more contemporary with her restaurants. She branched out with the diminutive Tuk Tuk Thai in 1999, then opened the sexy, boho Rambutan Thai in Silver Lake and Chadaka Thai in Burbank.
Her latest, Soi 56, is meant to evoke sights and smells from the streets of Bangkok. You'll find crispy mussel crepes, fish cakes with kaffir lime, and skewered squid legs or beef tongue cooked over charcoal grills--street-market staples typically found all over Thailand.
The menus differ at all of her restaurants, but Noochla-or keeps close ties to family recipes. Some dishes, like gai yang, Soi 56's tangy, grilled barbecue chicken wings, are served at every Kuntee family function (click here for the recipe).
And it's no wonder: Two of her chefs are an aunt and a cousin, and other relatives help out when they can. "Working with my family makes me feel really secure," says Noochla-or. "I've never worked with anyone else."
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