Q. Tell us about how Night+Market grew from idea to experiment to restaurant.

A. I'd been running my family's restaurant for a few years and had tried, at various points, to serve more traditional Thai food. I wanted to showcase the food of the North, which is where my Mom's side of the family is from. I felt it was being underrepresented. My efforts were met with response ranging from general apathy to all out hate.

Apparently, if a restaurant is in business going on 30 years and is doing okay, best not change anything. The space next door became available and I snatched it up in an effort to keep someone else from getting it. I gutted it, then did a few small dinner parties for friends, where I'd cook the sort of upcountry food we've become known for.

Night+Market was always meant for a different space, more towards the Eastside of LA. But I couldn't let this annex sit empty while I paid rent on it, so I started cooking this sort of food four nights a week for anyone who cared to stop in (we didn't have a sign and had only a few tables, with no decor). Slowly, word spread and I decided to do it full time, although I'm still intent on setting up shop on the Eastside, so stay tuned!

Q. Can you give us an idea of the dining experience?

A. The food is what you would taste if you were in the far North of Thailand, a stone's throw from the Burmese border. It's delicious and we don't pull any punches. You will most likely be drinking Thai beer or some natural wine from the Loire Valley. It can get loud quickly, and if you didn't make a reservation, you might be seated with strangers at one of the 3 communal tables.

Sometimes, we show movies on the wall. It something we started doing in the very beginning, when we had no decor. It was the easiest way to make the room feel 'warm' when only 2 people were eating. Everyone who works at NM is extremely sweet, but will not hesitate to tell you when accommodations can or cannot be made. Someone wrote a Yelp review of our restaurant saying it was a horrible date spot cause the food is so spicy it makes it you sweat in an unflattering manner. But I've always thought the contrary--that it was a good place to see whether your date is down for a good time.

Q. Are there dishes that always remain on your menu that should not to be missed?

A. Pork toro (grilled pig neck with jaew, Northeastern Thai chile dip), whole braised pork hock, one of the many larbs that we serve, fried pig tails, kao kluk gapi (stinky shrimp paste-seasoned rice with candied pork and various other toppings), Gang Ho (stinky bamboo shoot and fatty pork dry stew)... yes, we're very into stinky stuff!

Chefs’ Recs... Los Angeles, CA

Find | Markets & Shops

Domaine LA

It’s the only wine shop in town worth going to. They are kindred souls who share a love of the sort of refreshing, weird, deep and enigmatic wines that we pour at the restaurant. They never stock any wines they wouldn't drink themselves. I find that sort of commitment extremely commendable.

6801 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038

T: 323.932.0280 | domainela.com

Harvey's Guss Meat Co.

It used to only be open to restaurants and hotels, but these days anyone can stop in and pick up the best aged beef in town. Yes, I'm aware of all the other hipper, younger, newer spots. Harvey is still the best.

949 S Ogden Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90036

T: 323.937.4622 | harveysgussmeat.com

Proof Bakery

Located in Atwater Village -- they are doing great things. Honestly, I'm not really a bread or baked goods kind of guy, but I could eat Proof's goodies all day.

3156 Glendale Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90039

T: 323.664.8633 | proofbakeryla.com

Eat | Restaurants To Take A Visiting Chef

Mozza

The heavyweight champion of LA. Everyone loves it; no one hates it. They undeniably kill it on a nightly basis. The tomahawk chop, this sort of grotesquely large pork chop, is the thing to get. It's got some sort of rub, porcini or fennel or something, and it's salty and fatty and just about everything you sometimes need in order to remind yourself you're still alive.

6602 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038

T: 323.297.0100 (make a reservation) | osteriamozza.com

Eat | Off The Beaten Track

Mariscos Jalisco

Probably the best tacos in town. Also crazy and different from any other food I've had. The shrimp, potato and seasonings are stuffed into hard taco shells and the whole thing is deep fried. They give you a whole avocado, which you then cut up and insert into the taco. You top it off with fresh salsa, sit on the hood of your car and proceed to devour about 10 of these things.

3040 E. Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90023

T: 323.528.6701

Rae's Diner

Not exactly hidden but definitely a gem. Perhaps the best club sandwich in the whole world. Get the #1 club on white toast with mayo, a side of fries and a side of ranch dressing, which you will obviously dip both the sandwich and fries into.

2901 Pico Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90405

T: 310.828.7937

Eat | Where You Go On Your Day Off

Sotto

As a chef, it's hard to get out much, but this is one of the restaurants I hit consistently. The cooking is soulful and top notch. The flavors are compelling. I try to do their type of cooking, but with Thai. My strategy is to order enough food for 8 people, eat a bit of each dish and take the rest home for a midnight snack or for breakfast (eaten cold, of course). The lardo bread, cassarece with lamb ragu and the meatballs are what you need to order.

9575 W Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90035

T: 310.277.0210 (make a reservation) | sottorestaurant.com

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