West Adams’ Newest Thai Restaurant is a Love Letter to Authentic Flavors

Los Angeles is home to a great many Thai restaurants, but it’s not everywhere that you can get Kang Hung Lay. That is, a Northern Thai curry made with fermented beans, garlic pickles and a heavenly dose of spice. In fact, the team at Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine, a Thai restaurant founded in San Francisco in 2015, was unsure if they should add it to the menu, fearing it wouldn’t mix well with the Western palate.

It turns out it’s one of the many favorites at the restaurant, which offers – and is much celebrated – for an unapologetically authentic Thai cuisine that will cause anything from conversation (or at least “mmmms”) to tears (be they “of joy” or from the intense heat of their special in-house God Mother Sauce.)

Chef Kasem “Pop” Saengsawang

All of this, says chef Kasem “Pop” Saengsawang, is to “make sure people get enough spice.” This simple ethos extends beyond the piquancy of the dishes and into the DNA of the restaurant itself, a lively – if not semi-rowdy – environment where fun is always front and center, from the plates to the decor to the exuberant patrons themselves, And, underscored by Chef Kasem’s unique culinary style (rooted in his childhood home cooking), Farmhouse Kitchen found itself a local favorite.

Want to go to a Thai Raw Bar party? Farmhouse has you covered. Feel like being served a Thai tea in a cone with shaved ice? Why not? Here,bold flavors are paired with playful presentation, ensuring that every visit feels like a combination meal and celebration.

Speaking of the food, Saengsawang, who rose to viral prominence as a “Chopped” season 61: “Thai Takedown” champion, has crafted an array of authentic dishes with traditional cooking techniques and care. For example, the Panang Neua Short Rib, featuring slow-cooked beef in a tropical Thai-style Panang curry made with five different chilies, turmeric root, lime leaves and fresh coconut milk. It’s served with garden vegetables and Farmhouse’s signature blue jasmine rice – it’s a dish that exudes “soulful” and “transportive” simultaneously.

Or, try any number of Thai restaurant favorites, like Pad Thai, Papaya Salad, or the cheekily-named Pad “See You,” all made with the same kind of care and commitment to authenticity as the spotlight dishes.

With locations in San Francisco, Oakland, Menlo Park and Berkeley and also two locations in Portland, Oregon, it was only a matter of time before Farmhouse Kitchen made its way to L.A., home of the world’s largest Thai diaspora and a bustling Thai Town neighborhood. However, the restaurant very intentionally chose West Adams as a landing place.

The neighborhood, just southwest of DTLA, has been shifting in recent years to a younger, more diverse and hungrier vibe and is prepped for places like Farmhouse Kitchen that don’t exactly, as the restaurant says, “play by the rules.” The coupling makes sense for both West Adams and Farmhouse, as both the neighborhood and dining room feature a boisterous, slightly punk vibe with plenty of room to riff off of each other and grow together.

Farmhouse Kitchen’s self-owned funkiness hasn’t stopped it from being critically acclaimed, with rave reviews from The Infatuation and a multi-year Michelin Bib Gourmand recognition for its San Francisco location. Reviews praise its authenticity and “maximalist” atmosphere, where the meal – and the environment itself – all feel larger-than-life.

All in all, Farmhouse Kitchen is about pushing boundaries while simultaneously offering guests an authentic Thai dining experience, with amazingly fresh ingredients, delicious combinations, and, of course, a heaping helping of that wonderful, bracingly searing Thai spice. Still family-owned, the restaurant self-describes – and rightly so – as a movement, rooted in culture, flavors and the belief that food can build bridges, be it within a social group, a family outing, or, here in West Adams, a new sense of community.

For reservations at the West Adams location, visit opentable.com/r/farmhouse-kitchen-thai-cuisine-los-angeles, and for more information, check out farmhousethai.com.