Little Serow Dinner

Just about two weeks ago, my friend J and I met up for dinner at Little Serow.  I was super excited to try it out, finally!!!  

The website describes the restaurant as "Little Serow (rhymes with arrow) serves an Isaan-style family meal for $45 per person. Each week’s menu will be posted online at the beginning of the week."  It is a pop-up restaurant created by Chef Johnny Monis of Komi, which is right next door.  Komi is a faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabulous restaurant (I went for my birthday a few years ago) and I was excited to see how a specific type of Thai cuisine is interpreted by Chef Monis.  

Sorry the photos are pretty dark, but it's a tiny, dimly-lit space and no flash photography is permitted.  At the beginning of the meal we were given a cylinder of sticky rice to share, as well as a basket of various greens, herbs, and vegetables to eat with the various courses, or to cool us down from the heat of some of the dishes.

Khaap Muu - Rabbit Liver, Shrimp Paste, Tamarind

What a way to start off the meal! Lots of rich, deep flavors in the paste, like an intense Thai chips and dip, haha.

Ma Hor - Sour Fruit, Dried Shrimp, Palm Sugar

This was definitely one of my favorite courses.  The fruit and the shrimp went really well together, and I loved the sour/sweet flavors. 

Yam Makeua Yao - Eggplant, Salted Duck Egg, Pickled Garlic

I was a little weary of eggplant since I've never liked the texture of it, but all of the other components that came with the eggplant in this dish made it quite enjoyable.  

Laap Meuang - Pork, Shallots, Sawtooth

This pork dish had a slow and steady heat - it was really nice with the cool cucumber slices and cabbage leaves that we were given. 

Khao Tod - Ginger, Mint, Peanuts

My one attempt at using flash to get better photos, and yes, a server immediately informed me that flash photography was not permitted, haha.  Lots of herbs, crunch, and heat in this dish - it was really delicious!

Pak Goot - Fiddlehead Ferns, Catfish, Basil

The catfish was tender and almost seemed like fried tofu to me, very soft on the inside.  Fiddlehead ferns were a nice visual and textural component, especially since I don't really come across them very often in dishes I eat. This dish was much sweeter than I had expected.

Si Krong Muu - Pork Ribs, Mekhong Whisky, Dill

These ribs were SO good! The dill was abundant in this dish, so be aware if you aren't a big dill fan haha.  The ribs were super tender, with a lot of flavor in each bite.  I couldn't have asked for a better finale to this dinner, these were so tasty!

Overall the meal was excellent and I loved how they incorporated SO many ingredients into each dish, adding flavor, texture, contrast, and a delicious meal.  If you're a fan of Thai-style flavors and interesting pop-up concepts, I'd highly recommend checking this place out!

Also, a big Thank You! to J for going with me, especially since she had been to Little Serow before but knew that I really wanted to go :o)

 Little Serow

1511 17th Street NW
Washington DC 20036