House of the Thai-Ger
Khao soi noodles served with a chicken drumstick. Photos by Jessica Ashley Silva
There are a lot of us foodie folk out there who consider ourselves adventurous eaters but, paradoxically, we find ourselves ordering the same old tried and true dishes from our favorite menus, forsaking potential new delights. The age old conundrum of “What if I don’t like it?” versus “What if I’m missing out on a new favorite?” looms overhead, and more often than not, I lean into the comfort of the familiar. I’m generally not one for New Year’s resolutions, but this year, we’re going off the rails and into some unknown territory with a goal of trying new things anywhere and everywhere; deprivation of dishes unknown is now a thing of the past. Who’s with me?
At a recent visit to Tasty Thai-ger, I kicked off my new take on dining adventurously by trying one of literally everything on the brief menu. Where I previously pigeonholed myself into ordering basic curries and spring rolls, I now found myself surrounded by fresh plates exploding with flavors. Notes of coconut, fish sauce and lemongrass flirt with your nostrils before coming anywhere near your mouth, but when they finally do, it’s a symphony of taste harmonizing salt, fat, acid, sweetness and often a healthy dose of heat.
May Siricharoen, owner of Tasty Thai-Ger, debuted on the Humboldt food scene in 2024 and has quickly made a name for herself among local chefs. Born in Thailand, she started cooking as a tween in her mother’s kitchen, but ultimately took a detour by way of Northern California and China before circling back to what would become her passion — cooking professionally. After participating in an exchange program that brought her to Weaverville to live with a local family, she returned to Thailand to receive a business degree before a stint in China where she studied language. After working in the corporate world for a few years, she enrolled at Pasadena’s Le Cordon Bleu where she expanded and refined her culinary prowess.
Creamy tom yum soup with shimeji mushrooms.
After returning to NorCal, where she maintained connection with her exchange program’s host family, she delved right into the Humboldt food community by volunteering at St. Vincent de Paul’s Free Dining Facility and by cooking with Eureka’s Women’s Club. Last summer, she launched Tasty Thai-Ger as a food stand at Eureka’s Friday Night Markets, where the community got its first taste of her Thai street food. The response was immediate; everyone loved the complexity of flavor juxtaposed with the simple comfort of her creations. In late 2024, Siricharoen moved into the Local Cider Bar’s newly vacant kitchen in Arcata where she serves Thai food two days per week.
The menu is succinctly comprised of just eight items (with weekly specials added), but this means each dish pouring out of the kitchen is executed to perfection. For the uninitiated, Siricharoen recommends starting with her take on pad thai, a mild dish of flat rice noodles stir fried with bean sprouts, with chicken (or shrimp or tofu) and crushed peanuts cooked in a rich peanut sauce. It’s a comforting classic, ideal for an intro to Thai cuisine. “Mine is pretty distinct from any others in the area,” she opines. “I use real ingredients and traditional family recipes, no bottled sauces are used. Almost everything is made from scratch including the pad thai sauce. It’s not too spicy but has bold, authentic flavor.”
For the slightly more adventurous eater with a penchant for spice, Siricharoen urges patrons toward the grilled pork salad, which is definitely not what you’d picture in your head. “People picture a traditional American salad, but it’s very different, it’s like a cousin to larb but instead of minced meat it’s grilled pork in lettuce,” she says. A picture menu is in the works so newcomers can visualize the offerings at Tasty Thai-Ger, but allow me to give you an assist: strips of grilled pork, tossed in a Thai chili and lime dressing, served atop a bed of lettuce leaves to make little handheld cups of goodness that will dance on your tongue while clearing your sinuses. This is where the partnership with the Local comes into play; try the Avid Dragon Fruit cider (6 percent ABV) or any of the many ciders on tap, a little bit of sweet to counteract the heat from the chilies is vital.
May Siricharoen’s take on pad thai.
With winter underway, soup season is in full effect. The Tasty Thai-Ger’s creamy tom yum soup was initially enigmatic, though immediately delicious. This Mexican writer was stunned by the similarity to one of my cultural soups: menudo. With its chili broth base infused with lime and the overall unctuous quality, it’s the perfect crossover soup between our otherwise distant cultures. In place of tripas and hominy in menudo, the creamy tom yum soup features a choice of chicken, tofu or shrimp with a plentiful portion of shimeji mushrooms Siricharoen sources from the Eureka’s Lao Oriental Market.
Perhaps the most comforting dish on the menu is the khao soi noodles. With a range of textures, flavors and colors, it draws you in at first sight. Flat egg noodles swimming in a decadent coconut curry sauce, topped with tender and juicy chicken drumstick, and toppings galore. From the vinegary note of the pickled mustard greens to the fresh squeeze of lime, to the crunchy wonton crisps and drizzle of chili oil, it’s a marriage made in heaven. I want to eat this on every rainy day and every time I’m sick, and possibly every day in between.
Siricharoen plans to incorporate weekly specials into her menu at the Local Cider Bar, including her sought after drunken noodles. As of now, she plans to return to Eureka Friday Night Markets so the community can look forward to another day per week to come try her creations. For now, she is working on research and development to launch a line of innovative and shelf-stable bottled curry sauces ahead of more distant plans to open a dedicated restaurant in Humboldt.
Tasty Thai-Ger
At The Local Cider Bar
828 I St, Arcata
Tasty-Thai-Ger