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Talat Market — the popular Thai pop-up about to become a permanent restaurant in Summerhill — takes over Ah-Ma’s Taiwanese Kitchen in midtown for a short residency, May 21 through May 25. Dinner begins at 6 p.m. each night and is first come, first served. Ah-Ma’s will “take some time off,” starting May 16.
“I asked [the owners] if I could do a pop-up at Ah-Ma’s, and they were happy to provide me a space while they’re on vacation,” Talat Market chef Parnass Lim Savang tells Eater Atlanta.
Savang and chef Rod Lassiter plan to serve northern Thai dishes inspired by recipes from the cookbook “The Food of Northern Thailand” by author and photographer Austin Bush.
The pair first met Bush in Chiang Mai while traveling through Thailand last year. Bush has lived in the country for over 20 years. Savang says he’s been following the author’s blog for quite some time and began reading Bush’s most recent cookbook on Thai food.
“This pop-up is an excuse for me to learn more about his book and the dishes in Thai regions that aren’t as prevalent on menus around Atlanta.”
Dishes likely to make the Ah-Ma’s pop-up menu include yam pii, a northern Thai-style tom yum soup with chicken and banana blossoms and kai thawt makhwaen — deep fried chicken with a type of Thai peppercorn called makhwaen. The latter was created in 2009 by Boklua View chef Toun Umpajak to commemorate a visit by Thailand’s princess. She implored Umpajak to make the chicken a “signature” at the resort restaurant in Ban Bo Luang in the Nan province.
Savang also plans to offer khao phat bhuu, a Thai crab fried rice, simply because he “loves it and wants to eat it.”
Hi everyone! We will be closed from May 16-May 29 to take some time off. But the good news is our good friends from @...
Posted by Ah-Ma's Taiwanese Kitchen on Thursday, May 9, 2019
Savang and Lassiter hope to open their Thai restaurant, Talat Market, on Ormond Street in Summerhill by late July or early August.
“The grease trap is in — that is a big deal — and the windows are installed,” Savang says of the construction progress at the restaurant. “The water and electrical are finally in the works, and they’ve begun framing the restrooms and the office. We hope to have the keys to the restaurant around the first week of June.”
Talat Market includes a covered patio and attached market selling local produce and Thai ingredients and imports like MegaChef fish sauce and Shark Brand Sriracha.
Talat Market pop-up at Ah-Ma’s Taiwanese Kitchen, May 21 - May 25, 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
931 Monroe Drive Northeast #A108, Atlanta.