#68 Tuk Tuk Real - Ed's synopsis

You read that correctly... we've got a review of the now-defunct Tuk Tuk Real thanks to our good friend Ed. Ed finished up in the spring and moved to lovely England; but, he was (and still is!) a big fan of our blog and wanted to jump ahead and try Tuk Tuk before leaving Philly forever. We of course obliged, and were able to celebrate good friends and memories at one of our blog spots. Turns out Tuk Tuk didn't last so long, so you dear readers get a review of a fleeting moment in time (how fitting) as well as the current thai restaurant Circles from Sandya. So without further ado, here is Ed's guest review!

Our featured blogger
with Sandya!

Way back on March 24th, I got together with a great group of friends for one of my last dinners in Philadelphia before I moved to Manchester, UK just 6 days later! In addition to South Street stalwarts Sam, Sandya, Steph, the group included Lauren, Matt P. and Lukas. The place: Tuk Tuk Real, an intriguing Thai/Mexican fusion BYO that had opened up just a few months earlier. We brought an adventurous attitude, a big appetite, and lots of delicious beer. As for the food, I remember a really delicious plate of massaman curry nachos and some good tacos, but not much else. What I really treasure from that night was getting that group together, some of whom were meeting for the first time, and whom I almost certainly will never see again all in the same place.  When Tuk Tuk closed a few months later, it felt entirely fitting, as if to underline the nostalgia I feel for that night and the last years I spent in Philly. 

Thanks guys for all the good memories on and off South Street. Here are the more "restaurant review" thoughts I had immediately after the meal which I would have included in a more timely review (like if the restaurant were still open!). 

I love Mexican food, and I love Thai food, so I was really excited when I read about Tuk Tuk Real opening. Chili, lime, cilantro.... tamarind? Great! I also liked the backstory: Circles head chef Alex Boonphaya teaming up with his sous chef, Silvestre Rincon to bring us a combination of their national cuisines. Look at that photo, these dudes seem like friends, not just coworkers, Boonphaya drinking Modelo and Silvestre drinking Singha. My dad was a cook for many years in a kitchen with people from Austria, Germany, Mexico, Scotland and Switzerland, and learned bits of culture from all of them. (Science also involves working long, stressful hours with a very multinational coworkers, come to think of it). 

So what could go wrong, right? I think their biggest mistake was lack of clear focus in the menu. What does "Thai-Mexican fusion" mean, and what do we want from it? Typical Thai dishes (curries, noodles, salads) with Mexican flavors, or Mexican preparations (tacos, burritos, nachos) with Thai flavors. Tuk Tuk's approach appeared to be "all of the above." There were whole sections for tacos, burritos, tortas, curries, stir fries and other large plates, salads and starters.  Pretty much everything sounded good, but it was tough to choose, and it wasn't clear how big things would be or how we should order for a big group. We ended up ordering a lot of dishes which came out in an unpredictable hodgepodge. Some were good and creative (nachos), some good but not surprising (tacos with thai-flavored meat) and some were bland and poorly executed (obligatory vegan tofu/nopales curry). I think a Thai Mexican concept could be fantastic, but it would have to be really clearly focused on a few good dishes, not coincidentally like my favorite taco/burrito places in Philly: Tacos Don Memo and Honest Toms.

Tuk Tuk Real (now Circles)

429 South Street

Philadelphia, PA