NEW IN TOWN: J&T Thai Street Food

Former J Wok chef strikes out on his own for counter-service Thai joint

We're currently calling it "the Kebab Shop of Thai street food." The chef behind J Wok opened J&T Thai Street Food in Linda Vista a few months ago, and it’s easily the coolest, most affordable spot in the area. USD coeds are lining up for Thai tea. The menu’s simple, with skewers, plates (curries, pad prik), pad Thai, fried rice and a few specialty dishes (duck noodle soup, pork leg stew rice). The owners of J-Wok originally brought chef Jit Pipatkhajonchai to San Diego to run their kitchen, which he did for four years. But Chai, who previously owned three of his own restaurants in Vegas, always wanted his own place that was more casual, simple, to-go. He partnered with his buddy Tomsit Ungrangsee, and the two of them built this sparse, modern room over a few weekends (before you feel bad about yourself, Chai's a big architecture and design buff). With panang beef over jasmine rice costing a whopping $7 (please note the sarcasm—that’s dirt cheap) and duck noodle soup the same, we could see J&Ts all over the city in a few years.

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