My Seattle Foodie Podcast co-host Nelson Lau and I were invited to stop by Soi for weekend brunch, which is served from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday. Soi focuses on food from Issan, the North Eastern region of Thailand and we were excited to check it out!

We were warmly welcomed by staff members and seated in a perfectly lit corner table. I was looking forward to decompressing a bit after a full event schedule the day before. Soi provided the perfect environment for that. Nelson and I leisurely enjoyed food, drink, and conversation.

The khao soi was one of the first dishes we tried. It’s clear why this is the signature dish. This curry noodle soup is spicy and complex. Egg noodles are served in a coconut curry of cumin, turmeric, shallot, galangal, lemongrass and chicken. It’s topped with bean sprouts, pickled cabbage, cilantro, sliced shallot, and some crispy noodles that provides beautiful height and texture. It’s refreshing to experience flavors that work so well together and have a pleasant amount of spicy heat.

Brunch is always better with cocktails and mocktails! The bloody mary had all the right elements in it but with an extra kick from thai bird’s eye chili. Mango mimosas are served by the glass or pitcher for the perfect brunch experience. If you’re looking for non-spirited drinks, try the nam manao, a drink with condensed milk, lime, and soda. The bartender made me a mocktail that had lovely notes of plum. As I’ve said before, I enjoy non-alcoholic drinks that make me feel like a grown up and Soi does it right!

When I saw the peek gai tod krateam, I was immediately excited but of course, we shoot pictures before we can eat. Sad pandas. These jumbo chicken wings are deep fried, then stir fried with garlic, chili paste, and fish sauce. If you have fish sauce wings, expect me to follow you around forever – that’s my jam! Sweet, spicy, messy. These are all the things I love about a great chicken wing and these hit the mark.

The kai grata reminds me of a traditional brunch skillet but has more of what I want. They had me at “Chinese sausage” because I firmly believe more places should be serving this item. The fattiness of the sausage, combined with runny eggs, pork belly, veggies, and rustic toast has everything you need to get your day started.

Grilled pork collar (part of the pig shoulder) was served with eggs, hand-cut fried papaya, and spicy lime sauce. The pork was rubbed with coriander, garlic, pepper, and glazed with a soy sauce, and palm sugar. Wow! I can’t remember the last time I’ve had pork collar so it was a treat! The hand-cut fried papaya is so unique and is one of those things you can’t stop eating.

At this point, Nelson was full but I told him I had room for roti and if they brought it out, I’d eat it! Roti is street food – warm flat bread pastry often with toppings and/or fillings. We chose the mo chit with banana, egg, and hazelnut chocolate. I wasn’t sure what to expect with the egg but it offered perfect balance to the sweeter ingredients. Yum!

If you’re looking for a unique brunch, you should visit Soi. There’s nothing wrong with a good traditional brunch but these flavors take it up a notch! Thank you Soi for hosting a lovely meal! I can’t wait to come back!