Written by Harriet Sleath
The MID CityBeat team has ventured into the city to find five great spots for Asian food. As Merida grows, so does the culinary choices and we are trying to keep our readers and followers up to date.​
Korean Grill
As you stroll down Paseo de Montejo, most likely you have seen Korean Grill and Ice Cream. It´s a large white restaurant and catches the eye of the curious passerby. It has an outside eating area where in the evening you can enjoy the view of Paseo de Montejo. Upon getting to know the owner Kay, she gives us some her and her family’s history and gives us some insight into the food and ice cream.
Kay and her family are from South Korea. As she tells us her story she admits that she has always been very outgoing and when she was young, she dreamed of exploring the world outside of the traditional Korean family. She has travelled extensively and now lives between the US and Merida. A few years ago she came to Merida and brought over 6 members of her family who had still been living in Korea. They bought an old Mexican bar and transformed it into Korean Grill and Ice Cream. Kay’s sister is the chef and she has adapted her traditional Korean recipes to incorporate the ingredients which can be found in Merida. And she has successfully created some unbelievable dishes.
Bi bam bab is a beloved traditional Korean rice dish consisting of vegetables, meat, and egg. And we understand why it’s so popular. It’s a glorious dish to behold, full of colour and a variety of ingredients. You almost don’t want to ruin the presentation! This dish is just as satisfying to eat as it is to look at; it has absolutely everything! It’s crunchy and creamy, spicy and sweet, light and bold.
We also sampled the hernul pajeon seafood pancake, stuffed with camarones and served like a pizza, both the man du steamed dumplings and the goon man du fried dumplings and so go gi jeon gol, a healthy and flavoursome beef stew with veggies and rice noodles. Our dinner was accompanied by 5 typical Korean dishes consisting of cabbage, fish cake, sweet potato, broccoli and chayote (which is a delicacy invented by Kay’s sister).
The selection of Korean teas are also worth trying. There’s many different options depending on your personal taste; ayuchacho is a citrusy tea with lemon and honey, jujube consists of small dried fruits and dung-geulle-cha is a root tea that has a deliciously earthy flavour!
A real highlight is the ice-cream. It’s not called Korean Grill and Ice-Cream for no reason! This is traditional Korean ice-cream, made in a machine that cost the family an absolute fortune to bring more than halfway across the world, almost 8,000 miles. This ice-cream looks like snow, freshly fallen from the sky at Christmas time. It crumbles on your spoon and melts beautifully in your mouth. There are different flavors but we recommend the strawberry or chocolate, delightfully light and refreshing.
Kay tells us that, in Korea, you sit down, talk, drink and eat and this is what she and her family are trying to convey here at Korean Grill and Ice-Cream. It’s a sociable way to eat and you can easily spend your entire evening here enjoying incredible Korean food.
Need to know info:
Price Range: $$-$$$
Opening hours: Daily 12.00-22.00
Address: Paseo Montejo, #470C, Centro
Contact: 999 291 7250
Facebook page:Â https://www.facebook.com/koreangrillandicecream/
Casa Thai
Our story of Casa Thai started as an endearing love story. Husband, Jorge from Merida, and wife, Supulak from Thailand, met years ago while studying in Mandarin in China. They did not speak each other’s language so were therefore forced to get to know each other in Mandarin. Slowly a love grew between the two of them. After their study ended, they each went back home, however, they could not bear the distance. They eventually reunited, moved to Mérida, got married and are now the proud owners of Casa Thai, one of our favourite places to eat Asian food in Mérida.
Casa Thai is tucked away in Colonia Florida, but it’s worth seeking out. It’s rather easy to spot due to the large, golden Buddha which sits on the roof and a superb mural of a striking elephant in a henna-style pattern on the wall. Inside, you’d be forgiven for thinking that you’re actually in Thailand, in Jorge and Supalak’s living room. There are photos of Thailand in frames all over the walls and the Thai music in the background makes you feel like you’re just listening to a local radio station.
The menu is delightfully intriguing as the descriptions of some the dishes are wonderfully vague. Many of the ingredients are listed as ‘other condiments’ or ‘ingredients imported from Thailand’. For us, this was not a problem. One doesn’t always need to know all the different herbs and spices and condiments to enjoy the flavours. In fact, we could argue it’s more enjoyable this way.
And there is just So. Much. Flavour. The combination of herbs and spices in each of Supulak’s home cooked dishes is exquisite and this creates a perfect balance of sweet and savoury seasoning. The curry is a particular highlight as you have to search far and wide for a curry across the Yucatan Peninsula. The fried rice with shrimp, or khao phad goong in Thai, is incredibly good and the fried chicken salad, lab kai tod, is absolutely bursting with flavours of lime, coriander and chillies. In Thailand, all dishes are made to share. At Casa Thai, not one dish is the same and sampling the diverse and exotic flavours of each is by far the most satisfying to sample the cuisine.
I’ve been lucky enough to travel to Thailand, India and Nepal and this is the real deal; the tastes of the ginger tea, the freshly cooked rice and the spicy curry took me right back to my travels in Asia. It’s very clear that Jorge and Supulak have put their heart and soul into Casa Thai and they’ve definitely achieved their mission to bring a little spice and variety to their neighbourhood.
Need to know info:
Price range: $$
Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 12:00-16:00 and 19:00-23:00. Saturday 13:00-17:00 and 19:00-23:00. Sunday 13:00-17:00
Address: Calle 17 #280, Colonia La Florida
Contact: 999 920 2633
Facebook page:Â Â https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Thai-Restaurant/Bangkokmx-Casa-Thai-283927468339360/
Photos taken by Harriet Sleth
Video by Tin Castro
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