THE hot, sour and pungent som tam (papaya salad) had us gasping, but our palates soon got used to the Isan dish served at Mera, a Thai restaurant in Petaling Jaya. 

Isan is a region in northeastern Thailand – near Laos – and its cuisine typically channels extreme flavours. 

This som tam is the best-known dish from the region. Crisp green papaya strips are lightly bruised with tomatoes, chilli and lime, then mixed with fermented fish paste, fish sauce and lime juice. 

You can always ask for less chilli when dining at Mera. 

The pungent fish paste, lime juice and chilli made their presence felt again in the larb moo (spicy minced pork salad), but we also got the fragrance of mint, sawtooth coriander and other herbs stirred up with the meat, and best of all, some nutty, crispy bits of roasted ground rice. 

Our Isan dinner continued with the mellow moo yang nam tok (grilled pork salad), with slices of succulent pork neck tossed in the same salad dressing and aromatics. This was one of my favourites.

We then had yam pla dok (crispy catfish salad). The catfish, with its deep-fried net-like covering crackling with every bite, paired well with the sweet and tart mango salad.

A spicy and sour tom sap (pork rib soup with tomatoes, wild coriander and other herbs) was served lukewarm. It was light and soothing but it would have tasted better if it was served hot.

This was a palate cleanser before the main courses, the first of which was gai yang (grilled marinated chicken). The chicken was smoky, tender and juicy, served with a sweet tamarind dip.

The kao kar moo (braised pork trotters) was delicious. Slow braised with spices, the meat, skin and fat had been rendered into soft, creamy bites, brightened with a garlicky, sour chilli dip.

Pickled mustard, fried kai lan and eggs boiled in the sauce accompanied this dish. 

Kor moo yang (barbecued pork neck) is another famous Isan dish. We savoured the juicy slices of grilled pork, dipped in a sweet tamarind sauce cooked with coconut sugar and finished with toasted ground rice. 

We also had sa kork, a sausage unique to Isan. The sausage has pork meat, fat and sticky rice seasoned with garlic and salt and fermented for two to three days.

This gives the sausage a distinct sourness. At Mera, the sausage was lightly fried, cut and served with ginger cubes, shallots and cucumber. 

A more intense searing would have brought out the flavours of the sausage better. 

The crispy pork fried rice was done well, with enough wok char and lots of flavour. It was finished with a lot of crispy fried lard bits. 

The only seafood dish at our table for eight was the pla muk meung manao (steamed squid in lime juice). The squid was tender and sweet, bathed in a hot, sour and garlicky sauce.

Dessert was a scrumptious ba lor (glutinous rice balls) flavoured with pandan and pumpkin in fragrant coconut cream, further enhanced by strips of jackfruit.

Mera is located at 6, Jalan SS20/10, Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya (018-268 2333). – March 18, 2023.

* Eu Hooi-Khaw has been writing about food for the longest time, covering all aspects, from restaurant reviews to cooking and recipes, as well as the healthy side of it. She has written for major newspapers and magazines, published the cookbook Fresh Ingredients, and also writes for her website hooikhawandsu.com.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.