Budget Bites: Khao Noodle Shop Puts Heart and (Chicken) Sole into Summer Menu

Donny Sirisavath, executive chef at Khao Noodle Shop, displays his mok pa, a fish dish. Dalila Thomas

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Budget Bites is a series that looks for the best food and drink deals at restaurants in DFW, because being on a budget doesn't mean you can't eat out.

The Sirisavath reign just won’t let up. We're talking about Donny Sirisavath, executive chef of East Dallas’ Khao Noodle Shop, 4812 Bryan St. For the past several months, his Laotian cuisine has been the topic of conversation for local food lovers. By the looks of his summer menu, that will continue. Sirisavath pays meticulous attention to each dish's look and diligently ensures that flavors and textures are considered in every bite. He does this at a price point that won’t scare your wallet.

Let’s start with the chicken. Khao Noodle Shop’s summer menu offers two chicken options, including chicken hearts ($7) butterflied and marinated with lemongrass and garlic then finished off with jeow som, a spicy Thai dipping sauce. If you don’t have the heart to eat that, Khao offers a veggie option. Then there’s chicken feet ($7) braised and fried with garlic, kaffir and fried chili.

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Chicken hearts not part of your vegan lifestyle (left)? Khao Noodle Shop serves a heartless veggie alternative (right).

Dalila Thomas

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The fried chicken feet won't cost you a lot of scratch.

Dalila Thomas

If you’re in the mood for something from the sea, Khao serves squid skewers ($9) grilled on an open coal fire and topped with cilantro, Thai chili pepper and that addictive jeow som. The mok pa ($13) breaks the normal $10 or less Budget Bites limit, but it makes for a good shareable dish. Sirisavath’s include steamed catfish fillet with dill, galangal root, lemongrass and kaffir leaf topped with fresh dill, pennyworth leaf and radish.

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Squid skewers at Khao Noodle Shop

Dalila Thomas

So there you have it. If you haven’t been to Khao Noodle Shop, now you have a reason. If you have already, you know you must go back.