#FOOD: ISAAN DER LAUNCH NEW SEASONAL SUMMER 2026 MENU

This May, Chef Ko launches Journey to Isaan, a seasonal menu running through August 2026 at Isaan Der’s Spadina location. Rooted in fermentation, open fire, and the bold, sour flavours of Northeastern Thailand, a cuisine rooted in a landlocked region that shares its culture with Laos and Vietnamese, and has almost nothing in common with the Thai food most Canadians know. Where other restaurants grade by chilli heat, Journey to Isaan is graded by fermentation, from the curious to the deeply traditional.

“Isaan Der is a cultural ambassador of Thailand to Toronto. We are the unseen part of Thailand,
and we are very proud of that,” says Chef Ko, Chef and Co-Owner, Isaan Der.

JOURNEY TO ISAAN
Since opening in 2017, Isaan Der has introduced Toronto diners to the distinctive flavours of
Isaan cooking that most Canadians have never tasted. Journey to Isaan moves from grilled
dishes and salads to soup, rice, and noodles, ending with traditional desserts like Kanom Krok
or Mango Sticky Rice.

● Yaang Platter: Grilled over open fire, featuring street food found across Thailand including Isaan sausage, a regional specialty made of pork and rice.
● Mhok Pla: Isaan-style steamed sea bass cooked in a banana leaf, flavoured with
aromatic Thai herbs and pla ra.
● Gaeng Aom Moo: A light, clear soup made with seasonal vegetables, herbs, and pork
short ribs. No coconut milk.
● Laab Ped with Sticky Rice: Minced duck salad with herbs, rice powder, fresh lime, and
chilies. Chef Ko’s after-school favourite and one of Isaan’s most iconic dishes.
● Khao Piak: House-made rice noodles in a silky pork bone broth.
● Pad Si Ew and Khao Soi: Both made with fresh homemade noodles using techniques
and recipes Chef Ko learned from locals in Chiang Mai.

THE DRINKS
Each drink is made with fresh Thai ingredients, built around the same spirit as the food.
● Mangolicious: Inspired by mango sticky rice, made with perfectly ripe mangoes.
● Lychee Fizz: Light and fresh, lychee balanced with a sparkling lift.
● Isaan Der Fresh Coconut (Non-Alcoholic): Served fresh, sourced directly from Thailand.

THE HEART OF ISAAN CUISINE: FERMENTATION
Isaan cooking is shaped by fermentation, a preservation technique passed down through
generations of riverside communities in Northeastern Thailand.

The process starts with freshwater fish, caught from the region’s rivers. It is salted, combined
with sticky rice powder, and left to ferment for over three years, developing pla ra, a fermented
fish paste that defines Isaan cooking.

“It smells and tastes like blue cheese or anchovies. It is very pungent and has lots of umami. It
is cooked from the heart and takes years of patience. Pla ra is the hero of our menu, and gives
a salty, funky taste found nowhere else in Toronto,” says Ko.

ABOUT CHEF KO
A former journalist at Thailand’s major national news stations for 15 years, Chef Ko travelled the
country and ate in fine restaurants and at the tables of rural families. Trained at Kasetsart
University and at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel’s cooking school in Bangkok, she moved to
Toronto in 2011 with her husband Donald. She opened Isaan Der in 2017 with a mission to
introduce Toronto to Northeastern Thailand.

ABOUT ISAAN DER
Isaan Der is Toronto’s only Northeastern Thai restaurant, led by Chef Chatsuda “Chef Ko” and
her husband Donald. Since opening in 2017, Isaan Der has been the city’s sole introduction to the fermented, fire-kissed cuisine of Thailand’s largest region. Three locations across the GTA.
Reservations at isaander.com. Instagram @isaan_der.