Straight from the shell — Thailand's original refreshment, older than every recipe on this menu.
$8
Where it comes from
Thais call the coconut palm the tree of a hundred uses: it roofs houses, sweetens curries, thickens soups — and hands you a drink. A young coconut, chilled whole, is the country's oldest thirst-quencher: clear, gently sweet water with soft spoonable flesh waiting at the bottom. No recipe. No possible improvement. We just keep them very, very cold.
Not sure how to judge a plate like this? Read our field guide to the best Thai food in Orange County — five signs of a real Thai kitchen, and what to order once you’re in one.