Chef Porpy brings authentic Northern Thai cuisine to Toronto at Larb Muang

Northern Thai cuisine is so uncommon that it's difficult to find even in Bangkok. Finding it in Toronto is basically unheard of—until now.

Chef Porpy, working alongside her mother Mae Meo and restaurateur Patrick Suksaen, has opened Larb Muang to introduce Toronto to the full breadth of Thai regional cooking. Most key ingredients come directly from Thailand, hand-selected by Mae Meo, who has spent her life sourcing herbs, spices, and traditional pastes unavailable anywhere else. "She's spent her life discovering the secret elements of Northern Thai cooking," Chef Porpy said. "And that's what I've learned from her—to pay attention to every detail, from how the chillies are dried to how the herbs are packed. Nothing is ever 'just an ingredient.'"

A signature dish is Puu Ong, a black freshwater crab tomalley from Southeast Asia eaten atop warm sticky rice with your hands. "It's very personal to us, and I wasn't sure how people here would react," Chef Porpy said. "But my favourite part—the part that makes me smile every time—is seeing customers love it, even when it's their first time trying something like that."

The menu showcases Northern Thai dishes including Khao Soi, Nam Ngiew, Nam Prik Num, and Hor Nung Gai, along with a playful seafood selection: marinated salmon, crab, and shrimp paired with an in-house seafood sauce for those not yet ready to venture into the full world of Thai food.

The cocktail menu is equally inventive. The Wieng Pink blends gin, rose syrup, pineberry syrup, lime juice, and star anise with tonic water. The Northern Sour (Khao Soi) pairs spice-infused whiskey with turmeric and coconut syrups and bitters. The Phu-Pina riffs on a Piña Colada with coconut rum, white rum, turmeric syrup, pineapple, and passion fruit.

After a year in business, Larb Muang has discovered that Toronto is ready to embrace the flavours, stories, and techniques of Northern Thai cooking. "They love the way we cook, the flavours we grew up with, and the style we bring to the table," Chef Porpy said. "And that's the part that makes us happiest."