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The ‘factory’ of the title is referenced by chefs wearing overalls and fluoro yellow hardhats, as if they’ve wandered out of a Village People video clip. It’s fresh and fun – and so is the Thai street food the ‘factory workers’ churn out, such as eight variations of som tum, including a hard-core salted black crab version. Boat noodles are a lovely soupy mix of tender beef, springy beef balls and silky rice noodles; yam woon sen is a zingy combo of prawns, pork and bean-thread noodles; and spicy stir-fried pork belly with fried egg and rice could be your new favourite late-night supper.
March 1, 2014 - goodfood.com.au -
It's hard not to notice the chefs here - they wear hard hats as highlighter-bright as the drinks. This whimsical sight is a beacon for late diners, given Yok Yor's night-owl hours. While the safety gear is a gimmick, extensive construction work has gone into the lengthy menu. Thai staples are covered, such as moo ping skewers, boat noodles, various remixes of tom sum and a satisfying pad kee mao. Or skip the obvious and try pandan-wrapped chicken with a peppy dipping sauce or the unusual crispy egg wontons smothered in yellow bean gravy.
March 16, 2013 - goodfood.com.au -
When it comes to the spicy southern-style yellow sour curry (with fermented bamboo and saltwater fish), head chefs/owners Mek and Sittichai are uncompromising. Authentic is their mantra, and their Thai customers love it. The vibe is Tap Dogs meets Village People, with staff dressed in workman's overalls and chefs in pink hardhats. Yok Yor small and always busy but the menu is long. Highlights include sustaining boat noodles; hunglay, rich northern-style pork curry with ginger; green papaya som tum salad with fresh or pickled crab or salted egg; moo ping, marinated pork on skewers; and kanom beaung yourn, a crisp prawn and coconut-filled crepe.
February 28, 2012 - goodfood.com.au -
Okay, so I'm a bit bitter about the bacon pad kaprow being taken off the specials menu so quickly, but luckily there's been plenty of other good, out-there stuff to take its place. Yok Yor opened a little over a year ago, but in that time has quietly cruised into a position where Thainatown-watchers (myself included) have begun to view it in similar terms to the Campbell Street axis's anchor tenants, Spice I Am and Chat Thai. The core menu is strong: the red curry of pork comes garnished with both blood jelly and pork rinds, while the boat noodles are testament to the time head chef Mek spent running his own soup stall in Bangkok. But it's the specials that really push this place into the zone. Khanompung na goong, aka a Thai-style prawn toast, comes with a chilli-vinegar-shallot dipping sauce, while the likes of mussels and sour bamboo, the red curry of whelks and betel leaf, consistently pleasing kanom jeen noodles and the sweet finish of waffles with Thai tea ice-cream keep interest levels high.
Hot Plates: 30 November 2012 - gourmettraveller.com.au