Hey, I'm Guy Fieri, and you know what I need?
I need you riding shotgun. I'm on my way to Flavortown.
This is "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives."
This trip...
You can smell how good this is right now.
...we're taking Flavortown...
Oh, that's so good.
...into a whole world of flavor.
Oh, that's my kind of dish right there.
There's leveled-up Latin in Asheville...
This is a real art.
...an international sensation in Canada...
That's some genius work right there, buddy.
...and top-notch Thai in Reno...
My mouth is watering.
...good for the stomach...
I would eat here every single day.
...and the soul.
My makeup.
Mine, too.
That's all right here, right now,
on "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives."
[theme music plays]
You know, I don't think it's any big surprise by now
that I'm a huge Asian food fan. In particular, Thai.
I love Thai food.
And I think I've had just about every different style
of Thai food, except for the street food.
I always want to go to Thailand and go to all those carts.
Well, I hear about a husband and wife team here in Reno
where they're taking Thai street food
inside a restaurant. Oh, that's my kind of jam.
This is Moo Dang.
Crab fried rice.
It's the best Thai food in town.
[server] Crispy papaya salad.
Your taste buds are just going to go on an absolute journey.
It's our favorite spot.
You can get what you can get on the street in Thailand here.
[Guy] Which is what chef and owner Opal Rahm was craving from home
when she bought this joint with her husband, John.
-Is this a cart from Thailand? -Yeah, we imported it, yeah.
We want to bring the street food to America.
-What are we making today? -Moo Dang soup.
She's so excited.
It's more than just noodle soup.
It has pork in it and all the different toppings.
It's very flavorful.
Are you ready for the delicious soup?
-My mouth is watering. -We're making the broth.
-Pork bone -- yes. -[Guy] Chicken carcass, right?
-Whole onion. -[Opal] Daikon.
-Carrot. -And then a sachet.
-[Opal] Garlic. -[Guy] White pepper.
[Opal] Cilantro stems in the pot, some salt.
-Hard rock sugar. -[Opal] Mushroom soy sauce.
Oh, that's so good.
How long is this going to simmer?
[Opal] A couple hours.
We're going to make the marinade sauce for the red roast pork.
-Sesame oil. -[Guy] I got to write that down.
What? You guys do this at home.
-Why can't I do this? -[Opal] Thai black soy sauce.
[Guy] Oh, yeah. I don't have that one.
-I can fanboy a little bit. -[Opal] Mushroom soy sauce.
Is mushroom soy one of the primary soys in Thai?
Yeah, yeah. Honey.
Seasoning soy.
Oil. Sugar.
-[Guy] Garlic. -[Opal] Yes.
-[Guy] Chinese five spice. -[Opal] Yes.
They call this in Chinese "Char Siu."
And what's the Thai version name?
-Moo Dang. -Moo Dang, the shirt.
-We're cooking the shirt. -[Opal] Yeah.
The pork loin, I'm going to tenderize it, old school.
Who taught you to cook the most, your mom?
-She very good cook. -[Guy] Would she be proud of you now?
She probably not be proud.
Because I have a master's degree, she expected more.
Time out -- in what?
Biochemistry.
Today, my mom going to be super proud.
-Everybody's going to love you. -I know.
[laughing]
[Opal] We're gonna marinate overnight, and then we're gonna add
ginger, and then the color. -So just regular food coloring.
[Opal] And then marinate it another night.
[Guy] And then we're gonna roast -- what temperature?
[Opal] 450 for an hour.
Now I'm gonna make you the wonton.
I can eat my body weight in wonton.
That's a lot.
What are you even trying to say?
Oh, no, you in shape and very handsome.
OK, we're gonna start with the minced pork.
Add some garlic, cilantro stem,
salt, white pepper. -White pepper.
[Opal] Mushroom soy sauce Seasoning soy sauce.
-[Guy] OK. -[Opal] Sesame oil.
Water to the food processor. The texture is very smooth.
Now we're going to wrap our wonton meat and then...
-A little water? -Yeah, on the edge
and then close them.
It's gonna look cute like this. Yeah -- wow, you hired.
-The moment of the truth. -OK.
-[Opal] You want to taste it? -[Guy] OK.
Delicious, you really taste the ginger come in.
And then we're ready to cook the Moo Dang soup for you.
[Guy] Pull the stock right off the stove.
[Opal] Yeah -- wonton in our hot boiling water.
-[both] Bean sprouts. -[Guy] Baby bok choy.
[Opal] 30 seconds. Cook the noodle.
[Guy] Cook that ground pork right there in that broth.
-I'm gonna season it for you. -OK.
Mushroom soy, fish sauce, some sugar,
a little bit of vinegar. -A lot going on for one soup.
[Opal] Here's the noodle.
Roasted pork, put the broth in. Add the wonton.
-Garlic, oil, cilantro. -Green onion.
Yeah -- chili flakes. Bon appétit.
It's fantastic.
This is new for me. It reminds me of pho.
[Opal] Mmm-hmm.
[Guy] Reminds me of wonton soup,
but it has the spice and the kick of Thai food.
There's a little bit of silkiness that you're getting
from when you cook the ground pork.
-[Opal] Mm-hmm. -[Guy] It does have a touch of sweetness.
That is some of the best soup I've ever had.
Really delicious.
Your Moo Dang soup.
It is kind of in a class of its own.
[client 1] The ground pork is great.
It just adds a nice, different texture.
[client 2] You've got to get it fully loaded, too.
It's the fried prawns and crab meat added to it.
Yeah, I don't think I was offered it that way.
What was up with that, Opal?
[client 3] We ate at other Thai places.
It just does not compare to this.
[Opal] Prig Gaeng Moo Krob, order up.
You can go with the signature dish here with the pork belly.
You're just going to be satisfied from beginning to end.
[Guy] What are you going to make me?
-Prig Gaeng Moo Krob. -[Guy] Pork belly.
[Opal] Put them in the hot boiling water.
-30 minutes. -[Guy] Out of the water.
I'm going to tenderize them, score them.
-[Guy] White vinegar. -[Opal] Salt.
[Guy] Put in the oven two hour 15 minutes, 350 degree.
[Guy] Slice the pork.
[Opal] And then we're going to deep fry it.
[Guy] OK.
And now we're going to make the stir fry sauce.
Start with the oyster sauce, mushroom soy sauce,
seasoning soy sauce. -Some fish sauce.
-Yeah, sugar. -[Guy] Just a touch.
[Opal] The wok is very hot.
Oil, a little bit of garlic, red chili paste.
This is the stir fry sauce
that we make. -[Guy] Right, the special sauce.
Fish sauce, sugar, chili paste with oil.
Which is different than the chili paste you just added.
[Opal] Yeah, soup stock that we make, green beans, pork belly,
curry lime leaves. Do you like spicy?
-I like spicy -- sorry. -"Sorry."
Oh, that's my kind of dish right there.
More curry lime leaves.
[Guy] You cooked the pork perfectly, tender.
Got a nice crunch on the outside.
And the sauce...
You get the salty. You get the sweet.
But I'm sorry, you said spicy.
-It not? -No, Opal --
you put it in thinking you were going to get me.
I -- yeah, it not spicy. Eat more.
I'm eating as fast as I can.
I would eat here every single day.
I really mean that.
Prig Gaeng Moo Krob for you.
The pork in it is so good.
Almost like a spicy bacon.
[client] Great texture with the crunch of the vegetables.
I think it's delicious.
And the crab fried rice.
We love it, and it's like our place.
[Guy] It's not just the food. It's the experience.
It's your representation of the Thai culture.
You should be very proud of yourself, and I want your mom
to see this, and she's going to be proud.
-Thank you so much. -You're making me cry now.
-My makeup. -Mine too!
Up next, a bomb brunch spot in Calgary, Canada...
Delicious!
...putting their creative global touch...
-Just flavor on top of flavor on top of flavor. -Yeah.
...into chefed up classics...
I've never made French toast this way in my life.
You're a gangster.
-Green bean and bell pepper. -Green bean and bell pepper.
Green bell pepper or what color?
-Two color. -Two -- oh, just for me, right?
-Yeah -- no, for every customer... -And...
...for Moo Dang. -Say just for me.
-[indistinct], OK. -Oh, OK.
-Just for him. -Just for me.
[rock music plays]
You know, for most folks, breakfast is probably one
of the most popular meals of the day.
Me, not so much. I'm not a huge egg person.
But listen, for me to go check out
a breakfast joint on "Triple D,"
it's got to be next level. I'm here in Calgary, Canada.
I've heard about this chef.
This guy has got worlds of experience, cooked all over,
but he came together to do his own little place,
and it's tiny, less than 1,000 square feet, but his love
affair with food is next level.
This is Namo.
Two classics, table three.
Namo's definitely my favorite brunch spot in Calgary.
There's so much on the menu.
I love that you can get things from around the world.
Butter chicken and a lox Bene.
Ashish is really good at trying different things.
[Guy] We're talking about Chef Ashish Damle, who went from India
to cruise ships to hotels and restaurants before setting up
shop with his wife, Mira, here in Calgary.
You've cooked all over the world.
-Yes. -But you weren't going to be a cook.
Either you're a doctor, a lawyer, or a failure.
There's only three ways that it goes in India.
-[Guy] What did your family say? -Yeah.
Well, they were not happy at the first time.
[laughing]
I like to call my menu as a journal of my travels,
and I've done a fair bit of it. -What are we cooking today?
Duck Confit Monte Cristo.
I have the Duck Confit Monte Cristo.
[client 1] I've never had duck in brunch before,
and I feel like I'm set for the day.
[client 2] It's stacked French toast, maple syrup, arugula,
with the bacon, topped with Hollandaise.
-It's really delicious. -Duck confit.
So duck legs, and then we cure them
with Chinese five-spice powder, bay leaf powder, salt.
We let it cure 24 hours.
[Guy] Then we'll submerge it in the duck fat, low and slow.
-What temp? -[Ashish] 260 overnight.
[Guy] Shred the meat, reserve the fat, strain it,
and it goes again.
-Yeah. -I love it.
-Just flavor on top of flavor on top of flavor. -Yeah.
What else is going with this Monte Cristo?
[Ashish] Hollandaise.
So we do it a little differently.
Egg yolks, salted butter, brown butter.
That will go in the sous vide set at 150 degrees
for about 40 minutes.
[Guy] You're going to temper this
to the exact temperature you want it.
Then you're going to come in with an immersion blender.
Touch more salt, lemon juice, basil oil, touch of cream.
[Guy] That's some genius work right there, buddy.
-So what's after this? -[Ashish] Bacon jam component.
[Guy] So a little par-cooked bacon.
[Ashish] Wilted onions.
[Guy] Little red chili flake.
Rosemary, red wine vinegar, orange marmalade.
That's something you don't see a lot anymore.
Old people like it, and I like it.
"Old people like it, and I like it."
[Ashish] We're making our French toast blend.
I mean, that is a piece of French toast right there.
Eggs, cream, powdered sugar, and then rose water.
I've never made French toast this way in my life.
[Ashish] Cardamom powder.
Let it sit for a split second, and then on to the flat top.
This is just one dish taking up
that much space on this flat top.
[Ashish] Top it off with our cheese curds.
So the Hollandaise that we made earlier.
First piece of French toast topped with three slices
of Applewood bacon, another French toast,
bacon marmalade -- confit. -[Guy] And the duck confit.
More Hollandaise just for good measure.
Eggs to liking, and then because it's so rich,
we top it off with, like, an arugula salad.
Parmesan, drizzle with balsamic,
and then your maple syrup, of course.
And that's our Duck Confit Monte Cristo.
Boy, that's creative.
I would highly recommend maple syrup on top.
I haven't even had one bite yet,
and you're already telling me how to eat it.
The confit duck is next level.
There's so many factors to this, from the spot on Hollandaise.
That is a mature French toast.
Not overly sweet, but rich, like a custard.
Savory, creamy. What adds that little --
kiss at the end is the salad. Delicious!
-Thank you. -You're a gangster.
-Confit Montecristo, -Namo's Hollandaise is unreal.
It's creamy, it's delicious.
Like, on point. Just look at this confit.
I would never be able to finish the whole thing myself.
I'd take half of it home.
[Ashish] Lamb burger, please.
There's so many different amazing dishes here
that you can get in such a small space.
Is there another kitchen anywhere?
-No, this is it. -[Guy] You guys want a tour?
Ohh, OK, there we are -- back.
-What are we going to do next? -We'll make our...
-No, no, no, no, don't tell me. -Oh!
When we come back, we'll find out what else
chef has up his sleeve.
[soft rock plays]
Welcome back, "Triple D." Hanging out in Calgary, Canada
with Chef Ashish at Namo.
Ferrero French toast for the kiddo.
You can get flavors from Asia, the Middle East,
more Western flavors. Everything is great.
[Ashish] Fish and chips for table 14, please.
Today, I had the Nomad fish and chips.
It was so good.
[client] The tartar sauce, it's different than other tartar sauce
I've had in the past because it has some
different vegetables in there.
It's this bright, beautiful, yellow turmeric color.
This doesn't look like any fish and chips we make.
Yeah -- ginger garlic paste.
-Garam masala. -[Guy] Garam masala.
Ground fennel powder,
turmeric, Kashmiri chili. -[Guy] Turmeric.
You gotta smell how good this is right now.
Salt, lemon juice, curry leaf powder.
And then we're gonna smear this all over the --
[Ashish] All over the fish.
-Today, we have Icelandic cod. -And what's our batter?
[Ashish] Gram flour, rice flour, turmeric powder, garam masala,
baking powder, touch of black pepper,
Kashmiri chili powder as well. We add water to this dry blend.
-[Guy] So you get that beautiful golden color. -[Ashish] Golden color.
Fish is down. What's the next step?
Piccalilli, so, it's British-Indian pickle.
So we have cucumbers, carrots, cauliflower, peppers.
Add some salt to it, let it sit and it wilts down,
gets a little bit of salt. -[Guy] It gets a little wilted.
There's the wet portion.
Red wine vinegar, sugar, same old -- same old
Indian stuff, so turmeric.
"Same old -- same old Indian stuff."
Kashmiri chili powder, ginger powder, garam masala,
and then we add mustard.
I've never heard of this in my life.
Cornstarch.
-Now, if you see this oil... -See it smoking.
...is coming to smoke, so we shut it off.
And then we add in our vegetable.
Piccalilli liquid is ready. When that cools down,
we're going to put it in mason jars.
[Guy] Seven days, chop it up into the mayonnaise.
-[Ashish] Yep. -[Guy] Perfect!
You and your arugula again.
Sweet potato fries, house-made Greek seasoning.
Fish, piccalilli tartar sauce.
[Guy] Fried curry leaves, right?
[Ashish] Yes, citrus candy,
and micro greens. -[Guy] Little micro greens.
That's no joke. The fish is perfect.
You get a lot of batter, but it's light.
The marination on the fish, the ginger, the garlic,
and the curry leaf is... [clicks tongue].
This piccalilli tartar sauce is a meal in itself.
It's a ton of flavor. That's elevated, man.
[server] Fish and chips?
[client] The outside, nice and crispy.
Inside's nice and tender.
It's got that turmeric flavor coming through.
-So it's not just fish and chips. -Yes.
-[Guy] It's that little... -Something more.
It's delicious.
All right, I have the Vegan Mighty Buddha.
I love having different twists and different flavors.
Namo definitely brings that in all their dishes.
Whole place is next level.
I just wish you had another level.
Like an upstairs. Like a banquet room.
The real deal right there.
Coming up, a funky little joint in Asheville, North Carolina...
That I'm impressed with.
...taking arepas into a totally new territory...
You probably have never had one of these.
But if you're going to have one,
this, the place to come.
[rock music plays]
So I'm here in the South Slope neighborhood
of Asheville, North Carolina.
They also call this the "Brewery District."
I mean, they are known for their beer in this town.
But anyhow, you know what I always say on "Triple D?"
Slow down and take a look around, because you're gonna
drive by a place, a little yellow building.
You don't know what they serve, so you don't go in.
And boy, are you missing out, because if you love arepas
as much as I do, you got to check it out.
This is Little Chango.
-A little bit of pepita sauce. -Little Chango is a must stop.
There's a little hole in the wall, very mom-and-pop.
Tostones and yuccas for Will.
The food is amazing.
It's a really interesting take on Latin American fusion.
[Guy] Which comes from the Puerto Rican roots
that chef Iris Rodriguez and her husband, Jose Busto,
infused into this spot after they traded their former careers
for the restaurant life.
What were you doing before this?
I was in banking.
[Guy] And you served our country,
then you wanted to be a brewmeister.
I came here, Asheville, for brewing school.
And while he was doing that, you went to culinary school.
I went to culinary school.
What was the reason to open the restaurant?
We wanted to do something casual that everybody could afford,
and we wanted to bring another Hispanic culture
with a lot of flavor.
Two more arepas for ticket number seven.
The arepa is kind of, like, a mixture
of bread and tortilla.
Anything you put on it goes well with it.
[Iris] Ropa vieja for table four.
I'm a big fan of ropa vieja.
It's like shredded beef. Here, it's just perfect.
[Iris] We're going to do our ropa vieja arepa.
This is one of my favorite things.
[Iris] The flank steak, a little bit of salt, canola oil,
sear the meat, both sides. Set this aside.
Add red and green bell peppers. Add the sofrito.
It has garlic, onions, and some peppers.
Tomato sauce, Spanish paprika, comino, sazón,
and other staple Spanish olives.
Drop the meat, add the water, cook six to seven hours.
Six to seven hours?
Yes, that's why it's so good and so juicy.
[Guy] What are we into next?
Black beans for the ropa vieja.
We use dried beans here. I pick them and wash them.
We add some water. Cover them.
-Cook them for how long? -Like an hour.
We'll strain them, and then we're gonna make
basically, a refried bean. -Yes.
We start with oil, sofrito, tomato sauce,
sazón, and salt.
Let that cook for a couple of minutes, and then we're gonna
add the black beans and some water.
Let it cook for, like, 30, 45 minutes,
and then we blend them. -[Guy] Got it.
So we are gonna start to do our masa.
The arepas is our specialty here.
It is a par-cooked, dehydrated masa,
ground very fine.
So we're gonna add water, some salt, blended oil,
add the masa and whisk. Then you need to get in there.
[Guy] This does need to set for a little bit.
[Iris] For ten minutes. And then we patty it up.
[Guy] They go on, they take about --
[Iris] Five minutes each side.
Black bean mash.
[Guy] That doesn't look like dry ropa vieja.
[Iris] We got to fry some sweet plantains and queso fresco.
Ropa vieja arepa.
Outstanding! That ropa vieja is juicy.
The beans are luxurious.
The sweet plantain kind of breaks it up a bit.
I like the little salty nuggets that you get from the queso.
My favorite part about the whole thing --
is the arepa.
It's got this nice, crunchy exterior,
in this creamy, tamale-like interior.
That's spot on.
Got your ropa vieja right here.
Ropa vieja tastes very good.
It's just this flavor combination just exploding.
This is Kara and Amy.
They were on my training team for "Johnny Garlic's"
and "Tex Wasabi's."
Both of them live super close by.
-Adam, what do you got, bud? -This is so good.
-I love it. -And it goes great with beer.
All right, Jose knows what kind of beer you like.
[Guy] And I assume you got a good beer selection?
-[Iris] Yes, we do. -[Guy] Jose's probably picked them all out.
-He's the beverage manager. -"He's the beverage manager."
Get you anything else?
Spot's super welcoming, a cool place to hang out.
I love everything on the menu. I've had it all.
-Got a pernil arepa, guys. -Pernil arepa is my favorite.
The shredded pulled pork.
It's Iris's take on, like, North Carolina barbecue.
We're gonna do our pernil arepa, and we start with a pork butt.
If you know Puerto Rican cooking, we use a lot of adobo.
This is kind of like the seasoning salt
of Puerto Rican food.
[Iris] Start with a little bit of salt, garlic powder,
oregano, turmeric for a little color.
Fresh cracked black pepper. That I'm impressed with.
[Iris] Grab the blender, fresh garlic, blended oil,
apple cider vinegar, fresh oregano.
Blend this up first. We're going to do a paste.
Cover it with foil and let it rest overnight.
[Guy] Go into the oven...
[Iris] 300 for about four hours.
-Oh, it's just shred tender. -[Iris] Shred tender.
Now we're going to do the chile de árbol sauce.
Roast up Roma tomatoes, some onions, and some garlic,
and add some dried chile de árbols.
This is spicy for Puerto Rican food.
This is where the fusion of our restaurant comes in.
This is more Mexican.
Water.
-[Guy] Rehydrate the chile de árbols. -And let it reduce.
[Guy] Then we'll go to the blender.
[Iris] And we add lime juice.
-[Guy] Cilantro. -[Iris] Salt to taste.
[Guy] What else is going on top of this pernil?
-Pink sauce. -[Guy] What's in the pink sauce?
[Iris] Mayo, ketchup, lime juice, garlic puree.
[Guy] It's Puerto Rican Thousand Island?
We call it here "fancy pink sauce."
-Huh, all right, Iris. -[Iris] Awesome.
The pulled pork, chile de árbol sauce, pickled cabbage,
pickled onions. -Fancy pink sauce.
[Iris] We drink this stuff in Puerto Rico.
Fancy pink sauce is the bomb.
The pork is perfectly cooked.
That wet marinade that you put on it is not overtaking
the flavor of this, the little crunch
of the pickled cabbage and the veg.
really need it -- the chile de árbol, not overly spicy,
and then fancy pink sauce.
You probably have never had one of these.
But if you're going to have one,
this, the place to come.
Thank you.
[Jose] Pernil arepa right here for you.
-I'm actually Puerto Rican myself. -[Guy] OK.
Growing up, pernil was a big part of our culture.
How is that tasting in consideration to what
you would get? -It's fantastic.
The pink sauce gives it a distinct taste to it.
The contrast of the pickled onion to the chile de árbol
sauce has a really great tang.
I would definitely order it again.
Chicken arepa for bar five.
It's so unique, and it's so delicious.
[kisses]
-[Guy] This is a real art. -Thank you, chef.
Thank you, Asheville should be thanking you.
Job well done.
So was that another righteous road trip or what?
But don't you worry.
We got plenty more joints to find all over this country.
I'll be looking for you next week
on "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives."
The, the, the, it's this...
The soft thing, like the...
I thought you said you didn't dance?
I mean, I got my moves.
Now, as soon as I talk about the food,
you started to give me the dance.
I got some moves. I got some moves.