Wes and I recently went back to L.A. for the weekend, where we stayed with a friend in Hollywood, putting us strategically close to my favorite Thai restaurant of the moment, Spicy BBQ by Nong & Family.

An article in the L.A. Times about regional Thai restaurants alerted me to this tiny, family-run place in (of course) a strip mall on a stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard where Little Armenia meets Thai Town. In fact, Spicy BBQ is right next to the reliable Falafel Arax, so if your dining companion isn’t in the mood for Thai, you can fall back on falafel or tongue sandwiches.

I gather that the friendly woman who always seems to be running the front of house is the chef and owner, Nong. She actually remembered me, even though I’ve only been in twice and my last visit was several months ago. I probably made an impression by ordering a ton of dishes for takeout and taking a double handful of the salted plum candies by the cash register on my way out.

Northern Thai food is the specialty here, and unlike some places where you have to sleuth to find out the house specialties, they’re proudly laid out in a northern-cuisine section at the end of the photo-illustrated menu.

The mild noodle dish of khao soi (above) seduces everyone who travels to the trekking capital of Chiang Mai. Nong’s version, declares Jonathan Gold, is probably the definitive one for L.A. The curry-and-coconut broth is smooth and savory, the housemade flat noodles as delicate as the fettuccine at Bella Roma S.P.Q.R. Nong showed us how a bit of red onion and housemade pickle, along with a squirt of lime, adds texture and piquancy to each soothing mouthful.

The zingy northern sausage here is my favorite Thai sausage so far. Check out the texture! They don’t skimp on flavorings- it’s practically bristling with kaffir lime peel, lemongrass and chiles.

The savory fried pork salad patties get their character from an unusual, earthy-tasting herb whose name I read somewhere, but forgot. Sorry. Despite the name, I believe they’re a bit different from the minced pork salad (laap or larb). I’ve had it before and it’s excellent, but it doesn’t have that herb.

Stuff that has underwhelmed: Pad see ew is Wes’ “safety” dish at unknown Thai restaurants. I’ve come to like it also, for the savory gravy blended with the flat rice noodles and the crisp-tender Chinese broccoli. But the pad see ew at Spicy BBQ, with tough beef and American broccoli, was the worst I’ve ever had.

The green papaya salad is unusual in that it includes grilled shrimp. Unfortunately, they’re kinda mealy, and the salad as a whole doesn’t have much depth of flavor. I asked for “spicy” and it definitely was not, leaving me to wonder whether I’d been gringo’d.

Green chile dip is okay, but not irresistible in the way that Lotus of Siam’s version is. That stuff was impossible to keep your fingers out of. It turns out, though, that mediocre green chile dip can be converted into a quite good chile verde soup. Just add broth, chicken and vegetables.

Spicy BBQ by Nong & Family
5101 Santa Monica Blvd.
(323) 663-4211