Best Thai dessert hamburger ever!

Khao Nom, the sweeter little sister of wildly popular Thai steam table specialist Khao Kang opened about a month ago with the promise of old school Thai desserts and a short menu of savory items, my favorite being the sticky sweet and spicy chan noodles with prawns. Until recently though, none of the desserts has knocked my socks off. Sure they were good, but nothing revelatory. Dessert epiphany finally dawned the other week when I spied a tiny cake with a golden top and a spongy bottom sandwiching a layer of creamy spheres.

“Pandan cake with egg yolk on top,” the lady behind the counter told me when I asked about the new creation. Once I removed the plastic sleeve and did the requisite photo shoot, I considered how to eat it. For a moment I considered using the dainty fork Khao Nom provides with all of its sweets. Instead I picked it up like a hamburger. The golden threads of foi thong combined with the cream and the pandan scented sponge cake made for the best Thai dessert sandwich ever.

I mistakenly assumed that it might be an old school Thai dessert, but when I asked for the name in Thai, I was told there was none because Khao Nom invented it. Against my better judgment, I’ll continue to call it a Thai dessert burger. Can’t wait to see what else these dessert magicians have up their sleeves.

Khao Nom, 76-20 Woodside Ave., Elmhurst