They call him Chef Bee but that’s not his real name. His real name is Piyarat Potha Arreeratn and now this busy bee (hence his nickname Chef Bee) is doing it again. He’s opened a second restaurant, this time on Miami Beach, that’s already creating quite the buzz.
His new place, "NaiYaRa". named after his daughter means friendly, honest and hardworking. That’s Bee in a nutshell and the restaurant reflects that. The menu features Thai and Japanese favorites. I would start with the beef jerky ($14) if I were you. I did and it was amaze-balls amazing. Great flavor, crispy outside, tender inside, little bite sized pieces served with Burmese sticky rice. I would have been happy with just that but Chef Bee insisted we try his favorite childhood dish. It’s called chiang rai curry ($16) tender pieces of beef, with egg noodles in a yellow curry sauce that did not disappoint. Bee says his mom used to make it for him as a kid and now they make it, side by side, in the kitchen at NaiYaRa where they work together. We paired it with a crab fried rice ($14) and tried a massaman curry ($22) for comparison. The massaman was good but mom’s chiang rai wins. On the raw side the salmon tacos ($15) are not to be missed and the white fish truffle’s ($18) subtle sweetness is also a must have.
Heck, this menu is busting with winning dishes. And why wouldn’t it? Chef Bee’s Oishi Thai restaurant in North Miami has been a favorite in the northern part of Miami-Dade county since it opened in 2005. Now that he’s opened a 2nd restaurant in Miami Beach’s Sunset Harbour neighborhood I suspect this "Bee" will be busier than ever.
NaiYaRa
1854 Bay Rd.
Miami Beach, FL 33139
786-275-6005
http://naiyara.com
Oishi Thai
14841 Biscayne Blvd.
North Miami, FL 33181
305-947-4338
http://www.oishithai.com
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