KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 15 -- I've long had an affinity for the Northern Thai dish khao soi, and since I've yet to visit Chiang Mai or anywhere in northern Thailand, I'm always hunting for that thick noodle-and-curry dish in KL.

The results are often mixed.

Northern Thai cuisine doesn't enjoy the popularity of Southern and especially Central Thai cuisine here (think tom yum, pad thai, green curry), and what little representation it has is often based solely on Isan cuisine.

I suspect it's partly a marketing problem. In Malaysia, khao soi is often described as the Thai equivalent of curry noodles.

It's a useful heuristic, sure, but one that usually ends in disappointment once you discover how little the two share.

Instead of a soupy, seafo...