Having such an excellent experience at this last place recommended by the NY Times, it’s a shame that the last time I tried a Under $25 Thai / Asian place recommended by the times, I had an awful experience.

Rhong Tiam
87 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003

I tried to have dinner here shortly after the NY Times review. When I got to the restaurant, first of all, there was no front door. There was this ambiguous open side window/patio where people were waiting. There was a woman waiting there so we joined her. People came in and out and the host didn’t show up for a full 5 minutes. The woman rightfully stated, “I was waiting for 15 minutes without being acknowledged.” The host didn’t offer her any apology. The woman told him her name and that she had a reservation for three. He then replied that they didn’t have her reservation. They lost her reservation and offered her no apology, NOTHING! Then when I told them that I wanted a table for 3, all he said was “no.” No wait time, no apologies, just a shake of the head and a “no.”

What kind of behavior is this? This is ridiculous. There is a way to treat to people. I will never be coming back here again. I doubt the woman in front of me would ever patron this place again, either. This review (via yelp) basically sums up this experience. And yes, the host from that night had a fedora on, but no feather. LOLz

I tried to have lunch here.. We arrived around 1:30 to a restaurant that had 4 out of the 20 tables or so filled.. The place is nothing to look at and reminds me of your typical non-descript Ethnic Restaurant..

The only difference was, there was some jack-ass wearing a hat with a feather in it, obviously thinking he was running a night club..He thought he was hot shit but, he was like some 40 year old has been that might have been cool 20 years ago.. I commend his parents or the people at the orphanage for instilling such confidence in this man.. Despite being a 40 year old waiter trying to look like a young hipster, he still can get out of bed in the morning, nose turned up, head held high..


He sat us down and threw the menus at us.. We then proceeded to wait 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, with out being helped..

Mind you, the restaurant had 6 customers in it.. I seriously think this guy was in the back room practicing his Vogue dancing.. We left and went to the Italian restaurant next door.. We sat down for 2 hours and had a wonderful lunch drinking wine, negroni’s, and some good food..

I dont know how or why a restaurant would hire someone who is such an ass.. If this is the type of people they want dealing with there customers, I have no desire to return..

They should close down there restaurant and open a velvet rope style club from the 1990′s..

-daniel m.

I revisted some reviews about this place in light of writing this entry, and I was SHOCKED to find out that Rhong Tiam has a Michelin Star. What?!

What is that you see? Yes, that restaurant’s name is Umi Nom. As in, Umi Nom (nom nom nom nom mmmm munch…). Genevieve tipped me off to the place by emailing me the NY Times $25 and under article featuring none other than my namesake. Of course, we had to try it. So off we went on the mythical (and often none-existent) “G” train. You know we mean business if we brave the G train. It’s the short little train that even the times when it comes, you end up running towards the front, because you forget that it isn’t a “full” train.

Umi Nom
433 Dekalb Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11205

For most of you, this means that you need to get on the “G” train (most probably from Metropolitan/Lorimer) and get off at Classon Avenue. For us, this meant taking the L, going to prospect park, hanging out at Gen’s, then heading back out to Atlantic Ave, getting out of the subway, and going to the G train. (Otherwise, we would have go back into Manhattan to go back into Brooklyn, which is the craziest annoying aspect of traveling in Brooklyn in NYC. All trains head towards Manhattan.)

Ridiculous. I mean, you know I had to preface this entry with the “G” train rants. However, everyone take heart! THIS PLACE IS WORTH IT! I present to you, a delicious thai fusion place that is BYOB (we got a six-pack of hoegardens)

We started with a complimentary amuse bouche of fried cream crab dumplings. It was warm, light, and crispy, and gave us hope for rest of the meal. I should write about the last time I tried a NY Times $25 and under, where I was severely offended and disappointed.

We were rewarded for our trek, since this place was amazing. I liked everything we got, although some dishes more than others. We started with a cured beef dish, which resembled beef jerky. It was tough and smokey, but when you chewed it exuded flavor. Yes, I would recommend it. Next up, we shared a grilled sardine, that was done really lovely! One of my favorites from the night. It was topped with julienned daikon in a papaya salad-esque Thai/Vietnamese dressing. Surprisingly, this restaurant didn’t glaze their food with too many flavors, they let the ingredients stand for themselves. The fish was grilled with salt and subtle flavors with a side of pickled salad.

The real surprise was the rice I ordered. The boys went for a traditional “sticky rice.” I wanted garlic rice, since anything with garlic in it is a WIN for me. AND IT WAS AMAZING. They must have roasted the garlic, creamed it, and mixed it with the cooked rice. It was delicious and INFUSED with garlic. THIS wasn’t a subtle flavored and I LOVED it! For 2-3 dollars, the portion was SO generous. It was amazing. Get it. Order the garlic rice, NOT the sticky rice. (Which was executed fine. You know, fluffy and comforting… but rather normal and plain. I eat sticky rice at home regularly, so it’s not a treat for me. Oftentimes I prefer unsticky rice… coconut rice… jasmine rice, which is exotic for me, and pilafs.)

We also ordered prawns, which was large and cooked excellently. The plate came with 3 and there was 4 of us. I feel like dishes like that are objectionable and I would like to see the restaurant go the extra mile and tell us that this is the case, or in our case where it wouldnt make sense to order an extra plate… throw an extra shrimp in. The texture was great and the head is always flavorful. However, it doesn’t beat the prawns from Pok Pok, which is flavorful (and perfect), and these babies were cooked well but rather bland. They were cooked in a hearty broth, but I think prawns do well with something a little stronger.

Next, we got chinese sausage, which presentation wise left more to be desired. However, it worked for the dish and surprisingly this was spicy, sweet, and delicious. This was Chris and Ryan’s favorite dish. The dip offered in this dish was great with the prawns, too.

We were dying to try their fried chicken, which came topped with jalapenos, curiously. Ryan has a high standard for wings and/or chicken, but this was a different animal all together from other chicken I have tried. The chicken was DRY. Or rather, it was a dry fried chicken, the breading being something similar to what my mother uses, which is not oily, but gives you a nice crunch. Inside, the chicken was incredibly juicy. But, for fried chicken, which is wet with glaze, the dryness was different. It also had a good amount of heat and although it wasn’t my favorite thing I had that night, it was damn good. I can’t even say that “it doesn’t bear Pok Pok’s wings,” because it was just different. It’s not trying to be a glazed wing like every other Asian fusion. The execution is really well done that I wonder how they did it. Dry fried chicken itself isn’t quite my thing, but this was delicious. Anticipating us not wanting to share too much, we got two separate plates for four of us, which we polished off.

Genevieve and I ordered this molten chocolate cake. Decadent and amazing with thick cream and warmed cherries on the side. You know, there is no need to go on about it. Just go. Definitely get the sausage, garlic rice, fish, and everything else that follows should taste delicious. GET THE CHOCOLATE CHERRY CAKE.

At the end of the day, ALL this (we got like 2 side orders of sticky rice) cost around $80 and filled us up. (This doesn’t include alcohol. This place is a BTOB and we picked up a six pack of Hoegaardens to drink. Always a plus in my book.) There were 4 of us, so that’s around $20 a person. Not bad, huh? TRULY $25 a person. Good call NY TIMES!

At the end, we were being silly and I paid with my credit card, wondering if they would notice that my name is “Umi.” I don’t think they did before Ryan couldn’t hold it in any longer and shouted, “HER NAME IS UMI!!!!!!!!!” He was very giddy. The server, who was a sweetheart all evening looked unimpressed. He just sort of nodded. Then we showed him my credit card and he went on his way … charging it. It was anticlimactic, I will admit. I think they should give me a Umi Nom t shirt. They are lucky that this blog isn’t called Umi Nom Nom nom nom! CAUSE THEN I WOULD TOTALLY HAVE STOLEN THEIR URL!

Bennie’s Thai Cafe
88 Fulton St
New York, NY 10038-2807

This is my favorite downtown thai place. The lunch flavorful, affordable, quick, and delicious. I swear either by the roast pork platter or steamed chicken with ginger sauce. The pork platter comes with roast pork, chinese sausage, and half of a seasoned hard-boiled egg with a delicious spicy tangy sweet thai sauce to pour on top. Similarly, the chicken is moist with the most amazing sauce.

Although this place is crowded at lunch, the turn-around rate is quick. They seat you, take your order, bring your platter and the check! You pay and leave. Perfect wall st lunch!

Pok Pok
3226 SE Division Street
Portland, OR 97202

Pok Pok is a place in Portland that we HAVE to hit. Their wings are to die for. Ryan and I have not found a single other place that does wings better than this place. I also love their drinks. Designated drivers can enjoy a full menu of drinking vinegar (a sweet and tart drink with soda). I love their Apple Gin Ricky, which features their drinking vinegar and gin. SO. GOOD.

One time, one of my first times there, we went there during the winter. All the other tables inside were taken, so they took us to a private room near the roof with three heaters. It was private, really cute, rustic, and one of the more enjoyable drining experiences.

The waiters are incredibly helpful, and they have a variety of vegetarian and vegan stuff that’s full of flavor. They made a vegetarian curry that had a hearty brother without using fish sauce, shrimp paste, or anything else. Coupled with that and various salads, we ordered a salad, cold noodle dish, a curry dish, and two orders of wings. Then we ordered these gigantic prawns with their heads still on. Amazing. They had an incredibly spicy cilantro dipping sauce, which was icing on the cake. I think Ryan found an additional thing he just “has to get,” now. (One time when we came here last summer with his parents, he just ordered a plate of wings… just for himself… and rice. That’s it. That’s how passionate he becomes about it.)

One of the great finds in the city is within the Chelsea Market located on 75 9th avenue. I love the little pickle cart, seafood, and markets. They have a variety of options! My favorite place to go is Thai Wholesale, which is cheap and delicious. The beef salad and Pad Krow Pow is always a winner. (They even fry an egg on top) Unfortunately, they no longer have fishcakes, but I have never been disappointed by them, otherwise.

I couldn’t even wait to take a picture before eating everything in sight. Am I weird for thinking that it is romantic for the guy to carry floss? (I always seem to need floss)

On the other hand, I probably eat Thai more often than I do nearly any other cuisine, and–expert or not–it is easily my favorite food in the world. So what I may lack in hands-on-in-country authenticity of experience, I promise I more than make up for in quantity and enthusiasm, and since this is my first entry here, I figured that I might as well tackle this subject first.

So. Let’s get it out in the open. Thai food in NYC is disappointing. Consistently. It’s a hard notion for natives to swallow, and perhaps even harder for those who move to NYC from areas with considerably fewer options, but a truly transcendent Thai meal in ANY of the boroughs is one of the more elusive gastronomic pleasures a NYC-foodie can go in search of.

When I moved here in the fall of 2003, I blew through a wave of underwhelming to downright disappointing meals in a slew of establishments both large and small, expensive and cheap. My first big discovery was Klong, down on St. Marks. I almost walked right by it in favor of some cheap yakitori next-door, but my friend dragged me in, and I’m glad she did.

My initial reticence was due to Klong breaking one of my most important tenets for judging a Thai establishment:

1. Thai restaurants with tarted-up decor always under-perform, and are more expensive to boot.

Klong is the exception that has proved this otherwise seemingly unbreakable axiom of Thai dining.

The interior is kind of slick, in a cheap sort of way that I see a lot of other restaurants aping recently, but the meal I had of pad khee mao and penang curry were both the best I had yet encountered in my first year as a New Yorker. It was also really, really cheap. As were the drinks, which as far as tamarind and sake-based martinis go, were solid.

The other great thing about Klong is the plethora of small-yet-cheap starters. The portions are small, but rather than poking you in the eye with the now seemingly requisite $8 price, they mostly fall between $3-5. And they’re pretty good, if not great. I’ve had my share of misses there too, though. Curried mussels were large, tasteless and gritty, and I salads, while generally excellent, have tasted refrigerated a few times.

For a few years, it was Klong or bust for me in Manhattan, which was rough because St. Mark’s wasn’t and still isn’t my neighborhood. I wouldn’t claim it is one of the best places in Manhattan…except that it is, sadly.

My short list has happily gotten slightly longer in recent years, but not long enough for my taste.

Hidden inside the Chelsea Market building is Thai-Wholesale, which consists of a cash-only counter, 3 tables, and a wall of fish sauce bottles and curry paste cans, all for sale…not wholesale.

When I stumbled onto this place one evening alone, it seemed a little bit too perfect for a quick solo dinner I was looking to have. I settled on a plate of fried fish cakes and a beef salad, both of which were absolutely spectacular. The beef in the salad was perfectly grilled marinated flank steak, with a strong, buttery taste, and was remarkably tender for a flank. The salad as a whole was wonderfully aromatic, and a bit sweeter than I am used to in a beef salad, but not so much that I was annoyed. The fish cakes had a great firm texture and a wonderful subtle flavor, and the sauce they came with was–for once–not too syrupy as I often find at other places (Klong included). They also have a pad kra prow dish that I think is technically not pad kra prow, but a variant of it, which is a lot less intense and salty than most other places I’ve had it, and it comes optionally with a whole fried egg, which is delicious, but kind of too much for one person.

Pongsri, which has several locations, I know only through the 48th street location, supposedly has the distinction of being the oldest Thai establishment in New York. While I always regard claims of primacy by restaurants with understandable (I think) skepticism, they do nonetheless deliver. On results. Maybe they do deliver too. You can look into that if you want.

The pad kra prow at Pongsri is unbeatable, most nights. Other nights, Wondee Siam (which I’ll get to in a moment) wins. Either way, you win, because even on an off night you’re not going to find a better version of that dish to be had in Manhattan. I’ve also had some great curries, the crispy duck salad is fantastic, and their noodle dishes are also solid. While the red/gold Chinese restaurant vibe of the place is a bit of a turn off, and might be why I end up here a bit less often than I might, the food is not to blame for that, and it shouldn’t keep you from going there repeatedly.

Of all of the Thai restaurants in Manhattan, though, Wondee Siam-I is my most beloved. Now, until about a year ago, I really liked this place. I liked their curries, their pad thai is awesome, I like that it was tiny and cramped and unpretentious, I liked that that it was close to work. The only thing that irked me was that it always seemed that its thai patrons appeared to be getting spectacular off-menu deliciousness that I was missing out on. Chalk-it up to being culturally intimidated, but I never asked what any of those mysterious dishes were, or even just pointed and said “I’ll have what they’re having”.

Well, my suspicions were confirmed, I was missing out, and when I finally got the courage to ask a couple next to me what it was they were eating, it turns out: “Catfish Salad.” I ordered it. My mind was blown. I went back again and again to order it. I was still curious about what else they had hiding off menu though. Soon after though, they began putting out a little supplement to their menu called their “secret thai menu”. I guess the secret had gotten out too far, and their hand was forced.

Lucky me.

In addition to the catfish salad–still one of the best things you can order there–I recommend you work your way through the whole secret menu. Not because their normal menu isn’t great, but because the “secret” dishes are simply not to be found at other restaurants in the area, and chances are good you will be trying something new and wonderful, and probably a whole lot more authentic than what you’re used to.

Then again, there’s always Queens.

I hear these wild tales of brain-meltingly amazing Thai restaurants out in Queens “Thai royalty go to this scuzzy little place out in Queens when they are in the States” so an acquaintance once claimed…whatever.

For the Upper-West side employed, that’s just not going to cut it. Maybe I’ll make it out there some day, but until I’ve moved to that borough, it’ll remain on my to-do list. For now I’m on my out the door to Wondee.

So I caved… and it was delicious and buttery. AND it shut up the part of my brain that thinks it’s a bad adult swim cartoon and kept shouting: PANCAKES!!!!

This makes about 6 pancakes. This was eaten by my mother and I in stacks of 3. The preparation takes about 15-20 minutes.

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• Sprinkle of cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 egg
• Around 2-3 tablespoon of salted butter (because… I don’t keep unsalted butter at home. Eh.)
• A dribble of vanilla extract (I would guess around 1-2 teaspoons

1. Let the egg and milk stand to warm up a little to room temperature (while you get materials and sift through flour)
2. Melt the butter
3. Sift the flour, baking soda, sugar, and cinnamon all together twice.
4. Separate the egg and beat the egg white until peaks stay in place
5. Mix in the yolk, milk, butter, and vanilla.
6. Create a cleft in the flour mixture and mix in the liquid. Mix until smooth.
7. Heat the grill, frying pan, etc.. I like to heat it up and add some more butter.
8. I eye the mixture and pour in around 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the mixture. Eh. Brown both sides in medium heat. I usually start off medium high and then go down to medium low to low by the last few.

If you want to be gluttonous (of course you do!), you can put some more butter on these puppies before serving. Eat with bacon or eggs… pour some jam, whatever. I pour generous amounts of syrup (I like Aunt Jemima) and sprinkle some cinnamon.

(PS: This is not a diet meal so please don’t even start to think about calories.)

(edit: revised version of this recipe is here.)