I was here at this new Thai spot a week or two ago with a group having seen rave reviews on both here as well as their absurdly high Google Review score. The menu has a nice mix of common Thai dishes and things you can't find at most spots outside of Elmhurst and overall, the food was tasty. The inside is a a bit odd almost looking a bit like a warehouse if it wasn't for the little sketches on the wall which resemble some landmarks like the Reclining Buddha (presumably the Wat Pho from Bangkok but I'm unsure) though the faces have been for lack of better words John Lennon-fied. Anyway, the staff was very friendly here and I didn't have a drink though I thought of getting a Thai Iced Coffee. Another person had the Thai Pink Milk i.e. /Nom Yen for $6 which they enjoyed.
Soon arriving was our only appetizer, the Tod Mun Hua Plee/ for $10 listed as banana blossom red curry fritters. The dish came with a couple for the reasonable price and was served with a sweet Thai chili dipping sauce. It was less crispy than I thought it would be and had a light spice presumably from red curry powder or something similar. This was unique and alright and probably the weakest thing but fine.
My favorite of the main dishes was the very uncommon Tom Kati Sai Bua/ for $20 listed as lotus stems and mackerel in coconut milk. The dish has a light sweetness from the coconut milk and a pleasant light fishiness from the mackerel. You can also get a side of fried mackerel for $7 and I might do that next time I'm here. The bit of veggies in there added some crunch. There's barely any spots which make this dish which is a shame as I like mackerel a lot.
Also tasty was the Khao Na Neua/ for $24 with grilled ribeye steak, garlic rice, marinated egg, fried shallots, and a Thai spicy dipping sauce. This reminded me pretty heavily of a cheaper version of the crying tiger at LumLum in Hell's Kitchen which I liked a lot there and I liked it here as well. The beef could have been a bit more tender but I expected a bit of chew because it was rib eye and it had some good richness from the egg being mixed into it. The garlic rice in there added plenty of flavor along with the shallots. I'm a big fan of Nam Jim Jeaw and the mix tasted good either dipped into it or not as always.
Our other main dishes were on the classics menu though there was a twist to one. The Beef Pad Kee Mao/ for $17 with Beef flat rice noodles, chili, egg, fresh peppercorn, and Thai herbs was way spicier than the usual drunken noodles you find in spots and I appreciated that. The noodles had good texture as well and the beef was fine though I think I would splurge on the crab ($19) or mixed seafood version ($21) next time.
Weakest but still tasty was the Chicken Kaeng Panang/ for $15 with panang curry, Thai eggplant, and lime leaves. This was definitely the most standard of the dishes but it wasn't bad. Light sweetness and a bit of spice though definitely less pronounced compared to the rest of the dishes.
For dessert, we got the Kanom Pang Sankaya/ for $8 with pandan custard with steamed bread. This was essentially their version of a a kaya toast minus well the toasting. The bread was white bread but it worked with the custard which had a light coconut flavor. Outside of the pandan custard, there was also coconut as well which was a nice touch. This was fine though more of an afterthought.
The food here overall was tasty. In terms of Thai spots in Astoria, I prefer Kam Rai but this is a close 2nd and the prices are cheaper here. That spot got a mid 4 and this spot gets slightly lower but I'll keep it as a 5 until the other reviews start pouring in. read more