Most Authentic Thai: Exceptional Food, Not Much Atmosphere

Thai food is very popular in New York, but which restaurant serves the food that is most authentic?  Murray had a chance to pose this question at a Thai reception held recently in the U.N. delegates' dining room. The Thai diplomat's response was at first to hesitate, but then to promise a follow-up.  This she did, via e-mail, recommending two different Thai restaurants in midtown.  One is in the heart of the Theater District; I have eaten there several times, and it is quite good, but also a bit touristy, and we just weren't in that kind of mood. So, we decided to visit the recommendation that is slightly further afield - Wondee Siam II, on 9th Avenue at 54th Street.

Even at first glance, Wondee Siam II seemed promising.  We had made a reservation in advance because of the size of our group - 6 in total.  When we arrived, we were directed immediately to our table, in a one-room dining area, brightly lit, very minimally decorated, and crammed about as full of tables as possible.  But this we did not mind, as we have found that the best food seems to arrive in the places that do not focus on atmosphere.

As often happens to us, we were intrigued by almost every item on the menu.  So we asked our waiter for help in deciding.  We made a list of everything he recommended, then edited a little based on the tastes of the group we had assembled.

For appetizers, we settled on two Wondee Samplers, which included chicken sate, beef sate, spring rolls, curry puffs, and vegetable dumplings, all of which were quite satisfactory.  This picture shows the contents of one of the platters.

The appetizer tasting got us primed for our main courses, which were:

• Thai basil with chicken
• Thai basil with soft-shelled crabs (on that day’s Specials menu)

• Royal vegetables, a stir fry combination of chicken, beef and shrimp with a variety of vegetables in a light garlic sauce
• Pla Kra Tiem, fried whole red snapper in a garlic sauce

• Tamarind duck

• Crispy Pork with Broccoli
• Lamb Chop Curry

• Kee Mao Noodles, flat rice noodles sautéed with beef, basil, and chili

 

My favorites were the duck and the lamb chops, but everything was wonderful, and the Thai basil dishes were among the best of that variety I have had anywhere.

The service was attentive, but the atmosphere was definitely lacking.  The restaurant is clearly very popular and was filled by 6:30 pm, so the sound volume was a little higher than I prefer.  The lights are bright, which was helpful in terms of getting photographs of our food, but hardly romantic.  Still, the food was exceptional, and well worth a sacrifice in atmosphere, as long as excellent and authentic Thai food is what you want.

Our bill totaled around $270 for all six of us, including wine, tip, and the fried ice cream we had for dessert.

 

Where and When

Wondee Siam II
813 Ninth Avenue (at 54^th Street)
New York, NY
(917) 286-1726

 

www.wondeesiam2.com (menu only)

 

Open daily
11:00 am – 11:00 pm