Flavors on the Rise: A Revival of Thai Cuisine
New York City has always had a passionate love for Thai food, but in recent years we’ve seen a surge in younger Thai chefs wanting to bring something more to the table than your run-of-the-mill Pad Thai or Pad See Ew – and we aren’t the only ones noticing this! According to the watchful eyes of New York Magazine’s Grubstreet, “New York’s Thai Scene Has Never Been
There are plenty of spots in the city that serve up a decent take out Thai food, but the second wave of Thai chefs are here. Establishments such as Ugly Baby serve their dishes with no spice adjustments, leaving their guests to cry and sweat through the pain. Other restaurants like Sukh promise a culinary journey throughout Northern, Central, and Southern Thailand, and allow you to choose dishes based off of the region. Meanwhile, places like Kraam take familiar flavors and put fun spins on new dishes, while staying true to their traditional Thai roots.
Another rising start in the Thai food scene? Glin Thai in Fort Greene. Beyond nailing their interiors and ambiance, the food is actually delicious. Here’s a rundown of everything we got:
Yum Som O (Pomelo Salad) $15.00
The Pomelo Salad was probably the dish I was most excited about.I have a strong love for all citrus fruits, and a food blogger had previously mentioned that this was her favorite thing from her visit – and it did not disappoint! The large chunks of pomelo provided refreshing pops of acid with a slight bitter note, and the finely chopped onions, scallions and cilantro provided little herbaceous moments that we loved.
Tum Mang Kud (Mangosteen Salad) $15.00
The Mangosteen Salad was by far the star of the show. Granted, I’ve only had Mangosteen one other time, but never in a salad! This was a perfect dish for me – the flavors, the textures – everything worked together in such harmony. I especially loved the meatiness, almost borderline rubberiness, of the mangosteen. It provided the perfect vessel for a choose your own adventure: I could throw in a peanut, some onions, some coconut flakes – and I got sweet, savory, salty, and spicy all in one bite!
Pu Obb Woonsen $26.00
The Pu Obb Woonsen, or Clay Pot Baked Glass Noodles, was quite a yummy dish, but each bite left me slightly confused. The consistency of the noodles were familiar, and reminded me heavily of Chinese mee-fun (thin rice paper noodles), but with very different seasoning. There was an earthiness to the flavors that was really unfamiliar to me. I found myself eating more of this dish to try and figure out what I was tasting, but could never figure out exactly what it was. Perhaps the most enjoyable parts of the dish were these light and fluffy pieces of crab that were sprinkled among the noodles.
Beef Shank Massaman $35.00
As a proud curry enthusiast, the Beef Shank Massaman was quite satisfactory: they developed a good level of nuttiness and had a solid consistency for dipping; however,I found the curry on the saltier side. What was more impressive than the curry was how tender the beef shank was! Each slice fell apart easily and made for a hearty meal alongside the potato puree. We especially enjoyed the thinly sliced pickles that provided brightness and pops of acid to a heavier dish.
Kee Mao Short Rib $42.00
The Kee Mao Short Rib was clearly invented to be the showstopper of the menu. A huge bone sits underneath a mountain of fried basil, dried chilies, young peppercorns, makrut lime leaves, Thai eggplant,and ramen noodles. While the sight is definitely one to behold, we found that the flavor didn’t quite match the presentation. Don’t get me wrong – the ramen noodles had a nice springiness, and there was definitely some punchy pepperiness and spiciness there, but we found ourselves craving acidity and brightness in the dish. We just needed something to cut through the fattiness of the short rib.
Would I go back? I would if I were in the area. We joked in the beginning, “What if the appetizers are actually our favorite thing? Wouldn’t that be kind of funny?” Well, we weren’t wrong! The salads were definitely the highlight of the night (specifically for that mangosteen salad!) and that alone puts this place on the map for me.. Would I make the trek from Manhattan? Unclear – but I’m more than happy to add Glin Thai to my list of solid Thai spots in the city.