Pok Pok has got to be one of the most highly anticipated restaurant openings this summer and I was super excited to try this place out as my first post-vacation outing. Cicily had mentioned that there is always a super long wait, so we agreed to meet at 5:45pm on a Friday, 15 minutes before it opens. I expected there to be a line but was shocked to see how many people were already in line when we got there (we were probably # 10 or 12 in line). One thing to note is that its location is no where close to public transportation but on a good day the 15 minute walk is quite pleasant (just be prepared for it). So my advice is the same I gave for Parm, get there early, be the first group to be seated (even if it means eating earlier than you would like), otherwise, be prepared to wait 1 1/2 hours as all the tables will likely to turn over at the same time.
The menu here is authentic Northern Thai food. There is no trace of pad thai, pad see eww or anything of that sort here. We were starving and totally went to town in ordering. We got the Ike's Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings ($12.50), the Hoi Thawt ($14), the Kaeng Hung Leh ($14) and the Phak Kad Jaw ($12). You'd think that the wings would come out first but instead the Kaeng Hung Leh came out first. This dish is comprised of stewed mustard greens with pork ribs in a soup base. We mixed it with sticky rice and it was fabulous. The mustard greens were cooked well so that they were super soft and easy to eat (even the stalky party) and the ribs pretty much fell off the bone as soon as you bit into it. The broth was flavored heavily with dried chilis and tamarind and I would have been happy with just a soup/rice mixture nevermind adding in the pork. The wings came out next and they were also delicious. They are marinated in fish sauce, palm sugar, and garlic and super super sticky. I usually don't love wings because they're so messy and are a lot of work for not a lot of meaty return. Yes, these were still messy to eat but the mixture of fish sauce, sugar and garlic was really fantastic and made up for the sauce all over my fingers. Next came the Hoi Thawt, which was the one dish that I was really looking forward to. This dish is actually one of my all time favorite Thai dishes and it's not really found in a lot of restaurants. It's a crepe with steamed mussels, eggs, garlic, chives, bean sprouts and served with a side of sriacha sauce. I loved this dish but actually thought it could have been a bit crispier as I did find the crepe a little bit soggy, but otherwise all the ingredients worked really well with each other. They didn't skimp on the mussels at all and had at least 1-2 full pieces of mussels with each bite. I wished more places offered this dish! Lastly, the Kaeng Hung Leh came out and it was essentially a pork belly and pork shoulder curry. The pork was incredibly tender and fell apart with each bite. The curry wasn't spicy at all and it was more of a caramelized sauce vs. what you would typically think of in a curry.
Pok Pok NY is one of the restaurants that really lives up to its hype. The food is incredibly authentic and doesn't skimp on flavor or deliciousness. I would absolutely go back in a heartbeat, despite it's slightly out of the way location. The prices are incredibly affordable considering the quality of food. Just be mindful of the wait and the size of the restaurant (no more than 10 tables inside...I didn't see what the outside is like). The waitstaff was pretty helpful but I did feel a tad bit like they were rushing us through our meal given the enormous wait behind us, which I kind of understand but didn't love. Oh well, it's a small price to pay for amazing Thai food like this. Total bill $42/pp with tax and tip.
Photo Credit: Yelp
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