In all my years of living in NYC, I had never heard of this place before. So it was shocking when Holly and I tried to go on a Friday night and it was mobbed beyond belief. You'd think a place this popular, I would have read about somehow. Upon walking into the main room, I can see why it was so popular. It is probably one of the most visually stunning restaurants I've seen. It's got beautiful fixtures and furniture that you feel like you are really transformed to another place.
The menu claims that they have rare and secret recipes from the Thai Royal Kitchen. Umm - ok. I doubt it but sure I can roll with it if they want. The menu is divided up into 3 different sections, the classic section (your run of the mill pad thai), the privilege section (food served to royalty) and the chef's signature section. So there are plenty of dishes to choose from and the menu is actually quite overwhelming. Since they claimed to have such a special menu, I figured it was worth choosing something from the privilege and/or chef's signature section. We got the Ray Rai Nah Phu ($12) appetizer and I went with the Hor Mok Talay ($26) for my main meal. The appetizer was described as minced shrimp with rice noodles and curry paste wrapped in a Betal leaf and topped with lump crab meat. It was a very light dish and it tasted more like a lettuce cup with rice noodles lightly topped with curry flavoring. It was interesting in presentation but I wasn't blown away by this. I'd be shocked if this is something they actually serve to royalty? As for my main dish, I got it purely because it said it was served in a coconut shell and I love anything served in a coconut. It was a mix of shrimp, scallop, squid, salmon, crab meat, with curry paste and heart of palm. It is indeed served in a coconut shell but beyond that it wasn't super impressive. It was in a white coconut milk soup/curry base and that was honestly a bit distracting because it was hard to see what you were eating. In my mind, I thought it was going to be more of a stir-fry type of dish but upon further research now it's described more as a Thai curry seafood custard - I wish I knew that in advance. For me, seafood and custard aren't really two words I'd put together. I question a bit the need for salmon in it as it seemed a bit out of place with the other types of seafood in there. The one nice thing about it being served in a coconut shell was that after you finished everything inside, you can use a spoon to scrap out the coconut meat inside which was sweet and tasty.
The table next to us got the Royal Pad Thai and it looked pretty cool since it was wrapped in an egg nest but I thought paying $21 for pad thai seemed a bit ridiculous. But after paying $26 for my dish, I wished that I had stuck with the royal pad thai option. While I may seem lukewarm on the food, it was definitely an interesting dining experience purely for the gorgeous decor. But in every other way, it reminds me of a neighborhood mom and pop shop where the food comes out super fast and they try to get you out the door quickly. They don't take reservations on Fridays and weekends, so be prepared to wait 45 mins to an hour, otherwise I'd try your luck on a weekday instead. If you work near here they have a decent looking lunch special, so I'd maybe try that instead of trying to fight your way on a packed Friday or Saturday. Total bill: $52/pp with tax, tip and drinks
Photo Credit: Yelp
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