Indonesia vs Thailand
Head-to-head showdown, Whit(n)ey Avenue vs Dongan Avenue, a battle of the spices and flavors of Southeast Asia, yes. Original target was Chao Thai, a new Thai restaurant with the requisite NYT write-up but unfortunately, closed! We had to scramble for a replacement Thai restaurant. Background? A friend in town from Seoul (Jackson Heights ex-pat so she knows her food), ready to cause a tsunami through downtown Elmhurst. Should we eat at David's? (the fried oysters there are the BOMB). How about Pho Bac? Should we do Minangasli again? Maybe an order of buns from the northern chinese place? Does dessert count as a stop on a food tour? What minimum number constitutes a food tour anyway? The four of stood on the corner of Whitney Avenue and Broadway; one local foodie and journalist, one publicist and celebrity look-alike from washington heights (yes, a special trip), one chowhound (all-city) and the previously mentioned visitor. After a short huddle, Mie Jakarta was chosen as the first spot. Yes, but a few doors down from Minangasli, the great Indonesian place run by a sweetheart matriarch, a positive review in the Village Voice was our impetus so we went with only four dishes, knowing we had an itinerary: fried wontons (not good, I've had Crab Rangoons from Old Country Buffet that were better), gado-gado (not as fresh as I've had before), mie goreng (tasted like takeout chinese), fried chicken (decent, not great; I think we ordered the wrong one 'cuz I was looking for the one coated in red chili peppers and found none). We foolishly skipped some of Sietsama's recommendations (noodle soup and sio may) because the restaurant was way hot and we didn't want the noodle soup. However, many of the other patrons seemed to have ordered it; I guess we missed the special of the house. Much ado was made of the 7 condiments available on each table and life was good. not great, but good.
we stepped after 30 minutes and were trying to figure out leg 2. We could get the taiwanese hamburgers (super-fatty braised pork belly with chopped peanuts and preserved mustard greens served on a steamed bun; the rendition here and at the old LaiFood both kick David Chang's momofuku-pork-bun ass) at David's, or maybe get a couple bowls of pho and split it, along with spring rolls; the group was split on summer vs. spring. In the end, we'll go Thai first and then see what happens. My Thai is just off Broadway and really really great and different. One of us in the party had originally suggested the Chao Thai since she just ate at Sripraphai a few days ago so she wanted to have a tasting while the flavors were still fresh; I don't think My Thai disappointed and in fact, may have been better. The thing I love at Sripraphai are the oyster or mussel pancakes but My Thai offered us four pretty insane dishes. Well, two insane dishes and two more normal dishes. We had the pork larb to start and it was perfectly fatty, juicy, tasty, citrus-y and delicious to whet the appetite perfectly (considering we just put down Indonesian food). We ordered house mixed vegetables (kinda boring but good) and the duck curry and the soft-shell crabs. These last two were amazing; $16 and probably two of the more expensive dishes on the menu; the duck was fried whole and then chopped; presented boneless in a fiery pool of red curry and topped with vegetables and herbs; amazing amazing and delicious. One person thought it was roast pork the fact that it was so rich and flavorful. The soft-shell crabs were insane; pieces were deep-fried in a batter and then stir-fried in a fiery sauce with fresh herbs and onions; excellent. We killed the rice and managed to kill most of the food.
By then, we were DONE. We wanted to go one more but we couldn't; luckily, our dessert stomach hadn't even begun its job yet so we headed to OZ Cafe for some bubble tea. Or rather, we had some passion fruit green tea (hot), some black tea with tapicoa pearls or bubbles (hot) and some yin-yang without bubbles (black tea + coffee) served cold. Yes, that was true overkill but somehow aided in digestion. We stood around, stomachs distended and made our way to our respective subway stations and homes. In fact, I feel full just writing about this so I need to stop.
Winner
My Thai by far, but I think it was a matter of dish selection; I'm willing to give Mie Jakarta another chance (I mean, look at this noodle dish I passed up! Stupid, stupid, stupid.) As for My Thai vs Sripraphai well, I ate at Sripraphai a few months ago and I have to say, it's too fancy for me. The writeups are great and the roundeyes give great bidness, but its losing something for me. Flavors are still strong and if you do go, definitely get the mussel (or is it oyster?) pancakes. I'll have to do a comprehensive head-to-head sometimes. Incidently, if I'm forced to eat Thai in Manhattan, I always head to Pam Real Thai for twice-cooked pork. Its in Hell's Kitchen (or Clinton, whatever you wanna call it).
we stepped after 30 minutes and were trying to figure out leg 2. We could get the taiwanese hamburgers (super-fatty braised pork belly with chopped peanuts and preserved mustard greens served on a steamed bun; the rendition here and at the old LaiFood both kick David Chang's momofuku-pork-bun ass) at David's, or maybe get a couple bowls of pho and split it, along with spring rolls; the group was split on summer vs. spring. In the end, we'll go Thai first and then see what happens. My Thai is just off Broadway and really really great and different. One of us in the party had originally suggested the Chao Thai since she just ate at Sripraphai a few days ago so she wanted to have a tasting while the flavors were still fresh; I don't think My Thai disappointed and in fact, may have been better. The thing I love at Sripraphai are the oyster or mussel pancakes but My Thai offered us four pretty insane dishes. Well, two insane dishes and two more normal dishes. We had the pork larb to start and it was perfectly fatty, juicy, tasty, citrus-y and delicious to whet the appetite perfectly (considering we just put down Indonesian food). We ordered house mixed vegetables (kinda boring but good) and the duck curry and the soft-shell crabs. These last two were amazing; $16 and probably two of the more expensive dishes on the menu; the duck was fried whole and then chopped; presented boneless in a fiery pool of red curry and topped with vegetables and herbs; amazing amazing and delicious. One person thought it was roast pork the fact that it was so rich and flavorful. The soft-shell crabs were insane; pieces were deep-fried in a batter and then stir-fried in a fiery sauce with fresh herbs and onions; excellent. We killed the rice and managed to kill most of the food.
By then, we were DONE. We wanted to go one more but we couldn't; luckily, our dessert stomach hadn't even begun its job yet so we headed to OZ Cafe for some bubble tea. Or rather, we had some passion fruit green tea (hot), some black tea with tapicoa pearls or bubbles (hot) and some yin-yang without bubbles (black tea + coffee) served cold. Yes, that was true overkill but somehow aided in digestion. We stood around, stomachs distended and made our way to our respective subway stations and homes. In fact, I feel full just writing about this so I need to stop.
Winner
My Thai by far, but I think it was a matter of dish selection; I'm willing to give Mie Jakarta another chance (I mean, look at this noodle dish I passed up! Stupid, stupid, stupid.) As for My Thai vs Sripraphai well, I ate at Sripraphai a few months ago and I have to say, it's too fancy for me. The writeups are great and the roundeyes give great bidness, but its losing something for me. Flavors are still strong and if you do go, definitely get the mussel (or is it oyster?) pancakes. I'll have to do a comprehensive head-to-head sometimes. Incidently, if I'm forced to eat Thai in Manhattan, I always head to Pam Real Thai for twice-cooked pork. Its in Hell's Kitchen (or Clinton, whatever you wanna call it).
posted at 7:46 PM
