Wondee Siam II

"Squid in love?! Who could resist that?", I wondered to myself, chuckling at the thought of two squids trying wrapping their arms around each other, at the same time pondering how these cephalopods kiss (do they shoot ink at each other?!). Described in the menu as "sauteed crispy squid with string bean and chili paste sauce", I did go ahead and order the dish. Tonight's Pepperheads outing was at Wondee Siam II, a nondescript restaurant in midtown West offering reasonably-priced authentic Thai food. We were there to try a few dishes recommended by David's friend, who was a native of Thailand and raved about Wondee Siam II. I had been to the restaurant on several occasions a few years ago but hadn't been adventurous in trying their spicy offerings, thus wasn't all that impressed.

Our group of 12 was split into two tables. Among the six entrees our table sampled, the chicken pad thai noodles (first picture) stood out for two reasons: the heat it packed and the hints of bacon in the flavor. In most Thai restaurants, it is prepared with a tangy, semi-sweet flavor, but tonight's version was a pleasant surprise. It was the way it caught up with you too - after chewing on some noodles, just as you're conversing with your neighbor or scooping morsels of another dish onto your plate, the burning sensation in your throat intensifies and pretty soon the roof of your mouth is crying out for a fire extinguisher. Gulping down water or beer doesn't help, a lesson we learnt all too well at Sigiri. Dairy does the trick though, so I poured the coconut milk base of the pork green curry (surprisingly un-spicy) over white rice and scarfed mounds of it to stabilize my taste buds. Another standout dish was the yum woon sen, a cellophane noodle salad with shrimp, chicken, and chili, among others, that the other table shared with us. This was even more lethal than the pad thai, and despite the smaller serving I ate it had me grabbing at any liquids on the table.

The steak of Siam (2nd picture) with sweet sauce provided a welcome contrast to the mostly spicy dishes, and it came with sticky rice inside the bamboo container. Other entrees sampled were fried whole red snapper (pla rad prig) and crispy duck (duck kra prow), both fairly standard. (At this point, it is obvious that our group had overdosed on chili sauce). Oh, and yes, despite its fancy (and very un-Thai sounding) name, the squid in love didn't prove to be anything special. Maybe it was the preparation, since I prefer squid to be either grilled and a bit on the charred side. So-so fried ice cream capped off this interesting meal at Wondee Siam II. I enjoyed most of the entrees, and am humbled yet glad to realize that with if you order the "right" dishes, Wondee Siam II is worthy of return visits.

Sripraphai

Amazingly, after years of reading rave reviews in the NY Times and other magazines breathlessly proclaiming Sripraphai as the "best Thai restaurant in NYC", it had never occured to me to take the #7 train out to Woodside to sample their dishes. And whenever I was in the area, it was to dine at Perlas ng Silangan or another of the Filipino restaurants nearby. So to make up for lost time and satisfy my taste buds, I made plans to meet outside Sripraphai with G. and J., both long-time patrons who were only too happy to describe what I had been missing all along. Stomach growling, I could hardly wait.

The first thing I noticed was how big the restaurant was. The original dining room was spartan and small, but with their popularity Sripraphai has expanded and now has two additional long, narrow and more alluring dining rooms, as well as a spacious garden decorated with hanging flower pots and flanked by water fountains. In short, the place is now glammed up. And crowded. Our party managed to land a table in the garden (the dining rooms were all packed), which was probably the best choice on this pleasant late summer night. I deferred to both J. and G. in choosing the dishes, only nodding my assent from time to time, as I busied myself studying the wine list (another recent addition) and pictures menu.

The chicken pad thai was tasty, without the overly sharp tangy aftertaste I find in other Thai restaurants. G. and J. insisted on ordering the soft-shell crabs with chili garlic and basil leaves, and after a bite I understood why. Normally not a fan of crab, I would definitely come back for this especially tasty dish. We only had it medium spicy, but the heat was sufficient for me. Perhaps in the winter months we can turn the heat level up to "hot". The other dish we shared was a fried whole red snapper with lemongrass sauce, which was also good but could benefit from a little more sauce. As the picture shows, we devoured most of it anyway :-) Although the tables around us were mostly occupied, the noise level was still manageable and didn't drown out our conversation. And after a glass of wine, you'd be hard-pressed to believe you're in Woodside, Queens.

As we prepared to leave, G. and J. were still discussing Sripraphai's Cinderella transformation, but at least a few things haven't changed: the prices are still reasonable for this reliable outpost of authentic Thai cooking, the service is still just adequate, reservations not taken, and credit cards not accepted. Not enough reasons to deter me from hopping on the 7 train again soon.

Pam's Real Thai food

"Dinner at 5:45pm?! And we need reservations???". I typed the quizzical reply to my friend's email. If only she could see my eyebrows shooting skyward. Before pressing the Send button, I added sarcastically, "This isn't Nobu or Le Bernardin, right?". No, but what THIS was, as I discovered, is one of the most authentic Thai restos in the city - Pam Real Thai (is this bad grammar or what?!) on W49th St. & 9th Ave. In contrast to most places that water down the intensity of their dishes to suit the American palate, it's a no-holds-barred smorgasbord at Pam Real Thai. Lest you make the mistake of misjudging the hotness of each dish, the number of tiny chili peppers indicate the likelihood that you'll be frantically reaching for the glass of water.

We started of with the excellent som tum (green papaya salad), a mixture of shredded green papaya with garlic, chili, tomato, lime juice, and peanuts. The sharp, tangy lime juice contrasted with zesty chili produced an indescribably delectable taste. Another appetizer we tried was the hae guen, crab meat wrapped in bean curd sheets and served with sweet chili sauce (notice a recurring theme here?). This one tasted ok, if lacking in flavor. On the whole, somewhat forgettable.

The main courses were all excellent and ultra-spicy. In addition to the obligatory pad thai, our group had the crispy duck in chili sauce ("recommended by Village Voice", an opinion I concur with) and staring at you from the picture, a whole deep fried red snapper in basil sauce, bell pepper and chili. As you can imagine, by this time we wiping off our sweaty foreheads, loosening our collars, and heavily sniffling. All that HEAT!!! For good measure, I ordered sweet Thai iced coffee to eliminate any chance of my tongue bursting into flames.

And wouldn't you know it? By 6:30pm all the tables at Pam Real Thai were occupied, and by 7pm a waiting line had formed. Simply amazing, given the resto's spartan (ok, cafeteria-like) ambiance and non-acceptance of credit cards. Happily, great food trumps bad decor, so much so that they have a newly-opened branch two blocks over on 47th St. called Pam Real Thai Encore. This location is a more hip, dimly-lit version offering the same food at the same reasonable prices. Make sure to visit them before it becomes as widely-known as the original.