Ngam

As a child of NYU, I can't help but have a soft spot for the Thai food at Spice (and those shrimp fritters...).  But there's a new rival in town!  Ngam has opened in the East Village and I'm obsessed!

When you walk in, you'll notice a modern feel with exposed piping, brick walls, wooden tables, and an open kitchen on the right.  More often than not, you'll also see the chef and owner Chef Hong making her magic in the kitchen as you walk by towards the dining room. 

Inside of Ngam with an adorable baby picture of Chef Hong on the wall

I love an open kitchen!

Ngam really sets itself above other Thai restaurants by offering a really unique and inventive menu.  In addition to the noodle and curry dishes that are staples in traditional Thai restaurants, Ngam also offers special creations such as Lamb "massaman" Roti Potpie, Lobster Dumplings, and Thai Oyster Shots.  Take a look at their full menus here.

I've been to Ngam several times now, as well as ordered take-out even more times.  My definite favorites have been:

Peek Gai Tod” Brother Chai’s Chicken Wings: amazing marinade with just a touch of the chili sauce glaze.  Served on a piece of wood so it was cool to look at as well!

Papaya Noodle Pad Thai - Ngam's pad thai is delicious as is, but this dish is even more awesome and guilt-free by substituting out the noodles with shredded papaya.  All the flavor, none of the carbs!!!  This is such a treat!

Lobster Dumpling “Kao Soy”: served with hand rolled lobster dumplings, hand made egg noodles, homemade “kao soy” curry, pickled mustard, crispy noodles, lime, chili, cilantro.  I loved that it had a great mix of noodles, dumplings, lobster, curry, everything!  Flavor was fragrant and appetizing.  This dish felt like such an indulgence!

Some of the other dishes that I've tried that I thought were also unique:

Lamb “Massaman” Roti Potpie: Instead of pastry puff, Chef Hong used a roti!  Clever!

Green Curry: All the curries are freshly made in house!  You can add your protein of choice (I couldn't resist the shrimp) and it all comes out hot and currylicious.  Even better if you sub out your white rice for the coconut rice mmm....

“Hung Lay” Braised Short Rib: This was such a huge portion!!! I was surprised by how much short rib we got!  Sadly, I wasn't impressed with the short ribs.  Lacked a bit of flavor and the stick rice didn't really taste like anything other than rice that was sticky.  With so many other delicious items on the menu, I'd put my vote to try something else on my next go round.

Ngam has such a great energy inside and is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, fun weekend dinner, girls dinner, date night, anything!  They also have a large wooden table in the middle of the restaurant to accommodate a large party.  Best of all, they take reservations!  If you're looking for a great new Thai restaurant to try, definitely consider giving Ngam a go!

Piggy says Yes!

Ngam 
99 3rd Ave (btwn 11th and 12th St)
212-777-8424

Thanks for reading - Piggy KK