Thai Diner

Asian fusion, third culture dining. Call it what you like, Thai Diner’s menu is a whimsical mish-mash of Thai and American (and the foods that have been adopted from immigrants to America).   This restaurant was crazy popular on the night we visited (and I suspect all other nights of the week), with people waiting up to 1.5 hours for a table. The hostess must have her work cut out for her. 

We chose to dine outside under one of their life-size cocktail umbrellaed tables in order to circumvent some waiting time (even waiting 30 minutes for a table is a stretch for me). The decor inside is lighthearted and a bit garish, resembling a golden Thai temple met with 80s glass tiles and a bamboo tiki bar.  

Thai Diner is an all day eatery and if I had more time and more meals (which one never does) I would return for the cheesesteak phat bai horapha. Think juicy rib eye steak and melty American cheese with the pizzazz of chilli, garlic and Thai herbs. That has to be a good sandwich right? The dinner time menu covers a handful of classic Thai dishes however the majority of the menu is, how to put it, same-same but different. Like a spicy lobster omelette with chu chee red curry sauce, or a clam bucatini with spicy green curry, toasted rice and Thai herbs.

The Americans and I have fries in common. Who can say no to a hot, crispy, salty fry? Not I, and especially not when they’re called ‘Thai Disco Fries’. The name made me think mushrooms of the psychedelic variety might end up on these fries but no, they were covered in spicy Massaman curry, pickled green peppercorns, red onions, peanut and coconut cream. I’ve never been a loaded fries kind of girl but the disco fries have changed on my mind on them. Golden, crinkle cut fries were sprinkled with a concoction of accoutrements, the Massaman gravy warm with spices, the green peppercorns providing tangy pops of heat and crunchy earthiness from the peanuts. 

Intending to visit Petee’s Pie Company afterwards we intentionally went light on the ordering and shared two large plates, a stuffed cabbage tom khaa ($26)  and a tofu phat see ew ($22). It was fabulous to see a decidedly Jewish dish of stuffed cabbage rolls collide with Thai cookery. It made for a delicious as well as visually appealing dish. Pleasingly green parcels of cabbage came wrapped around turkey mince, mushrooms and jasmine rice in  a creamy and aromatic coconut sauce flavoured with galangal and  makrut lime leaves. The cabbage roll filling was tender and juicy and so fun to eat, sprinkled with soft Thai herbs and dunked in the sweet and sour chilli nam jim. 

If I could do one thing differently, it would be to order another dish from the house specialties side of the menu instead of the phat see ew . It is a classic Thai dish but Thai Diner’s version was nothing fancy and not particularly special. There was the option to add fried chicken to it but that seemed like a bit of an afterthought in the fusion department so we went for the tofu, which arrived as breaded and fried cutlets that seriously lacked seasoning and had echoes of the kind of tofu that gives beancurd a bad name for being bland.  There isn’t much more to say really, there wasn’t much wok hei in the noodles and the thing I enjoyed most about it was the pickled chilis on the side. 

I sound harsh but I still enjoyed my dinner at Thai Diner  and I know what I would do differently next time. Make a booking, avoid the Thai classics, and order extensively from the properly fusion side of the menu. And yes, there would be a next time. 

Thai Diner
186 Mott St, New York, NY 10012, United States
@thaidiner