Josh and I had a friend visiting from Singapore, Francois, who was basically our host and food guide when we had the incredible opportunity to live in that wonderful little country for a month back in 2007. I still drool when I think about all the great food we ate while we were there. We definitely wanted to return the favor and show our friend a good time and some of the great food that NYC has to offer. We knew that he likes Thai food, since he took us to a Thai restaurant on our first night in Singapore.
I looked in the Zagat guide for Thai restaurants in our neighborhood and Wondee Siam came up with the highest rating, an impressive 23. The Zagat guide said it was BYO, and that there were three branches in our neck of the woods. We headed for the closest one, which turned out to be Wondee Siam II.
Josh stopped off at a deli to pick up some Chang beers but we realized too late that this particular branch of Wondee Siam did indeed have a liquor license. No biggie; we put our Changs away and ordered a round of Singha instead. Just FYI, the Wondee Siam that is BYO is at 792 9th Ave., between 52nd and 53rd St.
We started out with the Wondee Sampler, which came with two chicken sates, two beef sates, two thai spring rolls, two curry puffs, and two steamed vegetable dumplings. The sates were ok by NYC standards but they were nothing compared to the sates we had at Lau Pa Sat Festival Market in Singapore. The chicken and beef were both a little tough and chewy, though I did like the thick peanut dipping sauce that came with the sampler. I didn’t get to try the thai spring rolls but they looked like the standard fried rolls with a nice thin crackly outer shell. The curry puffs were good (though not as good as the ones from Old Chang Kee) but the filling could have used a heavier hand with the curry powder. The vegetable dumplings were a bit odd. They had a thick gelatinous skin and were filled with some sort of minced vegetable and peanuts. They were much sweeter than I thought they would be. Overall I probably wouldn’t order this dish again, but for a first visit, it’s a good way to get a feel of the appetizers available and figure out what you like.
Wondee Sampler with two chicken sates, two beef sates, two thai spring rolls, two curry puffs, and two steamed vegetable dumplings
Our second appetizer, the papaya salad (som tum), was shredded pieces of fresh papaya tossed with dry shrimp, peanut, string bean, chili, and lime juice. We asked for it to be spicy but it didn’t have too much of a kick to it. Still, the dish was refreshingly crunchy and tangy. It’s a great starter for waking up your taste buds.
Tangy and refreshing papaya salad
We also opted to share our main courses family style. First up was a special of the evening, grilled lamb chops served with vegetables and curry rice. The order came with only three chops so we had to divide them up among the six of us dining that evening, but everyone couldn’t get enough of the dish. There were chunks of peppers, onions, and pineapple mixed in with the curry (I think it was a red curry), which everyone spooned over their rice. I, however, am still not a fan of Thai curry, but I could taste that this was a very good version. People have told me that it must be coconut milk that I dislike, but I enjoy coconut ice cream and pina coladas. There’s also a Chinese dessert made with coconut milk and tapioca pearls that I like, so I’m not sure if that’s really the problem. After eating this particular curry though, I’ve grown to appreciate some Thai curries, though I still don’t like them, if that makes any sense.
Lamb chop curry
The lamb dish came with a pile of curry rice, which tasted like short grain rice flavored with curry powder. It was an interesting twist, but most of us preferred spooning the curry from the lamb over regular white rice.
A cone of curry rice and a cone of white rice
We ordered another special of the evening, soft shell crab with thai herbs. It was crispy deep fried soft shell crab served under a pile of onions and peppers with a brown sauce flavored with thai basil. The crab was cooked perfectly and it was pretty meaty on the inside for soft shell crab. Thai basil sauce is one of the few sauces that I like, so I really enjoyed this dish.
Soft shell crab covered in vegetables and herbs
The person who I assumed to be the manager or owner of the restaurant was really pushing the red snapper that night, saying they just got it in fresh. We were looking forward to a whole fish entrée so we went for his suggestion and got a whole fried red snapper topped with fresh garlic and spicy chili sauce. Again, the dish didn’t have as much kick as we would have liked, but it was incredibly flavorful. The fish was fried perfectly and had a nice crispy crust on the outside. I’m usually not a fan of red snapper but I loved this version. The wonderful and complex mix of spices in the crust and in the sauce just made it taste authentically Thai.
Fried whole red snapper with garlic and chili sauce
And of course I had to get an order of pad thai, which is my standard for all Thai restaurants. This was also a really good version of the dish, as it was not too sweet or overly peanutty. Again, I felt the flavors here were more authentic, and I could taste the tanginess of the fish sauce coming through. The noodles were well cooked and it wasn’t gloppy or mushy. This was one of the best pad thais that I’ve had recently.
Pad thai, of course
Overall I really liked Wondee Siam II a lot. The food is nicely spiced and seasoned, and it just tastes more authentic to me than other Thai restaurants I’ve been to in this neighborhood. Prices aren’t as dirt cheap as some other places in the area but the food is still pretty reasonably priced. We had a lot of food that fed six people easily plus a round of drinks, and it came out to about $25/person after tax and tip. I would definitely recommend this place to someone who is a bit more adventurous when it comes to Thai cuisine and is looking for something more than just the standard Americanized dishes. I don’t know how all the Wondee Siams are related but I hope the food is as good at the BYO branch, which I plan on trying next.
Wondee Siam II (multiple locations)
813 9th Ave. between 53rd and 54th St.
New York, NY
Tags: BYO, Midtown West, Noodles, Thai