Chalong Southern Thai — Restaurant in New York

I have been wanting to dine at Chalong for some time, so was excited to dine there on my trip to New York. Unfortunately, it was quite a let down experience.

Let me first review the food. We ordered steamed sea bass and crab curry. We wanted to order grilled sea bass, but they didn't have it. Food was decent..not as good as people make it to be. I have lived in Asia and as someone who lives Thai food, I have tried many different Thai restaurants, some absolutely amazing ones. The steamed fist tasted fresh and I would try it again. The crab curry was a let down. It had minuscule crab pieces in a regular red curry (just with extra chillies). That's about it. $36 dollars for crab pieces that you will need to really look for. They did say it was spicy and I do like spicy. My partner, on the other hand, found it way too spicy. But, then again, that's not their fault. All in all, food was above average, nothing stellar. And, the portion sizes were extra ordinarily small.

Overall Experience: The tables are so close to each other that you feel like you are eating in a crowded food court. Loud and hardly any space to move. You get 90 minutes to eat, which is not bad. Frankly, we were done in 40. But, the place is loud and not warm.

Service and Cleanliness: Service leaves a lot to be desired. We witnesses something super funny. A couple was dining right behind us (one of us was facing them). The next party was going to be a party of 4, so they wanted to join two tables to make it a table for four. They had one table that was empty (the guests had left) and then this table with this couple, who were still dining. The server went and told the couple that they need a table of four so they would need to join their table with this vacant table. And, instead of moving the vacant table right next to their table, they moved the couple's table...they were still eating!!! What?! Who does that? Then, there were two women who received their bill and the price of their drink was not accurately reflect. There was an over minute to and fro between the server and one of these women to figure out simple math. Finally, the server figure out that 8+2 is not 11 and apologies. The same server was waiting on our table. We had asked her for two small boxes, so we could box the leftovers. She suggested that she will do it and then she picks up our plates and puts the left over on too of those dirty plates and bowls. I reminded her that we were supposed to make it to go. She said that she is aware, she will. I was astonished. I said, not that I don't need it now. If that's how clean they are in front of the customer, then I don't know what goes on in their kitchen.

I was reluctant to write this review. I noticed how rude the owner/chef is to people who write negative reviews. But, then, I had to.

In all, a let down experience. And, I will not be dining here just to get slightly above...

I came in for an early dinner after a Broadway matinee show, intrigue by their niche menu based on Southern Thailand fare, which I had not had a chance to try before. The ambiance is serene and the decor in blond woods has a soothing effect, like an oasis in the middle of 9th Ave. As soon as I was seated my waitress informed me that they were having a special on Margaritas! making me think I had unintentionally walked in into a Mexican cantina. Looking at their drink menu I could not find a cocktail that would the Thai equivalent a Margarita, which behooves the bartender in charge to come up with one that reflects the vibe of Southern Thailand. Instead there were too many mixed drinks and having no frame of reference for any of them I skipped them. I would have loved to have something mixed with mango juice or coconut milk, two native ingredients that have so much potential in the right barman’s hands.

The other puzzling situation was the insistence of my lovely and friendly waitress to dissuade me of anything that was too piquant ( 🌶️🌶️ ) and to point out her favorite dishes which had no chili ratings. Even after I settled for the Lumpu Salad appetizer 🌶️🌶️ she talked me out of it (which in retrospective I regretted) as I then had to switch to the crispy mid wings that were so hot I scalded my palate. I know she meant well but I should have stuck with my original choice.

That was followed by Mee Pum Riang, fry rice noodles in a coconut cream with shrimps (she ‘approved’ half heartedly but what she really was pushing for, again, was the Pla Tod a whole fried fish, even though it was obvious to me that is would be too much for just one person). The rice noodles was mildly spicy, but with an already burnt palate (thanks to the fored wings) my taste buds were already inert to any new flavor sensations.

They only offer one kind of dessert, a rice pudding, which I skipped as I find one dessert operation, a reflection of an uncreative mind in charge.

Most people like to be offered more than one option, listen to unsolicited advice and then to make their...

Made reservations via Resy for a Wednesday night for three people at 7 pm. We all got there earlier than expected, at around 6:30. Luckily, they were able to accommodate us. At that point, it was probably about ¾ filled but by the time we left, it was packed. We ordered a few items to share:

-Wok of Green (stir-fried house green leaf vegetables) - not too sure exactly what it was but it reminded me of snow pea shoots (though it probably wasn’t since those are pretty pricey). It was nice and garlicky, and stir-fried with some oyster sauce -Steamed Fish (Chilean seabass with seafood chili lime broth, chili, garlic mint, and pea shoots) - this was really good. The fish was plump and tender, and I loved the chili lime broth -Crab Curry (jumbo lump crab meat, crispy soft shell crab, betel leaves in a coconut curry) - I loved the curry. It’s on the spicier side, and you can’t modify this but the rice it comes with should help cut some of the kick. I just wish there was more crab. It was only half a soft shell crab, and the ‘jumbo lump crab meat’ was 5 little pieces of crab, which I mistook for garlic at first -Mee Pum Riang (wok stir-fried rice noodles in a coconut curry cream, shrimp, mung bean sprouts, and ‘side vegetables’) - this was a Southern style pad Thai. The waitress explained that it’s creamier than a regular pad Thai, but I think we waited a bit too long to try that dish because the noodles cooled off and kind of clumped together. I did taste the coconut curry cream though. The ‘side vegetables’ were cucumbers, watermelon radish, and some pea shoots for garnish. The portion was small. It was about half the size of a pad Thai you would get anywhere else, which left me and my friends wondering - where’s the rest??

Overall, I would say the food was great. Very unique flavors and offerings that you wouldn’t see at your typical Americanized Thai restaurant. But if you go, be prepared to break the bank if you want to feel full, or you will leave feeling hungry. We ended up going down the street for a...