Lan Larb Chiang Mai 2nd Ave — Restaurant in New York

This is not your usual Thai restaurant. It's Northern Thai, and it's quite different from the usual pad Thai and pad see ew that's common in the usual Thai restaurants. I guess they have to serve it because people expect it in a Thai restaurant. Their curries are a little better but I don't usually order those.

What surprises me most when I look at the reviews is the focus on the price, rather than on the incredible quality of the food. True, the value is amazing ... you can get a good meal for under $15 {lunch specials cost less and are generally ok, but not spectacular} but OMG some of the "Street food", the whole fish {beautifully served} and the duck. There are two kinds, and I'm really not sure which is the better. But it's a nice portion, a half duck, and I usually take some home and get two meals out of it.

I love the beef boat noodle. It's 15 bucks. Amazing amazing amazing

Did I mention the duck? Of course I did. I'm putting this sentence in only for emphasis

The appetizers are pretty good, some better than others. My favorite is the calamari, although the sausage is interesting

I rarely have dessert at Asian restaurants but today, on the advice of the waiter, I tried the banana spring rolls. My partner and I were absolutely stunned.

Did I say anything about the duck?

There are many places where you have to order the right thing. It's not always easy. But this place, which seems never to be crowded, is truly extraordinary. It's my favorite nearby place in Murray Hill.

I hope the lack of crowds doesn't cause them to close. They need more customers. It would be a great shame if they were to fail because people simply order the wrong things

And no, I don't usually write long reviews, and in fact write reviews rarely. I do hope they stay in business...

Ordered for delivery at around 7 pm on a Saturday to our hotel, and it came when it said it would. We decided to try a bunch of different things:

Assorted Appetizer (2 curry puffs, 2 spring rolls, 2 chicken and shrimp dumplings, and 2 coconut crusted shrimp) - I loved the curry puffs. It was packed with flavor. The spring rolls and dumplings were super basic. Shrimp was good, but it's nothing you can't find at your local Costco freezer section

Papaya salad (green papaya, tomato, peanut and long bean in spicy lime dressing) - the spicy lime dressing was perfect. However, the papaya was a bit soggy; kind of like it wasn't made fresh. Maybe they just make these in big batches in the morning for the entire day

Nua Yang Esaan (Thai grilled steak) - this was a bit dry and it needed salt. However, I must say that the jaew sauce made up for everything. It's a sweet, spicy, and tangy dipping sauce that I probably would have taken shots of, if it wasn't so spicy. Even though I loved the sauce, this dish is definitely not worth its $25 price tag

Pad Thai with chicken - chicken was a bit tough and bland and the pieces were huge (not in a good way). The flavor overall wasn't great. I think it could have used a bit more salt or a bit more of a tangy factor

Thai iced tea - I get this is supposed to be sweet but this was sickeningly sweet. We took a few sips but couldn't stomach the rest. We also ordered a coconut water, which they forgot but we decided it wasn't worth it to make them come all the way back to deliver a drink

Overall, the food was very mediocre. At least we got 20% on GrubHub since it was our...

Lan larb recently upgraded their menu options, particularly in the “Bangkok street food” section, and I was very impressed. They definitely deliver the intense and complex flavor profiles that makes Thai cuisine so amazing. If you’re in midtown East please give this place a try and go beyond the usual pad Thai/green curry options... you won’t regret it.

Recommended dishes: Crabmeat fried rice - real crab, so far ordered many times - always fresh tasting. The rice is never weighed down by too much oil either.

Chiang Mai khao soi - amazing dish. Egg noodles and crispy noodles, with pickled greens, raw red onions and chili oil paste. Served with chicken legs or beef in a curry sauce that is just rich enough. Squeeze some lime into it to add brightness. The different flavors you get with each bite are wonderful.

Ayuthayya boat noodle - tender beef with bits of fried, salted pork skin, in a savory broth (some may find this a tad salty, add lime) with rice noodles, bean sprouts and some other vegetables. While the soup may seem overpowering at first you’ll notice other subtle flavors in there. Would be amazing in winter time.

Larb pla salmon: a salmon salad with a wonderful “dressing” that matches many of the offerings at somtum der (another great Thai...