Ngam
“But dishes that have stood out include the Chiang Mai fries, the Dark Knight, and the Cutie Duckling.”
“Homemade egg noodles in a thinner coconut milk based curry with shallots and cilantro and of course lobster.”
“Came here based on Yelp recommendations- ordered cutie duckling = very good, the lychee adds a nice sweetness to the curry.”
Ngam
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Ehhh… We wouldn't go back. That said, let's start with the good- the pad thai (the original) is as good as we've had outside of Thailand. Decent price for the portion we got and very flavorful. I think most of the people who were there also were partaking of the noodles so maybe that's what this place is known for. Also the chicken soup and the pumpkin "fries" were excellent.
Everything else left us torn. The hostess put us at this smallish table. Lemme explain- we order way too much food so that we can taste a bunch of different things. So if you give us a small table, then the staff has to work extra hard to figure out how to fit it all and still allow for plates. Asked for a bigger table but the hostess said "nope". I understand they were busy but don't be flippant or rude about it. Major turn-off…
Next the chicken wings were half-sauced and a few of them were undercooked. We told the waiter and he said he'd tell the chef. Didn't hear a thing else about that.
The braised pork belly was decent but a few pieces were tough/overcooked. And the worst dish was the duck which was basically gristle in a culinary school curry sauce which was mostly coconut milk. Catastrophes which cost like $60 just for those two dishes.
The ambiance didn't do it for us- 90's music in an intentionally unfinished dining room- but it was so bright it was more dingy and dirty than "cool".
Like I said, we wouldn't go back…
We came in for dinner at 8pm yesterday and managed to get the last two seats by the bar. I ordered the drunken noodles and my friend ordered the crispy pad thai.
They ended up givig me the Pad see ew instead, which I was ok with because I usually like that dish as well. However, it was so salty I couldn't finish it. My friend's crispy pad thai was seasoned well. However, it was not crispy and the fried batter covered up the taste of the green papaya. The chicken in it was better quality than the average Thai restaurant though.
I've gotten food a few times before and it was only average. Maybe they changed up their staff since the last time I came or maybe the quality is just inconsistent.
My Yelp game must be slipping as I was sure I'd reviewed this restaurant, obviously not as I'm writing this now.
Ok. Quick review.
Busy, cool, lively.
In and out kinda place, great food, menu seems to change fairly often but the favs are kept there.
Food is of an excellent quality, I'm not sure what type of food it is, my guess is it's 'Asian fusion' – it works.
Sweet potato fries were especially delicious this evening.
We came here this past Saturday for a late dinner (9:45pm) and it wasn't packed at all (maybe since it was a holiday weekend). We checked in on Yelp and each got a free beer/wine! We ordered the chicken wings, which reminded us of the soy garlic ones you get at Korean chicken places – pretty tasty. I got the drunken noodles with tofu and my boyfriend got the chicken pad thai. Everything was decent except for the tofu…it was basically just eating tofu skin with nothing inside of it.
Overall it was a fine experience (except that a patron asked me for a knife, thinking that I worked there since I'm Asian but that's not the restaurant's fault). I would come back again if I am in the neighborhood but might be compelled to try other Thai places instead.
I hadn't heard much of Ngam before coming here, so I wasn't too sure of what to expect. I had read a few positive reviews online though, and I figured it was worth a try. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised and have been back on a few different occasions. Now, it is easily one of my favorite Thai places in the city.
The space is outfitted in industrial decor. I remember the first time coming here I wasn't sure if they were completing renovations…now I realize that's just the atmosphere. It's fitting for the area though, and it generally draws a trendy crowd. As I mentioned, I've come here on a few occasions, and I've tried a few different things on their menu. One of my favorite original dishes is the dark night, which is squid ink noodles with calamari, vegetables, and a delicious sauce! The typical Thai dishes like pad Thai and pad see ewe are great too, but just aren't quite as original. The Chiang Mai fries were definitely unique, but not my favorite thing on the menu–they are essentially like crispy sweet potato fries. The appetizer platter for two has a good assortment of items to sample, but the grilled calamari was very tough, which was the only thing I've ever ordered that hasn't met or exceeded my expectations. The prices are a little bit high for the atmosphere and type of food (entrees $15-29), but for the area, they are expected.
In addition to amazing food, I've heard this place offer cooking classes for 95$/person, which sounds like such a fun idea! I don't know that I'll gear up for cooking classes, but I will definitely be back here when I'm in the mood for Thai food.
As far as Thai food goes, I'm not sure Ngam falls under places I'd return to. Granted, the food was alright; I'm just not sure it left me wanting to come back for more.
I tried the Chiang Mai fries based on the highlights of other reviews and these were ok, not exactly what I was expecting from the menu description though. Imagine deep deep deep fried potato wedges, but the potato slices are as thin as a slice of cheese. The outside is very crunchy and I actually enjoyed both sauces it came with but I didn't get much flavor out of the inside. Rather, I only tasted the fried shell on the outside plus the sauce I dipped into.
For entrees, a beef Crispy Pad Thai and tofu Pad See Ewe were both just ok as well. My first thoughts when ordering was, what would make the pad thai crispy? Normally pad thai is served with peanuts that kind of adds a crunch to it. As it turns out, the noodle itself is fried so it has a dry and slight-crisp texture. It was a little odd to eat because when mixing everything together plus some sauce sitting at the bottom of the bowl, the noodles don't really absorb any of the flavor and with the sauce the noodles get a little soggy. The Pad See Ewe wasn't all that different from what you might find elsewhere. The sauce wasn't all that salty at first but I guess without mixing it thoroughly, the noodles at the bottom of the bowl turned out to be very salty.
For a Saturday night, it wasn't filled to capacity so you probably won't have to wait for a small table, but the place is still busy nevertheless.
I am a Thai food snob, and it is so rare to find good Thai food in New York City, despite what the myriad Thai restaurants in every neighborhood seem to indicate. So Ngam was a pleasant and delectable surprise!
My only gripes are 1) that we had originally booked a reservation for 8:15 that ended up seating us at 8:30, and 2) when we wanted to order either the watermelon sangria or anything with flat rice noodles, those were both out. It was 8:30. The dinner rush had barely begun. I was a bit disenchanted with the place after that.
But then the drinks came and the food came and it was FIRE. Most of us ordered drinks like Cool as Ice (best gin-based drink I've had in a while, just avoid the ethanol-soaked cucumbers) and the East Villager (yes, that's lemongrass, and not onion as my friend assumed). The vermicelli noodles substituted for the flat rice noodles I wanted in my Pad See-Ew was such a good choice; it was slimy without being greasy, which is the best kind of texture to have for noodles. I can only speak for myself, but I think my friends enjoyed their meals just as much as I did.
For flavor and creativity in Thai food, this place is now my #1.
Came here for a company family style dinner. I wasn't expecting much I am usually underwhelmed by Thai cuisine. The main draw is the healthy-fresh-natural aspect of the ingredients and preparation. I was wowed by the dishes here.
All of the appetizers and entrees were flavorful, colorful, satisfying and creative. My favorites were the lobster fettuccine curry, fried sweet potato and vegetable noodle dishes. The pork belly was a bit too fattylicious for my taste. Grilled skewers were delightful. Had two of the watermelon sangrias. Very light, refreshing and girly. If you want something stronger go for the Mr. Marmalade, all the guys were ordering this. Didn't take any photos since I didn't want to draw too much attention but next time I definitely will as all the dishes were beautiful!