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Inventive pan-Asian food in the no man’s land between Gramercy and the East Village? Believe it. Sure, Friend House 2’s kitschy furnishings look stolen from Disney’s Tomorrowland—neon chairs, clear Lucite tables, giant cylindrical metal chandeliers dotted with melon-colored stained glass, a cheesy glass waterfall—but that’s half the fun. A long menu jumbles Chinese, Thai, sushi, even Malaysian food together, but somehow each dish emerges from the kitchen crystal-clear in its conception and execution. Nicely gummy, plump watercress dumplings from the dim sum menu start a meal off on a Chinese note. Spicy mint fried rice—essentially Thai basil fried rice with mint in place of the basil—pits hot chilies against cool mint in a compulsively edible dish. From the Friendhouse Gems section comes Thai crispy beef, which closely resembles that ubiquitous fast-food Chinese staple General Tso’s beef, except for the water chestnut-like jicama pieces that brilliantly balance the peppery meat. Even the Japanese portion of the menu scores with gorgeous hot diced eel; here, satisfying chunks of the fish are arrayed on cucumber slices so that the presentation is like a plate of hors d’oeuvres brought to life by dollops of tart yuzu fruit purée. — Timothy Cooper

Spicy mint fried rice, $9; Thai crispy beef, $14; fried banana, $4