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When we first encountered the enterprising Andy Yang, he was ladling up fish-ball soup under the watchful eyes of his godmother at the short-lived East Village Thai joint Rochjin. In early 2008, he surreptitiously converted the Greenwich Village branch of his partner’s family’s Malaysian chain, Penang, into Rhong-Tiam, an inconspicuous little spot that has been building a slow but steady buzz on the food blogs, even earning the occasional (and inevitable) comparison to Sripraphai, the Woodside wonder. But while Srip is Thai through and through, Rhong-Tiam, with its Malaysian vestiges, like a nicely spiced roti canai, plus some Chinese-tasting black-bean-and-oyster-sauced stir-fries, has more of a Pan-Asian feel. As if in atonement, the menu takes a hotter-than-thou approach, daring chile heads to prove their mettle with such accelerants as “Pork on Fire” ($13), “Watercress on Fire,” and the southern-style chicken—not officially on fire, but plenty hot nevertheless. There is a certain pleasure to be had from debilitating pepper-spiked pain, it’s true, but we’re just as happy to play it a bit safer from time to time with kao soi, also known as Chiang Mai noodles, which buries soft and chewy egg noodles in a rich, savory curry under a thatch of deep-fried crispy noodles, accessorized with onion, bean sprouts, lime, and pickled greens. When it’s too hot for hot soup, we’ll share the yum pla dook foo, a chile-and-lime-dressed salad in two parts: fried grated catfish and cashews on one plate, crunchy slivered mango on another, united by a lively dressing. Although some swear by Singha or Thai iced tea with these flavors, you might find a glass of Hermann Wiemer Dry Riesling or Monterey Bay Gewürztraminer, both on the brief list—or even a bucket of water—do just as well. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

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• Cheap Eats 2008: The Cheap List (7/28/08)