Profile

Behind the unassuming storefront in the midst of Chelsea's hip Eighth Avenue bustle is eighties retro: mirrored walls highlighted by splashes of pink and blue paint and matching chrome-accented pink vinyl chairs. The food is equally a mix. The menu pairs pad thai and commonplace curries with more adventurous deep-fried frogs legs and seasonal whole fish. Summer rolls filled with fresh herbs and tender boiled shrimp, and tender strips of beef satay, charbroiled steak marinated in Thai herbs and coconut milk, are good bets. Skip the less successful and overcooked pad thai—gloppy noodles with a smattering of egg and trace specks of ground peanuts. Equally disappointing, the kang panang (sliced steak or chicken with coconut milk in a panang curry) lacks any hint of heat or complexity of flavor beyond the overpoweringly dominant coconut milk. Still, the waiters are hospitable and the service lightening-fast. But the generally subdued food is delivered with more speed than spice, so if you're looking for true, fiery Thai, look elsewhere for your fix. — Jennifer Howd

Summer roll, $6.95; beef satay, $5.95