Authentic Thai can be a car ride away, and the Soul of Thai Cuisine—presented by Thai Select—proved it.
New York City is a melting pot for so many cultures, so finding the authentic can be difficult. The Meatpacking District’s historic nightlife has seen a rebirth. Its cobblestones felt less like a street and more like a passage. This evening, our journey would take us into the Soul of Thai Cuisine.
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Nestled in the heart of Market 57, The Platform by JBF provides the aesthetic needed for an event like this. Presented by Thai Select, the evening brought together chefs from four spectacular Thai restaurants on the East Coast. They came from Lalyn, Chalong, Tiki Thai, and UnTable. Each restaurant showcased dishes that were beyond just highlights on their menus. Instead, these dishes and drinks told stories of childhood and the joy of Thai culture.
Lalyn opens the evening’s story with Duen Pen, a refreshing aperitif carrying notes of banana liqueur and toasted coconut. The first sip lands light and cold. Crushed ice instead of a block keeps the chill through to the last sip on a hot evening. Then a fried banana chip garnish sends its aroma up to meet you.
For the appetizer, the Moonlit Royal Trilogy brings three royal Thai classics into one bite. It’s anchored by a layer of squid ink beneath tamarind crispy noodles. The texture shifts with every bite — a slow heat from the Thai herbs first, then sweetness settling in underneath.
The Miang Scallop, from Chalong’s Chef Nate Limwong, arrives wrapped in betel leaf. In fact, it’s delicate, almost dancing on the tongue, while a chili dressing brings sweetness and ginger against the leaf’s clean, fresh bite.
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Teddy Chantarasombat’s Gaeng Aom follows with gin and lemongrass, bold and herbaceous where the first drink was light. It’s less an aperitif than a palate reset — assertive enough to clear the sweetness before the next course arrives.
Chef Porntipa Pattanamekar’s Crab Curry arrived cradled in a coconut shell, paired with rice noodles and a fresh salad. Notably, the sauce was creamy, bursting with flavor, and threaded with hidden chunks of crab — a spice that caught me off guard, in the best way.
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The evening’s final course, Mango Sticky Rice by Chef Rachanon Kampimarn, brought the meal to a gentle close. Ultimately, it held together without turning heavy, and the mango arrived in generous, raw-fresh chunks — a light note to end on.
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It’s surprising, in a way, that a nation would build an entire stamp of approval around protecting its own cuisine. But walking through the event, it made sense fast. Thai food gets commercialized and diluted more than most cuisines. Thai Select exists to draw a line between what’s real and what’s not, backed directly by Thailand’s own government. This stamp of approval is a guiding light for Thai enthusiasts, native to the land or simply in love with the culture. The website makes it easy to navigate finding restaurants with this distinction throughout the United States.
While a trip to Thailand may be on your radar, you can get a preview faster by knowing where to look.
