There are so many Thai restaurants in New York that you can eat at a new one every week and never have to visit the same one twice. On top of that, each of them are pretty solid. As a writer, this makes my job not only easy, but fun. Rarely will you see me turn down the chance to try a new Thai spot. However, CHADA, the most recent spot I’ve tested, was special and thought provoking to say the least. Elevated Thai food is certainly not brand new, but CHADA does it so well it’s mind boggling. It’s such an exceptional gem in the NYC food scene that it is one that makes you pause, not for a photo, but to make sure you’re truly tasting whatβs in front of you.
CHADA is the newest project from chefs Jade Thipruetree and Siripat βTomβ Khaengkarn, CHADA brings regional Thai cooking to the East Village with a clarity of purpose and a depth of flavor that places it, confidently, among the most exciting restaurants in New York right now. The space, outfitted with custom furnishings from Thailand, walks a fine line between richness and restraint. Emerald-green banquettes, golden floral wallpaper, and low, sculptural chandeliers give it the kind of warm elegance that doesnβt try too hard. It feels intentional, lived in, and above all, like a place you’d want to return to. And to be honest, it is one I will in the near future.
The meal opened with an array of small plates that set the tone: thoughtful, precise, and deeply flavorful. The Land and Sea dumplings were neatly wrapped with skins that are tender without being doughy, filled with balanced portions of pork and seafood. The texture of the dumplings alone were so precisely good it set the tone immediately that this was going to be something special. The pork croquettes, which eat almost like a rustic Thai sausage, are compact little flavor bombsβcrispy outside, savory and rich inside. The pork jowls were a wonderful little dish that was equal parts tender and fatty. But itβs the folded dumplings that linger longest in memory: glutinous, softly chewy, and swimming in a warm coconut broth that tastes like peanut candy melted into a dessert soup. Itβs rare to be surprised by something sweet and certainly a highlight that alone warrants a visit out of it’s sheer creativity.
The mains only built on that promise of the appetizers. First was the crab curry, which was thick, aromatic, and unapologetically spicy, even to someone with a high spice tolerance. It was one of the standouts of the night, even in an already great meal. Sweetness and heat met in a red-orange pool, tangled with delicate noodles and generous hunks of real crab. The texture and even form of the noodles that were paired with it were brilliant to say the least. It was reminiscent of finely pulled threads of flesh from a crab leg and once dipped in the crab curry, it was difficult to tell the difference. Iβd go so far as to say itβs better than the one my own mother makes, which is something I never thought Iβd write. Days later I must admit, I can still taste this dish and I find myself craving more.
The pad Thai here, too, surpasses expectation. The noodles are pliant and springy, likely made in-house, and the sauce walks the line between sweet and savory without drying out. This is the kind of pad Thai that reaffirms why the dish became beloved in the first place.
But perhaps the dish I think about most is the beef tallow fried rice. A perfectly medium-rare ribeye steak, sliced with precision, rests atop a mound of rich, glistening rice, anchored by salted egg yolk that tastes aged and preserved, almost like a hidden ingredient from an old family pantry. Itβs a dish of contrastsβcrispy and soft, savory and faintly sweet. I love a good rice dish, especially steak fried rice, and so far this is my favorite in New York. These standout dishes have guaranteed that they will see me darkening their doorway at least once more this year alone.
Drinks leaned toward the wonderful indulgent side which I loved. The Thai iced tea was so sweet and creamy it evoked the memory of eating a vanilla soft-serve from an ice cream truck on a summer day but with hints of coconut and flaked with pieces of it as well. All of this without being overwhelmingly sweet. I don’t know if they do to-go cups but it is so wonderful I would honestly swing by just to grab another.
Something I need to mention is that the portions are incredibly generous, bordering on lavish, and yet the quality of the ingredients was very high. To be fair, I don’t know why I’d expect anything else from a chef used to Michelin-starred environments. For the caliber of cooking on display, CHADA offers exceptional valueβalmost startling in a city where price rarely guarantees quality. This is refined Thai cooking with real personality, rooted in tradition but unafraid to push forward.
And for me, itβs not just a place worth recommending, itβs a new favorite and one I will be adding into my regular rotation.
