We had a show to go to around 43rd and 9th Ave, so we decided to look around the Hell’s Kitchen area. In this area from my research, there seems to be some pretty good Thai restaurants that have been here for a bit or are opening up. We had recently gone to LumLum, which focused on more Northern Thai cuisine. Here in Chalong which is on 9th Ave between 51st and 52nd, they are focused on more Southern Thai. This restaurant is a few months old, and we were able to get a reservation for 2 for 5:30 PM the night prior to our arrival.
Ambiance & Service
The decor of this restaurant reminds me of basically Asia on the sea. The attire that the hosts wear is very relax as if you are eating at a beach club resort. The space of the restaurant is pretty small, and the noise levels are tolerable albeit on the louder side since people are seated so close. The two seater table that we were seated at felt pretty small and tight, but not as bad as Parisian restaurants.
The food itself was served very quickly. Within minutes of ordering, our food came out just like that. They did keep our waters filled which was nice. We finished our meal under 45 minutes, and my partner is a very slow eater.
Food
The Biryani Passion (PAT-TALUNG) ($18) came with tequila, ancho chile, passion fruit, cumin turmeric agave, sweet chili sauce, shallot, tajin, and cilantro. This cocktail was pretty tasty, and it had a very small spice to it. The drink itself was definitely more sweet than expected, but it had great flavors all together. The drink was a little on the small side.
The Cha-Sod Som ($12 - right) came with homemade squeeze organic orange juice and Thai tea. This basically tasted like a tart Thai iced tea.
The Jor Pu ($16) came with fried crab meat, shrimp and pork filled in tofu skin with plum sauce. This was really good though we were expecting the tofu skin to have more of a crisp. The crab meat, shrimp, and pork were very good together, and the inside of the wrap was quite moist and tasty. The portion was definitely on the smaller side. They have something like this, albeit less refined but cheaper, over at Thailand’s Center Point.
The Crab Curry ($28) came with jumbo lump crab meat, crispy soft shell crab, betel leaves in a coconut curry. Be warned that this can have a kick to it. If you eat this pretty quickly, your mouth may get on fire. Fortunately, the spicy in this does not linger for too long. Otherwise, the rice helps counter the heat, and the curry itself is quite good. They gave a decent amount of crab meats, but the curry portion was definitely on the lighter side.
The Steamed Fish ($32) came with a steamed fish fillet with seafood chili lime broth, chili, garlic, mint, and pea shoots. The green sauce had a very zesty, tart, taste to it. The steamed fish was pretty delicious, and the aromatics that they give you are very complementary to both the fish and the side of rice. Other than that, the price was definitely on the steep side for how small the fish is.
We asked for another side of Hom Mali rice ($3). They originally gave us each our own bowl of rice, but there’s literally like no way there was enough to soak up all the sauces.
Final Verdict
Chalong is an very nice and tasty Thai restaurant in the Hell’s Kitchen area. Although the food was good, we felt the price and portion size was definitely on the less-than-friendly spectrum of things. The portion to price ratio was just too small to make this a strong recommendation. Other than that caveat, the restaurant is somewhere that you will get delicious, unconventional Thai food.
Yelp Jabs
Majority of entrees came with rice so you don’t rly need to order a fried rice generally
I believe they give a bowl of rice per entree. The rice portion is pretty small if you’re an average rice eater.
I’m giving 3 stars because although the food was good there were only about 16 things on the menu and almost no vegetarian options: a side of mushrooms or aside of chinese broccoli. DO NOT PAY ANY ATTENTION to the menu here on yelp. They have no noodle dishes.
There may have been some misconceptions that this restaurant would have many similar items to your typical Thai restaurant. There definitely was noodles on the menu when we went. As for the lack of vegetarian options, I would say that’s pretty consistent with most places. Sucks to be a vegetarian in any prime food city.
Revisions
- Jul 7, 2023 - Initial revisions.