I went here for lunch before heading to the airport. The atmosphere was ok but kind of dreary. But the food ... Spot on. I started with crispy pork belly larb. I wouldn't slap my own mother, but would likely slap someone else's mother for a bite of this. And the Thai fried rice with pulled chicken was perfect.
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Hit up this place after a recent event as one of our crazy friends who loves all things super spicy led us to it. No, this is not your normal NYC style Thai place to order Pad Thai. This is real authentic Thai cooking that will SCORCH THE FACE OF THE EARTH when trying to eat anything above what they call level 3 heat. Seriously, we saw one of our friends in the group experience instant human spontaneous combustion after having a few bites of her Mock Duck plate. Her skin actually turned even darker red then her hair color.
SPICY! SPICY! SPICY! OMG - get me some bread and milk! STAT!
Lately, I have been getting into some of the spicier foods, and even after a few bites of this I could feel my lungs exploding. WHOA!
I did end up ordering a chicken plate with sticky rice that came with two hot dipping sauces and a cup of broth which was terrific. Washed it down with a cold Thai beer. Would definitely go back just for this plate.
Service is really nice and attentive. They easily handled our large crew and exchanged plates when some us could not handle the heat - no extra charge. Also crazy cool is that everything is $10 or under. Seriously, like, wow!
I also have to give props to the wonderful bathrooms at this place. I felt like I walked into a bathroom at a high end Vegas casino hotel room. Just ridiculously nice. Good find! At least I am now able to taste things again after my tongue healed.
Super Fresh and Tasty. Really fresh, bright thai food. The larb was amazing and so was our green papaya salad. The only thing I would say is that our papaya salad, although large and flavorful, had only one shrimp...
Great place for unusual thai.
Great and different. Great thai food but it's cuisine is Northeast Thai food, not regular thai food that you would get from Klong or Joya. It's a little tight but not crazy tight. Service is fine and dress code id casual.
The spice, the crunch, the perfect balance of salt/ sour/ sweet. It was pungent. It was amazing.
The East Village is blessed to get the first Manhattan outpost of Zabb Elee, a seriously delicious Northeastern Thai restaurant from Queens. Chef Ratchanee Sumpatboon showcases her heritage from the Isan region with a beautifully presented menu of traditional dishes. What does that mean? No pad Thai and not a green curry in sight. Instead, wake up your taste buds with fiery chilis, fresh papaya salads ( som tum ) and grilled meats ( yang ). In fact, chili is the star of the region, so expect a lot of kick. I am in heaven. Portions are generous (made to share) and prices are shockingly reasonable. With most dishes at $9, Zabb Elee officially tops the KikaEats Cheap Eats list. There are a half dozen varieties of spicy larb salads - mince meat in a fresh lime dressing with chilis, mint, cilantro and scallions. Along with basic ground chicken or pork, choices include catfish, and vegetarian bamboo shoot. Fiery chicken larb The refreshing green papaya salads -
...The crispy pork—think, slices of pork belly—are coated in a sticky sweet glaze that not only compliments, but accentuates the pork's fattiness and salinity....
Larb is one of my favourite Thai dishes to begin with, and I’ll even make it at home pretty regularly. It’s considered a salad, and is quite healthy and refreshing in that the meat is cooked only in water, and the spices and veggies included are all fresh. It consists of some type of ground meat, along with shallots, lots of fresh mint, scallions, cilantro, Thai chilies, and a lime, fish sauce and sugar dressing. Moo means pork in this case, and the Thai part of this dish means that it is made up of not just regular ground pork, but also pork ears and liver – to me, this is absolutely delicious, and filled with texture!
I am just going to go right ahead and say it. There is a Thai restaurant in the East Village that I have been back to multiple times. The sound of that from my own mouth still makes me cringe a little bit, but it's Zabb Elee's fault, not mine. The former chef of now-defunct Poodam's of Astoria is currently cooking good Isaan Thai food on 2nd Avenue. Now, it also must be said, that with all my being I hate when asked to rate on a scale how spicy I want things. I do not want a restaurant to cater to me. I want it the proper way. I'm not the chef. Rant complete. People are raving about the larb here, and it is quite good. The larb moo ($9, above) is a nice way to start your meal, the delicate spices and tingly lime juice get your mouth working. Better yet though is the yum koon chieng ($8, below), sweet sausages that are also dressed in lime juice and covered with fresh vegetables. This is definitely an Isaan specialty and should not be missed when done well. Duri
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