The year-and-a-half-old Tiny Thai in the Theater District is indeed tiny (40 seats). It’s also one of the city’s hippest “New Thai” dining experiences. Designed by its owner, the Bangkok-born Peter Chotiphan, it’s a slick, sleek sophisticated spot with a chic modern décor and a fresh, stylish attitude.
There are two roses and a candle on each of the bare tables, and circular red cushions dot one wall where they act as both a decoration and back padding. The ceilings are high and the walls concrete, with a touch of modern art here and there.
After the pre-theatre crowd departs, young people sporting cell phones pack the hard-surfaced Tiny Thai with their numbers growing as the night progresses; smiling young Thai waitresses provide swift service.
The youthful patrons are attracted, in part, to the modest prices: Tiny Thai looks more expensive that it is. Appetizers are priced from $3.95 to $5.95; with only one exception entrees cost from $7.95 to $14.95; and side orders are in the $1-to-$2.95 category. Despite these very gentle prices, patrons are never rushed or pushed.
The menu here features the complex, exotic flavors of authentic Thai golden-oldie favorites with a few Japanese touches (a teriyaki special, tofu, etc.) and a handful of so-called “interesting dishes” (mummy fish, pattaya duck, grilled chicken with green papaya salad). For the most part, we stuck to tried-and-true Thai standards and weren’t sorry we did. A $14.95 appetizer plate that yielded bountiful pieces of flaky-light curry puffs, delicate, tasty shrimp dumplings, and crisp spring rolls with a centerpiece of fresh, cooling green papaya salad fed four hearty eaters.
The walk-away entrée winner was the superior version of moist, vibrant pad Thai with its layers of chicken, noodle, scallion, tofu, and bean sprout flavors. An eye-popping mummy, or whole, deep-fried red snapper with chili sauce, was curled around a clump of salad.
Roasted duck in an exemplary garlic sauce was tasty, fatty, and firm while a snappy peanut curry, listed on the menu with a “mild” peanut curry sauce, generated an unexpected, though welcome, spicy aftertaste. First-class rice accompaniments are molded into star and heart shapes, adding further to the attractive plate presentations, which have a Thai-Asian fusion flair. Their slogan is, “A Different Thai on 9,” and Tiny Thai certainly stands tall and unique among the many Thai eateries that occupy the Avenue.
Most diners need not cut down on their calorie intake in anticipation of gooey, rich desserts. There are only two sweets, both good: fried ice cream and fried banana.
Tiny Thai Cafe: 693 Ninth Ave. btw. 47th & 48th Sts., 212-265-2229
Richard Jay Scholem was a restaurant critic for the New York Times Long Island Section for 14 years. His A La Carte column appeared from 1990 to 2004.
