Pongsri Thai Restaurant

106 Bayard St @ Baxter St, 212-349-3132

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Cost per person: $15
"YGWYPF" factor: 6/10 (you get what you pay for)

Just another Thai restaurant - no surprises here, unlike "Grand Sichuan", and that's a good thing. Meant for the days when you want to have something nice and savory, but not feeling particularly adventurous. The decor is nice and traditional - with Thai masks all over the walls - and the service staff is pleasant and helpful, though its Amex or cash only.

If you have ordered at any Thai place, you would know how to order here. Here are a few things to start you off. For soup, try the Tom Yum Koong - and remember that soup servings are large here, so one serving should suffice about 2.5 to 3 people. In noodles, the signature Pad Thai is a populat favorite. For curries, you have the usual options of Gang Kiew Wan (green curry), Gang Karee (yellow curry), and Gang Dang (red curry), all of which are equally good, and are served with a big bowl of rice on the side.

I won't go into the details of the other dishes - Thai cuisine is a very safe option, somewhat like studying engineering - there's nothing in the menu that will make you repent your choice, and at Pongsri, everything is cooked to a nice perfection. Howeverm I do recommend the Pla Lad Prik Fried Whole Fish Topped with Hot & Spicy Chili Sauce - in spite of the rather hefty price tag, this dish is totally worth it if you are in a group of 4 or more. Consider this as 2 entrees, and order accordingly. Unfortunately, I was too hungry to remember to take photographs of this dish - so you have to trust my word for it.

Don't forget to order the Thai Iced Tea or Coffee. Without that, your Thai lunch/dinner is hardly complete.