KITTICHAI

Back in January, some friends and I had dinner at Kittichai, a modern Thai restaurant in SoHo, for New York City's Restaurant Week.

For those who don't know what Restaurant Week is, I'll put it in simple terms: It's one of the best times of the year. Usually occurring two times a year, a bunch of New York City restaurants offer a three course prix fixe menu at an unbelievable price (for lunch it's around $27 and for dinner it's $35).

Ever since I moved to New York City, I have always wanted to partake in Restaurant Week, but never could, mainly because I couldn't afford it (and I still can't but that didn't stop me this time around). So, when my friend messaged me to see if I wanted to join him, his roommate, and her boyfriend for dinner at Kittichai, I couldn't say no.

We started off at the bar as we waited for out table. Unfortunately, cocktails were not included in the deal, but that didn't stop us from ordering a few rounds of drinks. Since tequila is my preferred spirit, I opted for the Passion Fruit Margarita. From the first few sips, I couldn't help but think that it tasted a lot like Passion Fruit bubble tea, usually my go-to choice.

For appetizers, I ordered the baby back ribs that were slathered in a Mekhong whiskey barbeque sauce. The ribs were tender to the point where the meat easily came off the bone. The barbeque sauce was like any other sauce, but with hints of ginger and Thai basil.

For my main course, I ordered the chili-smoked hanger steak with green beans and preserved chili jam. Although the portion was smaller than I expected, it was so delicious that I was not complaining! Cooked to perfection, the steak was tender and succulent, the green beans were crisp and crunchy, and the jam was sweet and savory. I also tried a bit of everyone's main dish: tiger shrimp with red curry, chicken with green curry, and mahi mahi. Both curries were good, but nothing spectacular. I was a bit surprised by the red curry because it had more of an Indian flavor in comparison to all the other dishes, which was more Thai/Southeast Asian inspired. The mahi mahi was tasty, but like the curries, it was nothing special.

I ended the night with a the flourless Valrhona chocolate cake with fresh cream. The cake was very dense and rich; the first few bites were delicious. But, half way through, I couldn't take one more bite, but knowing me, I still ate it all.

Overall, I am satisfied Kittichai, but my biggest problem is that the restaurant claims to serve Thai dishes, but honestly, I would probably say it is more South/Southeast Asian than anything else (see the wok-seared tiger prawns in a citrus red curry, for example).  Regardless, I do see myself coming back soon, just for the tasty hanger steak.