Most Thai restaurants have a particular angle, a subset of the broader Thai cuisine that they specialize in. Usually that’s regional: northern, northeastern/Isan, southern, central. Boran doesn’t; they have characteristic dishes from all across Thailand. And it’s all great, at least all that I’ve tried.
Obligatory when going to a Thai restaurant with my partner is some sort of Thai stir-fried noodle. Here they make their signature pad Thai by wrapping it in an omelet (as opposed to mixing in eggs scrambled in the wok). This works very well, and the noodles have a lovely wok hay.
I, on the other hand, am in constant search of good Northern Thai food. This platter is a combination of two characteristic northern Thai dishes: sai ua, a northern style sausage flavored with red curry paste and grilled until the skins are snappy, and nam prik ong, a dip of ground pork, tomato, chili, and aromatics. Sometimes called “Thai Bolognese”, it does bear a striking resemblance to an Italian ground meat ragu, except that it is traditionally eaten on raw or steamed vegetables or crispy cracklins, rather than noodles. On this same trip, I also sampled the khao khluk ka pi, a Central Thai dish of shrimp paste rice with a variety of mix-ins, including shallots, cucumber, mango, green beans, fresh chilies, strips of omelet, sausage, and sweet roasted pork. A wonderful balance of flavors and textures.
The most recent time I went, I tried the pha pla too, a salad of mackerel with aromatics and chilies. It was also wonderful and perfect for a summer day.
Boran
462 Court St #4033
Brooklyn, NY 11231