SAMIRA BOUAOU/EPOCH TIMES
94RESTAURANT MONTH ASIAN PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS
Thai
V{IV} THAI
Citrus and Spice and Everything Nice You can sing all the praises you want about V{iV}, a Thai gem in Hell’s Kitchen, because it is just that. You can savor the authenticity of its northern Thai dishes and its colorful, inviting presentation. You can immerse yourself in the sleek venue: the dimly lit dining room, dark wood floors, mirrors, and the blue light accents. But when it’s all said and done, V{iV}’s difference boils down to just one thing. Heart. “If you make it from your heart, the food is always good,” said chef and partner Thongphoon Pandher. Thongphoon’s great pride and joy is to pour her heart into her cooking, which she learned from her mother in northern Thailand. Lovers of Thai food should rejoice. With northern Thai food taking its place as an it-thing in the pantheon of hot regional cuisines, V{iV} brings flair in serving the aromatic and herbal flavors the region is
becoming known for.
A NORTHERN THAI PEDIGREE
Besides the more standard dishes like pad Thai, V{iV} has a selection of northern Thai dishes that no other Thai restaurant on Hell’s Kitchen Ninth Avenue (with its plethora of Thai restaurants) offers, according to Verasak Sangsiri, one of the partners behind the restaurant. On the food side, Thongphoon (Thais are known formally by their given names) hails from the city of Chiang Mai. Her demeanor is graceful and she looks a youthful early 40s. I’m shocked to hear she’s in her late 50s. She has nary a wrinkle on her face. It’s a testament to her good genes, but it could be her cooking has something to do with it. Northern Thai cuisine does not use frying; instead it favors steaming, braising, and grilling. The regional cooking of the north, which developed in an ever-so-slightly
Kanom Jeen Num Ngeaw, a spicy curry noodle dish in a clear light broth, with cubes of pig blood.
HELL’S KITCHEN LOCATION 717 Ninth Ave.
(between 48th and 49th streets) 212-581-5999
HOURS Sunday–Thursday noon–11 p.m. Friday & Saturday noon–midnight
MURRAY HILL LOCATION 138 E. 34th St. 212-213-3317
HOURS Sunday–Thursday: noon–10 p.m. Friday & Saturday: noon–11 p.m. www.vivthai.com cooler climate, favors an abundance of herbs, and also spices, influenced by its neighbor Burma, and also China. Coconut milk is also rarely used (there