Qi Bangkok
Reviewed on: 2011-08-31 By: Marianne CamardaCuisine type: Asian
Price range: 30-50
Address: 675 Eighth Avenue @ 42nd and 43rd Streets
Phone: 212.247.8991
Qi Bangkok Eatery is the latest NYC venture of celebrity chef Pichet Ong.
There's a new plus to being a tourist in midtown—it puts youright in proximity to Qi Bangkok Eatery (www.qirestaurant.com), the latest NYC venture of celebrity chef Pichet Ong. This has to be one of the most exciting venues to date for sampling fusion dishes that span the flavors of all Southeast Asia. Sweet sour, salty and spicy – it's all here.
Qi is all about the array of flavors, so don't be afraid to mix and match. Infact, mixing is what I like best about this restaurant. That includes thebrilliant way they pair wine and cocktails with the wide array of Thai and Southeast Asian selections. You'd think the beverage list would be limited to afew variations on sauvignon blanc, but no. Instead, the spices and the exotic flavors of the cuisine open up to doors to even more taste sensation – with great success.
I'm usually one to choose wine over cocktails with restaurant entrees, but with some persuasion I decided to give it a try. I started by tasting the Bangkok Bellini, ablend of Prosecco and St Germain spiked with a dash of Cardamom. It was a perfect blend of lightness and aromatic zest, and brought out the tangy flavors in my lemongrass chicken wings Peek Gai Takrai. Also, at $8 a pop, it seemed like the kind of food-friendly cocktail that I'd be glad to order in a second round.
The chicken, by the way, was my hands down favorite. It had the crackly, sweet and sour crust of a perfectly glazed piece of meat withnutty, spice notes and sweet aromatics. The cocktail was a perfect match in aromatics and pungent taste.
My friend, Eric, who shared the table with me, sampled the wine selections, and was pleased with both the red—a fleshy Mont pellier Pinot Noir that was full of vibrant red fruit and berry notes—and the white, a Delicato Chardonnay. The white was light and crisp, with just a hint of minerality and plenty of white fruit on the nose. Both wines were from California a reasonably priced, again at about $8.
There were a few other great-looking mixed drinks on the list, and I got the bartender to bring over a tasting sample. The Siam Lemonade, $8, was just as tangy and tempting as its name implied. Aromatics were intense thanks to Hendricks Gin, a good dash of lime juice, and plenty of fresh kefir leaves. Hard to go wrong with this one; it even pairs well withcurry. The other selection, Makarm, priced at $13, was enjoyable but a bit bolder. It combined Makers Mark, tamarind and fresh lime. I'd save that one for a night when you're ready to take on big, zesty flavors.
Food selections here are all choices I'd take on any day ofthe week – gladly. Mussels in a creamy red curry sauce, generously doused with both pineapple and basil, were particularly delicious. I've never had a mussel preparation quite like this one. It mixed the bold and the mildly aromatic brilliantly, losing the impact of neither. There were a couple of salads as well, one with string beans, chicken and coconut, another with grilled eggplant shrimp, scallions and chili. I inhaled both without batting an eye.
The décor at Qui Eatery is futuristic white on white, sort of playing up the modern combination of things that are similar and yet so very different. Dig in. It's a trip.
Daily from 11:30 to 11:30 pm
Vist website: www.qirestaurant.com
