I probably should have saved this post until Halloween next year, but I didn’t want to wait 5 months to share this bold unique Thai soup with you lucky readers.
Forget about that activated charcoal craze of a few years ago, this naturally pitch black dish is a Thai specialty that you do not find very often in restaurants around these parts.
I found it at LumLum, one of a handful of new Thai restaurants in Hell’s Kitchen that are taking things further than pad Thai and massaman curry. Those popular dishes are usually on offer, but Thai chefs have discovered that New Yorkers are finally craving something more.
The Pad Ki Mao (drunken noodles) I paired with my soup were spiked with peppercorns and featured all the balanced flavors expected of this cuisine, but no hold’s barred on the spicy side.
Muk Tom Nam Dum also didn’t hold back with flavor. This is a soup that is made with lots of squid ink and lime. Spiked with makrut lime leaves and bird’s eye chili, the black broth was incredibly sour and spicy, but was slightly mellowed out by the herbaceous cilantro and sweet meaty squid pieces.
It is not for the faint of heart and is world’s away from chicken satay and fried rice. While some may be scared off by the dramatic color and the overwhelming flavor, for others (like myself), it’s what we live for. Price: $14
| LUMLUM |
| 404 West 49th Street (between Ninth and Tenth Avenue), Hell’s Kitchen (646) 892-3338 |
| lumlumnyc.com |
