E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

image of E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York image of E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

We were recently invited to E-San Thai, a Thai restaurant located off the beaten path, in Murray Hill. This place opened in September 2012 by Chef Toi Kumdang who also owns a Thai restaurant in Brooklyn, Khao Sarn. From outside, the restaurant has nothing really distinctive, besides the bright yellow sign. At the entrance, first is the bar:
image of bar at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

Then, on the right is the dining room, with its vaulted ceiling and warm colors.
image of dining room at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

There were not that many elements of the decor to remind you that you are in a Thai restaurant, except maybe the plastic lotus flower that was on every table:
image of lotus flower at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

Or the display on the right side of the bar:

image of pottery and lotus flower at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New Yorkimage of pottery and lotus flower at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

We sat at one of the tables and
image of tables at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

I started the lunch with a Thai Iced Tea, drink that I always order with Thai food.
image of Thai Iced tea at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York image of Thai Iced tea at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York image of Thai Iced tea at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York
I love the dark orange color with gradation of this drink. It was good and not too sweet.

Then the first appetizer was the vegetable spring rolls:

image of Vegetable Spring Roll at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

They were made of cabbage, carrots, celery and glass noodles, and served with a plum sauce. I found them delicious: they were crispy, not too greasy and there was the perfect amount of shell.

The second appetizer was the E-San sausage, that is a house specialty made with ground pork seasoned with Thai herbs.
image of Pork sausages at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

It was good and tasty, the spices really coming through. I wish however that it was served with a kind of mustard or sauce to dip in.

The last appetizer was roti canai:
image of Roti Canai at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

I love that dish that is kind of a fusion between Indian and Thai food. It is composed of a roti or paratha that was a bit thicker and less greasy than what I am used too. The bowl contained a dish made of a curry similar to a massaman, with potatoes, onions and chicken; it is the first time I got it with chicken as usually they propose it without meat. It was a delicious dish that I definitely recommend.

Then, we got Pad See Eew that are thick noodles, tofu, egg and broccoli, bathed in a black soy sauce.
image of Tofu and Pad See Eew at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

Again another good dish: very tasty, I truly appreciated that it was not too salty.

The second entree was the Pineapple Na-Na, a crispy duck with a pineapple curry:
image of Crispy duck Pineapple Na-Na at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

I was scared at first that this dish would be spicy, but it was perfect, having a little kick that  was well complemented by the sweetness of the sauce, as well as the pieces of pineapple. The duck was perfectly cooked and had a nice crunch.
image of White rice at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

It was served with white rice.


But what was the most spectacular was the sea bass that came after that:
image of whole sea bass at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

It was a whole sea bass that was smothered with a sauce midly spicy and served with vegetables. The fish was perfectly cooked, moist and flaky, and the sauce was a bit sweet, with just the perfect kick. I never think about ordering fish, moreover a whole fish, in Thai restaurants, but this dish may have made me change my mind! If you go to E-San Thai, don't be freaked out by the mouth of the fish and enjoy it! I did!

Then, it was time to have dessert! The first one was the fried coconut ice cream that is one of their best sellers:
image of fried coconut ice cream at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

Fried ice cream is an interesting concept: the ice cream is first dipped in a batter and then fried. I can just tell you that I had to move fast with that one; not because the ice cream was melting, but because Jodi could not stop eating it!
image of fried coconut ice cream at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

That is true that it was delicious: the outside was a bit crunchy and the ice cream smooth, probably made with coconut milk. Another recommendation!

The second dessert was Thai donuts:
image of Thai donuts at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

They were served with condensed milk and peanuts:
image of Thai donuts at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

I liked them with or without the condensed milk...This is a very comforting dessert, a guilty pleasure that no one can resist, even after a full meal like the one we had!

With the desserts, I drank a Thai Iced Coffee that was a first for me:

image of Thai iced coffee at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York image of Thai iced coffee at E-San Thai in Murray Hill, NYC, New York

It is like Thai Iced Tea except that the tea is replaced by coffee. I guess I will consider this drink the next time as I really liked it. It has a nice smokiness that I guess came from the coffee itself.

The lunch at E-San Thai was very good and made me want to discover more Thai cuisine. I often order "standard" dishes like Chicken curry Massaman, but there are so many other dishes to try. Of course my choices are also driven by the prix-fixe that restaurants propose, where unfortunately only these "standard" dishes are offered. I think it is a mistake, because there is so much to discover, and E-San Thai is the perfect spot for it.

Enjoy (I did)!
E-San Thai Restaurant & Bar on Urbanspoon

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Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!