There used to be a time where, if you wanted to eat a cheap meal, you would go to a Thai restaurant. And then, the past few years have seen the emergence of fancier Thai places, not only serving different dishes than the traditional curries or noodles, but also proposing interesting cocktails. Chalong in Hell’s Kitchen is one of them. Meaning “celebration” in English, Chalong is also a southern district of Phuket in Thailand. The restaurant, that opened in 2023, serves Southern Thai food. There, Chef Nate Limwong crafted a menu that is quite unique, centered on seafood and with limited vegetarian options. The waitress warned us that the food marked with one pepper is mild, but, with two peppers, it would be very spicy, the kitchen not accepting any alteration as they want the diner to experience the true flavor of their dish. I admit that I was a bit disappointed because they had a crab dish I really wanted to try, but I learned in the past that when someone tells you it is very spicy, it is very spicy. So, I decided to try their massaman duck confit ($32), thinking that it is an interesting fusion of Thai and French classics. Served with rice, this was delicious and an elevated version of one of my favorite dishes: the small boiled potatoes were skin on, there were picked shallots and fried onions that accompanied a perfectly made duck confit. A must have. Jodi got the Mushroom J ($22), a dish composed of sautéed mushrooms in a vegan garlic sauce, also served with rice. This was really good: there was a good variety of mushroom and the entire dish had that delicious smokey taste. I should mention that we shared an appetizer: at first, we ordered the potato puff sticks, but, as they ran out, we went for the only other vegetarian choice, the Phuket Pak Mor ($15), that are dumplings filled with peanuts, sweet radish and black pepper. They were superb, very peanuty, with a sticky shell.

Phuket pak mor dumplings at Chalong, Thai restaurant in NYC, NY

Mushroom J at Chalong, Thai restaurant in NYC, NY

Duck confit massaman at Chalong, Thai restaurant in NYC, NY

They have interesting cocktails, but I was more feeling like having a Thai iced tea ($9), while Jodi opted for their chai-lychee ($13) that is Thai tea with lychee purée. It was good, but I thought the two flavors competed a bit against each other.

Thai iced tea at Chalong, Thai restaurant in NYC, NY

Chai lychee at Chalong, Thai restaurant in NYC, NY

For dessert, we had their mango sticky rice ($16), that is my favorite Thai dessert. And it was good: the mango was perfectly ripe and the sticky rice well soaked in coconut milk. A must have.
This was a nice meal and a nice find. I like Chalong, but admit that their rule that is to not accommodate level of spiciness is a bit much and limits what people who cannot eat too spicy can order. I understand that they want people to experience the real flavor, but I am sure that making these dishes mild is not going to kill their flavor.

Mango sticky rice at Chalong, Thai restaurant in NYC, NY

Enjoy (I did)!
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Chalong - 749 9th Ave, New York, NY 10019

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