JOYA Restaurant Review

Ever since our epic backpacking adventure to Thailand last year, Ariel and I are always on the look out for great Thai food.  Shortly after moving to Brooklyn, we found a local spot which quickly became our go-to.  However, this past weekend we decided to venture a little further and check out JOYA in Cobble Hill, and boy am I glad we did.  Delicious, cheap, and full of veggie options, JOYA is definitely our new favorite Thai spot.  We've already been back and I expect there will be many a takeout order in the near future.

To start, we've ordered the Papaya Salad and Summer Rolls (with tofu instead of shrimp).  Both were good, but nothing too spectacular.

Mountain of papaya salad

For main dishes, our hands down favorite has been the Spicy Noodles (vegetarian version).  Wide noodles loaded pan-fried with vegetables, this dish perfectly balances both spicy and sweet, something I personally love about good Thai food. Just thinking about it makes me hungry...

Spicy Noodle mess

We have also tried both the green and red curries.  Both were good, but the red curry definitely had better flavor.  I appreciated that both curry dishes had tons of different veggies that were perfectly cooked - not raw, but also not overdone.  Also, JOYA does offer brown rice... you just have to ask for it!

Blurry green curry

We haven't tried the Mango Sticky rice, but that will change soon. =)

As far as the atmosphere, JOYA is a happening spot.  It's been crowded each time we have gone, the bar filled with folks enjoying a cocktail while waiting for a table.  I will note that the inside is pretty loud - the crowd plus the music may be overpowering for some.  For those who prefer a quieter vibe, try to get a seat out back.  While it may be a little harder to see your food (if its dark, as it was both times I visited as you can see from my pictures above), it will be much easier to enjoy conversation with your dining mates.

I will note:  JOYA, like many NYC establishments, is CASH ONLY.  Sigh.  While it won't keep me from coming back, it is a little disappointing that so many places in NYC still don't accept plastic.

Do you like Thai food?  If so, do you stick with one tried-and-true restaurant or are you always checking out new places?

Review: Thai X-ing

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting some friends for dinner at Thai X-ing, an authentic (you guessed it) Thai food restaurant in Shaw.  I had been to Thai X-ing before with the BF - we enjoyed our meal there, but it wasn't as wonderful as others had proclaimed, so I didn't bother to write about it here.  However, this second visit did in fact live up to those high expectations and so I thought I should share some details on this experience.

Dining at Thai X-ing is in fact an experience.  The restaurant is located inside a row house on Florida Avenue; you could easily miss it except for the hostess who is usually standing outside the entrance.  We were ushered inside by said hostess and, as we were a slightly larger group, we were sat at the larger, low table by the front window.

I had called ahead to make my dietary preferences known, and our server checked in with all of us before the meal began for allergies and preferences.  Food arrived almost immediately, but not before we had a chance to open the wine we had brought (yup, Thai X-ing is a rare BYOB in DC).

First up: Papaya Salad and Tom Yam soup.  Two of the simplest, yet also my favorite, Thai dishes.  The salad was perfectly crunchy and just spicy enough to wake up your taste buds.  The soup also had a delicate balance of spice (from the lemongrass and ginger) and sweetness (from the rich coconut milk).  I could have been satisfied with just those two dishes, but there was much more to come.

The main dishes all came out at once:  Pumpkin Curry, Bean Sprouts with Tofu, and Drunken Noodles with Tofu, plus a fish and beef dish for the carnivorous folks in the group.  Plus a mountain of fluffy white rice.  My favorite by far was the Pumpkin Curry - slightly spicy, yet also so creamy.  I am determined to replicate this dish at home sometime soon.
 

 

And finally... Mango Sticky Rice.  While we all proclaimed to be too stuffed to continue, we ate every last bite of this amazing dessert.  Another dish I am determined to learn how to make and perfect. 

We all left too full, but also very satisfied.  I love to try new foods, and it is so much more fun to share this experience with friends and loved ones.