Thai Scene

Thai Thai sits smack dab in the middle of the Bedford Avenue area Thai restaurant cluster. Some of them, as mentioned previously in this column, are a little scene-y. Sit poolside at Sea, why, what could be hipper? If you want to be dazzled by swinging metal beaded curtains, egg chairs, and perhaps have difficulty hearing the person you’re sitting across from for the house music, go to Sea. For something a little bit quieter it’s Chai Thai all the way.
New York Magazine has call Chai Thai the David to Sea’s (and Planet Thailand’s) Goliath. But, I wanted to see for myself how the two of the duke it out. The menus are similar, but the atmosphere of each could not be more different.
Chai, on a quiet corner at 124 North 6th St., is a collaborative effort by a husband and wife team, he an architect, she a chef trained in France. He also happens to be Japanese, which explain the sake bar and the smattering of Japanese dishes on the menu, though there also appear to be representatives from China and Vietnam as well.
For some delicious starters try the Japanese style fried chicken marinated in sake, soy sauce, and ginger juice, $5. Always a sucker for seafood, there is also the hoi obb, or steamed mussels served in a light broth with fresh herbs, $5.

For mains, try the tamarind duck, which is a half duck that is roasted in house with tamarind sauce and cashews, $12. There is also a vegetarian duck dish that is quite good, which is “duck” sautéed with chili sauce and basil.
For a bit more seafood, the choo-chee goong is a delicious curry made with sautéed shrimp, red curry, and coconut milk, $11.
In a quiet unassuming setting, this is some of the best Thai I have had in North Brooklyn.
On the other end of the spectrum, atmosphere-wise, is SEA. A part of the same franchise as a sister SEA and three Spice restaurants in Manhattan, it in resembles a night club in more ways than one: house music, pod bathrooms, pool, etc.
The food here is also pretty good once you get past the ambient excess. It is a little less traditional than Chai Thai, but cheerfully so and reasonably priced.
The drunken man’s noodles, or pad kee mao is fun, and filled with chicken, shrimp, squid, and egg, $9. There is also the vegetable curry, which is a little heavier, dubbed Rama the King, made with mixed vegetables and a chili peanut sauce, $9. Or, if spicy is your thing, try the patpong green curry made with bamboo shoots and eggplant, which lives up to it’s spicy promise, $9.
This place certainly gets packed weekend nights, and in all can be pretty overwhelming. Though, if a Thai scenester you are, this might be you place. In the end, I’m a quieter kind of guy, so it’s the David that gets my vote.