Go Gin Chow: Pure Thai Cookhouse, Hell's Kitchen NYC

Shadow here.    Easily one of my Favorite Thai Restaurants in Manhattan.   I have nothing but praise. Upon entering this place I am immediately filled with nostalgia. They really put a lot of effort in the atmosphere alone giving the feel of the typical roadside shack you would find in Thailand. These shacks are known as Shophouses since they would typically be family owned businesses with the ground floor being the "shop" (restaurant, coffee shop, barber, medical clinic) and the top being the "House" (living quarters of the family). In fact the original name of this restaurant was Pure Thai Shophouse, however sadly they had to change their name to "Cookhouse" to avoid conflict with Chipolte Mexican Grill's new Southeast Asian themed restaurant Shophouse. You really have to have been to one of those shacks in Thailand to truly appreciate the work they put into this. Everyting from the tin sheet-metal ceiling, to the wooden plank walls to the the exposed screw in ceiling incandescent light bulbs lends itself the the theme. The A/C units are cleverly disguised under wooden planks to give the illusion that the restaurant is cooled soley by the oscillating corner ceiling fans, consistent with shacks in Thailand where A/C would be too expensive. The backless metal stools   are painted pastel colors to mimic their less sturdy cheap plastic counter parts. The walls are lined with classic Thai movie posters from back in the day. Even the tap water is cleverly served in glass bottles similar to the water bottles found at the table of street side restaurants in Thailand. Chopsticks are found in tin pales at the table. Despite the pseudo shabby look, the place is very clean. The Menus have an interesting design as well, they are inserted in a plastic bag and stapled closed with a paper top with a hole to hang on the wall kind of like a bag of candy you would find in a classic general store. I appreciated that they also printed the menu in Thai. When entering the restaurant, the servers also make an effort to greet all their customers in Thai. A nice touch.   Now onto the food. They have the best bowl of Yen Ta Fo I have found in the U.S...nuff said, this is high praise coming from someone who has dined some of the best noodle shops in Thai Town L.A. What sets this bowl apart from the rest is that they include even the rarest ingredients. They have the fresh squid, the fish meatballs, the water spinach, the fried wonton dough chips, and the ever rare white wood ear/jellyfish mushrooms. The only items missing are the "crispy" squid (re-hydrated dried squid), and the solidified blood (red tofu), perhaps these items might be too much of a turn off to those unfamiliar them. There already is a warning that the soup is not for beginners and no returns. No worries. I finished every last drop of my bowl. Broth was seasoned perfectly, perfect balance of sweet, sour and spicy, not overly sweet or rich as I have found some other U.S. Thai places to be. The soup was accompanied` with a side of condiments to adjust the taste - again the nostalgia set in, this condiment set is found in almost every restaurant in Thailand though ironically I did not need to use them this time, broth was perfect! Other dishes tried this visit was the Papaya salad with blue crab (crab is raw) - very very good, beef noodles soup -nothing really outstanding here, Stir fried shrimp and vegetables with tamarind sauce - not bad - nice flavors. The bill is brought to you on a wooden clip board, again a nice touch. Overall I highly recommend this place, it is certainly unique experience that cannot be missed. Happy eating!

                                                        Pure Thai Cookhouse
                                                       766 9th Ave
                                                       (between 51st St & 52nd St)
                                                       New York, NY 10019
                                                       (212) 581-0999