THEP: One of a kind Thai on the Upper East Side

THEP is a Traditional Thai restaurant located on 1439 2nd Avenue. Executive Chef and Thai native Siwa Silasaat, helms the stove and honed her skills at well-known Thai establishments Qi and Highline. The original menu, which can be made gluten-free and vegan, opens with starters and THEP bites such as the THEP Platter, which features a combination of the Golden Sachets stuffed with crab meat, minced chicken and vermicelli in a light and fluffy filo pastry puff, Chive Pancake Bites served with a soy vinaigrette dipping sauce, Fried Chicken Dumplings and Fried Shrimp Dumplings, both of which can be steamed or fried and served with sweet chili dipping sauce. Kra-Pow Puffs are pillowy clouds of puff pastry filled with minced chicken, string beans, mozzarella cheese and Thai basil served with cucumber vinaigrette dipping sauce are a good choice too.

I started my meal with some extremely fresh spring roll with carrots, cabbage and taro folded in vermicelli and served with sweet pomegranate and plum vinaigrette dipping sauce. I also had some pork buns, which were made with Five Spices and XO Wine Braised Pork Belly, Pickled Daikon and Carrots, Hoisin Sauce and Garnished with Cilantro. I decided to give the chicken dumplings a tray and I’m glad I did.

For my entree, I had a Cashew King! Besides having an AWESOME name, the Cashew King is a wok noodle dish that features roasted cashews, onions, scallions, pineapples and bell peppers. This was way better than I expected and despite the sizable portion, I just wanted more. I an attempt to try something a little different, I had some Duck Pad Thai (even though I usually go for chicken).

All-in-all, THEP was a really good experience. I had a bit of a wait when I got to the restaurant, but after I finished my meal, it was easy to see why. THEP is definitely worth a return visit. thepnewyork.com