Kin Shop, West Village - He says...

This past week we went to Kin Shop with a friend.  We owed him a dinner for winning our 3rd ‘Top Chef’ bet (i.e. he chose Richard Blaise to win).  We thought it appropriate that the dinner be at the latest restaurant of the first Top Chef winner, Harold Dieterle.  Kin Shop is his homage to Thai food.  It’s not Thai food per se, but it’s definitely Thai inspired.

One of our 3 appetizers was the fried pork & crispy oyster salad, which was my kind of salad.  Together, the hunks of pork and oysters were perfectly rich and salty for me.  It was topped with a chili-lime vinaigrette that had a sharp spicy and sour accent that I also liked.  The celery added a light crunch that was refreshing with all the strong flavors.  We also had the diver scallops in coconut curry.  The scallops were cooked perfectly but the sauce was a bit too sweet for me.  Bone marrow was also on the menu and of course we had to get it (we’re suckers for it).  For the most part, it was prepared traditionally: cut in half, roasted, and simply seasoned.  The changeups were a creamy yellow bean sauce and some puffed rice pellets.  And instead of toast, it was served with roti.  It’s all that fatty goodness we loved with a touch of curry, a light crisp, and a Southeast Asian bread vessel.  The changes weren’t major and, to some, maybe not that ambitious or creative.  But I appreciated the minimalist treatment, especially when dealing with bold Thai flavors. 

Our main courses were a bit more traditional.  We ordered the massaman curry with braised goat, a curry noodle soup with grilled lamb, and wide wonton noodles.  As tasty as they were, the sweetness was a bit much for me and probably not something I’d order again and again.  But one entree I did really like was the sausage and steamed duck egg in congee with razor clams.  The dish was simple but very pretty, especially when we mixed the runny egg in with the congee.  The sausage had a pronounced meaty taste, almost a little gamey.  The congee was a bit more subtle but its savory flavor still managed to stand out, even against the sausage.  It reminded me of breakfast at home – meat, eggs, and rice – with a little more kick.

For dessert, we were excited to try the Thai iced tea ice cream.  The ice cream seemed like it was freshly made and the Thai iced tea flavor was perfect in this solid form.  We were pretty full after everything but I don’t think a Thai dinner would have been complete without the taste of a Thai iced tea.

I definitely enjoyed the food at Kin Shop but I don’t necessarily see myself going back very often.  There were definitely dishes I’d go back for and other dishes I still want to try, but I’d rather not to have too many sweet elements in my meals.  But despite my preferences, I can still appreciate the food at Kin Shop and recommend it to anyone looking for a new and exciting contemporary Thai restaurant.