iCook Thai Cook

Great food, great service

My friend has been here a few times and gotten acquainted with the owner, so she brought me here for lunch one day. She seemed really excited about it so I wanted to see what all the hype was about, especially after their article in the New York Times.

It's a hot pot and Thai street food restaurant in one. Quite an interesting combination.

The staff was so friendly. Our waitress came to our table regularly to ask how everything was she was just very nice in general, as was the rest of the staff.

The owner sent over a small order of their crepes appetizer, on the house, which we really appreciated. The crepes are filled with tofu and similar to Chinese rice rolls. I've never had them filled with tofu and, as I'm trying to find more meatless options when I dine out, I was very happy about that. I might even say that was my favorite part of our meal and I'll definitely have to go back and get a full order of it!

For my entree, I ordered the veggie woon sen and my friend ordered the zabb chicken wings. We also ordered a peanut salad to share.

Flavor wise, I was very satisfied with everything. The woon sen was very flavorful and came with "millionaire sauce" which is like a savory, sour lime based sauce.

The zabb wings were unavailable so they gave us grilled wings instead, with the same sauce. The chicken tasted very fresh and were perfectly grilled. They weren't strongly flavored so they made a nice base for the very flavorful sauce.

The peanut salad had a similar flavor profile to the sauce and noodles: savory and sour. I felt that it was a bit too watery though.

I wish the portion sizes were bigger for the price.

THAILAND ????????
Excerpt from Eat the World NYC:
With only some notes in the city's Thai Facebook groups, a tiny sandwich board outside, and obviously successful word of mouth, the second weekend of life for Thai Cook was a very busy one. Venturing in both days over this past weekend found excited Thai diners filling many of the establishment's tables, a common occurrence in a neighborhood where news travels fast of new openings.

The new restaurant actually exists within the confines of iCook, the all you can barbecue and hot pot joint that took up residence here a couple years ago. Thai Cook brings its own energy to the space, which often would find itself empty during off hours. Hopefully this relationship works out for both, as each might bring the other unique customers.

Noodle soups come in three options all for $5 each here, small portions that allow for the table to order quite a few other dishes without filling up too fast. This style is often seen at the noodle houses in Thailand, where small bowls of noodles can be ordered and re-ordered until full. What translates on their English menu as "braised pork noodle" is nam tok, full of thinly sliced cuts and balls. The broth trends a bit towards the sweet side but naturally this soup desires to be spicy, so ask for the condiment rack and go for it.

Feels like you're in Thailand. The food is fresh, cooked by order and home style. My favorites are: Panang curry pork, shrimp Clay pot, lime fish and of course their signature Tim Thai Cook!

FYI - Plates are made for sharing. Decor is mostly from Thailand. Wall mural was painted by a famous Thai artist. The chef walks around interacting with all the customers. And they love it!

I was surprised to find that there was a new location here. They split the icook space and created a new restaurant. The focus is on authentic Thai street food that would be like what you would find in Thailand. The menu is still growing. I tried the lime mixed seafood and yum "what the heck" which was similar but with some meat and sausage.

I haven't been to Thailand, so I can't say how authentic it is, but I will say that there is something about the flavors that do seem to stand out compared to other Thai places that I've been to.