Wondee Siam’s Pork Drunken Noodles (Key Mao Pork): Skimpy Portion & Undesirable Veggies
April 24, 2008
Wondee Siam was recommended to me after the Midtown Pork Drunken Noodle Showdown between Topaz and Pam Real Thai Encore. Pork Drunken Noodles (flat noodles sauteed with Thai Chiles and Basil) is my favorite Thai dish and I haven’t found anywhere that does it better than Topaz. I’m the NYC Food Guy, however, and I have an open mind, so it hurt me that much more when Wondee Siam showed up with two skimpy portions of Drunken Noodles ($8.50 each) filled with the most undesirable and out of place vegetables I’ve ever encountered in any Thai dish.
Cauliflower? Cabbage? Zucchini? What are these vegetables doing in my Drunken Noodles? They’re obviously there to make a severely small portion look heartier and to decorate the appearance of some extremely mediocre pork (tough and stringy). Overall, this dish was greasy, weak on flavor and spice, and a straight up rip off. I usually like to give places more than one chance to impress but Wondee Siam gave me NO REASON to return.
See the rest of my Drunken Noodle Tour here.
Wondee Siam 792 9th Ave b/t 52-53 St. New York, NY 10019
(212) 459-9057
April 24th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
i love pork druken noodles… wait, druken?
April 24th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
Sam I am,
Thanks.
April 25th, 2008 at 1:42 am
That looks pretty miserable for $8.50.
April 25th, 2008 at 9:43 am
hey that food looks so good 🙂
April 25th, 2008 at 10:14 am
ain’t no pork nachos, am i right?
April 25th, 2008 at 3:29 pm
Bad rec, chowsue. Tell the hubby he doesn’t know what ‘real’ Thai food is like! ;^)
April 25th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Awrence – I gotta say that photo of your awful Thai dish is more offensive to me than all the bizarre gay comments on this blog combined.
Reminds me of the time I got a “pastrami” sub from the Subway on 45th St. despite knowing better.
April 25th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Dan,
You said it man. Nothing will ever be pork nachos. MWAH HA HA HA!!!!
Stevenp,
Ha you unearthed the recommendation. Nice detective work. Let’s hope chowsue finds her way here and defends her husband’s honor.
Where’s your top Thai food?
April 26th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
Yeah, I think cabbage is where I would draw the line. Nothing wrong with it, but it has no place in Drunken Noodles.
April 26th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
Cabbage?,
Thank you. Where’s your top Thai food?
August 29th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
I have been smitten with this particular dish since I first tasted it. I am also fortunate enough to have one of the worlds best nearby. I live in Northwest Indiana and if you are ever in this neck of the woods, pop into the 5 star Thai restaurant on Pine Island Drive Near Schererville, Indiana it will knock your socks off!
August 29th, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Lisa,
Thanks for the heads up. I don’t know when and if I’ll find myself in Indiana but Im grateful to know where I’m getting my Thai food if I do. Have you been to NY before?
May 12th, 2009 at 9:48 am
I love Wondee Siam. But it is definitely a restaurant where you have to know what you are ordering. Unfortunately, Wondee is not a restaurant that you order off the regular menu. To get the really great food, you have to order off the Thai menu (which is in Thai). But you can request food Thai style and it makes a world of difference. If you order the drunken noodles Thai style, you get something completely different than what you have in your picture. The pork is hand chopped, you get less of the offensive vegetables, and it is spicy!
There are a lot of other great dishes, they will help you with recommendations if you ask.
May 12th, 2009 at 10:54 am
AggieChef,
That’s some great intel. I had no idea. I’m going to have to give it another shot, maybe tonight. What dishes do you recommend there? Can I order from the Thai menu for delivery?