Lamoon brings the taste of Northern Thailand –
and plenty of pork – to Broadway in Elmhurst
lefrak city courier | www.qns.com | JLUY 2018 23
»»By Jeo DiStefano
Queens is so diverse and dynamic
that it has two Chinatowns,
the bustling hive
of commerce, culture, and cuisine
that is downtown Flushing, which
features food from all over China,
and Elmhurst, which for many years
resembled a sleepier version of Manhattan’s
Chinatown, populated largely
by Cantonese joints. About a decade
ago it took a turn toward Southeast
Asia, and it’s now the best place in
New York City to enjoy the myriad
complex flavors of Thai cuisine.
The latest entrant is Lamoon, Little
Bangkok’s sole specialist in Chiang
Mai cuisine from the country’s north.
Chef Arada Moonroj’s first restaurant,
it occupies a space hard by the
Elmhurst Avenue subway stop, with
decor that combines a feminine sensibility
with Thai street art. The restaurant’s
name is both a play on the
chef ’s last name and a Thai word that
is perhaps best translated as subtle, or
better yet, soigné, a word much used
by chefs to denote delicacy in cooking
and presentation.
Ms. Moonroj learned to shop at local
markets and pick herbs from her
mother and grandmother back home
in Northern Thailand. She pays tribute
to her culinary heritage with her
Mom’s larb neua ($10), a combination
of ground pork, liver, and pork
belly seasoned with 10 herbs, including
kaffir lime, lemongrass chili, and
Indian long pepper. It packs a lot of
heat, but is great with sticky rice and
the accompanying basket of herbs
and veggies, including crunchy napa
cabbage.
There is a heavy emphasis on pork,
which also appears in kanom jeem
ngeaw ($12), a ruddy soup of pork
ribs, pork blood, ground pork, and
vermicelli noodles in a fiery broth.
The combination of the smoky roasted
chilies, rich pork, and noodles
calls to mind a Thai Bolognese.
The noble pig, or rather its belly,
also appears in kang hung ley, a deeply
rich brown curry flavored with a
Thai style masala imported from Mae
Hong Son on the Burmese border. If
the heat of kanom jeem ngeaw is like
stoking a furnace then that of kang
hung ley is like sitting next to a warm
fire on a winter evening. Perhaps that
explains why it’s served at both weddings
and funerals back home.
Ms. Moonroj even manages to
sneak pork belly into tum kanoon
($12), a salad of stewed young jackfruit
humming with the flavors of
chili and kaffir lime. Eat like a local by
balling up the accompanying sticky
rice and swiping it through the liquid
pooled at the bottom of the plate.
Lamoon is so proud of its sai ua
sausage ($12) that the menu trumpets
it as a signature. It’s yet another homage
to the pig, studded with bits of ear
and flavored with lemongrass, kaffir
and other herbs. Pair it with khao kun
jin ($7), banana leaf-wrapped pyramids
of jasmine rice enriched with
ground pork and just a hint of blood.
Banana leaves are used almost as
much as pork at Lamoon, cradling
side orders of sticky rice and appetizers.
They’re used to great effect in
crab egg plam ($7). Not quite an omelet
and not quite a soufflé, it’s a thin
layer of egg, crab, and shallot grilled
between two leaves. Seasoned with
little more than salt, it has a subtle,
smoky flavor. It’s the very definition
of soigné Thai cookery.
For dessert there’s a play on the
Thai classic sticky rice and mango
($9). It features a rainbow of orbs
colored and flavored with such ingredients
as Thai tea (orange), Thai coffee
(brown), and butterfly pea flower
(blue), which also lends an azure hue
to the refreshing young coconut juice.
Tip: Adventurous eaters should try
abb ong oor ($9), creamy pork brain
in a banana leaf seasoned with turmeric,
chili, lemon grass, kaffir lime,
garlic, and shallot. It has a melting
texture and not a whiff of funk.
Lamoon, 81-40 Broadway, Elmhurst,
(917) 745-1168. Open Mon.-
Fri. 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. and 5-10 p.m.
and Saturday and Sunday 11:30 a.m.-
10 p.m.
dining out
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