Charm Kao

I wasn’t joking when I said I will be back. Brought my bf here yesterday for dinner. Once you open the door, there was a slight musty smell. The smell went away after a bit, so it didn’t really bother me. The food was delicious and we enjoyed every dish we ordered. The dipping sauce for the chive pancake was really good. I even dipped the pork skewers into the sauce. The short ribs dish was very flavorful and the beef was tender.

Don’t let the tiny, unassuming nature of this little gem fool you – it’s got some delicious, well presented Thai food! I came here with my girlfriend for a quick dinner. I got a red curry and she got a basil chicken bowl. Both came with a cute heart shaped rice plate. We both found our food to be flavorful, aromatic, and well seasoned. Not very spicy though, so if that’s what you like I would ask and I’m sure they would accommodate. On a random note, I also liked that the menu breaks down regional specialties so if you are unfamiliar, you can understand a bit more about what regions of Thailand different dishes come from.

Of course, it’s still gonna feel rather Americanized, but this is probably some of the best you can get in Downtown Brooklyn. I’d recommend you hit up Jackson Heights / Elmhurst if you want the real authentic stuff with lots of fish sauce and shrimp paste.

First, I want to say I’m all for supporting small businesses and mom/pop places but I wouldn’t be doing my job as a reviewer if I only gave fantastic feedback but it wasn’t warranted.

The place is charming-only 6 tables.  Portions are tiny.  
– Mommy Shrimp thin small strips of fried roll shrimp.  I couldn’t believe it was $13!  Nothing special about it-like anyone could have found rice paper and fried their own shrimp.  The sauce tasted better than the roll.
-Pad Kee Mow was very good. Right level of spiciness but the portions were again small compared to any place I’ve been (plus when I was in Thailand)l-I could have eaten the whole plate myself but my friend and I were sharing.
-The most disappointing was Hung Lay.  Not for taste but it only had about 4-5 pieces of pork belly.  I thought omg this looks like an appetizer.  I could have eaten the whole thing AND the noodles AND the little rolls and told my friend to GTFO and get his own food.

It was on the board when you walk in as a special.  I pointed to the big “Special: Hung Lay $20” sign and asked what was in it when we were ordering.  Then the bill came and the entree was $27!!  I pointed to the $20 sign.  She said sorry the menu it says $27.  

Wow.  Didn’t even give me the price I saw out of courtesy.  And when I pointed to it when ordering, she did not even say the price is not updated.  Terrible.

The green curry was amazing. Fresh ingredients with incredible spice. Only a couple tables.

A tiny restaurant on the corner of Hoyt and Schermerhorn. Six small tables, just as many chairs, and a bench seat that spans the longest wall. The kitchen is visible over the counter and they are putting in work back there! Everything was delicious! List of what I ordered below

1) Ginger iced tea. Mellow sweetness, ginger flavor is present but not overpowering
2) Thai iced tea. My friend said it was really good.
2) Chive Pancake. Good. Reminded me of the filling of fried spring rolls. I was expecting flat pancakes but these were good too.
3) Thai Fried Rice with Shrimp. Sooooo good. The rice was immediately fragrant as soon as they started cooking it and that’s always a good sign. The shrimp were really big and properly cleaned. There were pineapples, carrots, and scallions. I demolished it.

If I lived in Brooklyn this would be a regular spot for me. Many people came in for takeout and there were several delivery orders picked up as well, so this is clearly a local favorite. I get it.