Ngam has been a success since it opened in 2011, mostly because in a city with a lot of good Thai food, it has found a way to stand out. It’s menu is quite innovative and Chef Hong puts his own twist on many classic Thai dishes. Ngam isn’t the place to go for just traditional Thai food, but rather for something new and different. During peak times the restaurant does get very crowded, so a reservation is highly recommended.
The concept of this place is great. Super fresh, modern, clean Thai food using good quality veggies and meats. Ngam’s policy about modifications and substitutions is pretty liberal and they do a great job of accommodating preferences and allergies.
Nice ambiance, mostly young crowd. The majority of dishes here are noodle based instead of rice (other than fried rices).
Pad Kee Mao. Total hit! This dish, also known as spicy drunk noodles, comes with Thai basil, young peppercorn, carrots, broccoli, and king oyster mushrooms. You can choose from three types of noodles. We got “mah mah,” which is around the size of a soba noodle, although I’m told the flat rice noodles are the most authentic. It’s spicy, very flavorful, and not as oily you’d expect from a noodle dish. Highly recommend this dish, you won’t be disappointed.
Zucchini Pad Thai. Zucchini noodles, Pad Thai sauce, farm eggs, peanuts, garlic, Chinese chives, tofu, and bean sprouts. I had read about the zucchini pad thai and thought it was a pretty awesome concept. It seemed like a good way to eat pad thai without feeling heavy, it came widely recommended, and I happen to like spaghetti squash on occasion. I have to say it didn’t turn out so well in practice. It wasn’t very flavorful because the zucchini noodles were so watery that it diluted most of the flavor that did exist in the dish. The peanut flavor was barely noticeable, which is normally a pretty prominent taste in pad thai (even overwhelming sometimes). It is true that you feel super light eating this, but it’s really just pile of thin zucchini (some long some short) and lots of bean sprouts. It’s a bit too healthy to be honest. I personally wouldn’t get this again.
In both, and with most of their dishes, you can choose whether to add veggies or some kind of meat. The portions are not huge, but will fill you up fine. If you’re really hungry I’d say to get an appetizer as well.
Our server wasn’t the friendliest and didn’t really have much opinion on any of the dishes we asked about. Even though one dish wasn’t a success, I’m inclined to believe the mishap was an anomaly and that the pad kee mao is more reflective of the general quality at Ngam, which is why I still recommend the place. I like Ngam’s innovative, fresh approach and I think it’s worth a try.
