"The next time you’re near Times Square, resist the siren calls of all those chain restaurants and head a few blocks west to Valla Table instead. With a huge menu of classic Thai dishes, this Hell’s Kitchen spot is a reliable crowd-pleaser for a pre-theater group meal. It’s not even close to the best Thai food you’ll ever have, but the portions are big (maybe too big for the tiny, smushed-together tables), and the friendly servers deliver everything quickly. Prioritize the appetizer and noodle dish sections on the menu—that’s where you’ll find the most dependably bold components. The meat and seafood entrees, however, tend to be less consistent. And just make sure to reserve ahead of time, since the small, railroad-style dining room only has about a dozen tables. photo credit: Ciera Velarde Food Rundown photo credit: Ciera Velarde Tao Hu Prik Kluer Very simple, but perfectly executed. This dish is all about crunch, both from the crispy tofu exterior and the fried garlic sprinkled on top. If you have a big group, get at least two orders. photo credit: Ciera Velarde Goong Sarong Another crunchy and satisfying appetizer. These fried shrimp are wrapped in wonton noodles and served with a sweet chili sauce on the side that you should dip your fried tofu app into as well. Each order only comes with four shrimp, and they’ll disappear quickly. photo credit: Ciera Velarde Mom’s Pad Thai This one’s for the spice-intolerant at the table. It’s a textbook rendition of a classic dish, and you get a huge portion of noodles bathing in a salty, sweet sauce. We got the vegetable version, which comes with cauliflower—an unorthodox but welcome surprise. photo credit: Ciera Velarde Pak Mor Kaeng Pu A dish that looks more interesting than it tastes. You get four crab dumplings swimming in a bright yellow nam yaa curry sauce, but the dumplings might arrive cold, and the sauce isn't as spicy as we want it to be. photo credit: Ciera Velarde Khao Pad Pu A huge round of well-seasoned fried rice with bland crab meat and egg lumped on top. It comes with a small amount of homemade sauce on the side that provides some extra flavor, but we wish it was already mixed in. Skip." - Ciera Velarde
