Wayla

Wayla Makes a Persuasive Case for Noodle-Wrapped Meatballs | The New Yorker

"Tucked into a basement on the Lower East Side, I found Wayla to have one of the neighborhood’s lovelier secret gardens—hidden past the bar, through a narrow room of tables, with large palm plants, candles and twinkle lights—and a cozy, seafoam-tiled bar where I sipped a Land of Smiles (a Thai-chili-tamarind margarita) while waiting. Reservations are scarce (skip the online system and call a few days ahead), the garden is first-come, first-served with waits that can stretch beyond two hours, but the hospitality is high. The restaurant has a runaway-hit dish, the Moo Sarong: according to a waitress, each garlicky pork meatball is assembled by hand—wrapped in a single long wheat noodle and fried to a crispy, stringy exterior with a juicy center—and served with a sweet chili dipping sauce that makes six disappear in a flash. I also loved the Nam Prik, an elaborate tray of butter lettuce, baby carrots, cucumbers, okra, Thai apple eggplant and chicharrones served with three condiments (ground pork with tomato like a zippy ragù; fruity, slightly hot spicy mushrooms; and chopped shrimp in coconut milk with a touch of fish sauce, creamy and comforting). The proteins are the pièces de résistance: Gai Tod Hat Yai is a juicy half chicken on the bone, fried, sliced and served with a mint-garlic vinaigrette the server called “crack sauce”; Larb Pla Tod is branzino cut from the whole fish, cubed, fried, tossed with mint, lime and chilies, piled back on the fish and showered with rice powder; Sen Chan Pad Lobster is essentially a sweet-sour pad Thai studded with tender lobster chunks. The Kua Kling Kung shrimp builds heat slowly until your mouth is on fire (the Thai iced tea with oat milk and bourbon proved essential), and there are other temptations—plum-sauced chicken wings, fried rice with fresh lump crab, a seared strip steak on a cast-iron pan, and jackfruit-coconut ice cream. Opened in late April, Wayla is helmed by chef Tom Naumsuwan (who grew up in Bangkok) and co-owned by Erika Chou; dishes run about $8–$36." - Shauna Lyon