Thai in the 'hood: Leng

In sweltering 100 degree heat, four of my friends got together in Astoria Park to see who could run the fastest mile, a demonstration of just how brilliant men can be sometimes. After the loser was named (JSK, who will have to wear a dress to a bar at some point in the near future) and the four collapsed on the ground for a while, they showered at my place and we ventured out again seeking a place to eat before our ten year high school reunion.

Leng is a handsomely decorated Thai joint that recently opened not far from my apartment, and JSK had heard from another friend that it was pretty good. So off we went, sweating again as soon as we hit the sidewalk, but luckily five blocks isn't enough to make repeat showers necessary.

When we sat down the server brought over a bamboo vessel filled with a heaping mound of thin, crispy noodle threads that had been coated with a sweet, tangy sauce with a hint of spiciness. As you can see, the boys were so hungry they just dove right in with their forks. The pleasantly crunchy, sticky clumps reminded me of a cross between Chinese sachima and Indian bhel puri.

My green tea came in a nice little pot of its own, which I liked.

Predictably, most of us ordered noodles. My pad see-ew was the usual: not terrible, not awesome; standard NYC Thai. This one was too sweet and edged on mushiness, though it was still palatable. A bite of BH's pad thai was better. Judging from this and other recent experiences, I just might have to go back to that most popular Thai dish as my go-to noodle order.