Checking out a new spot: Nur Thai

Chocolate Lava Cake
w/Green Tea Ice Cream

As evident from some of my posts, I have a passion for food, especially unique cuisines. However, a lot of times it is hard to explore when many cuisines are not available with Halal options. That is why whenever I get a chance to eat at a new halal restaurant, I jump at it.

Today my family and I were in Queens and we decided to check out this spot that recently opened up called Nur Thai. It is location on woodhaven blvd in Queens, NY. As we drove to it, I have to say that memories of when we used to live in Queens came flooding back while we drove through Jamaica and the our old stomping grounds.

One thing you have to remember, woodhaven blvd area is definitely not car friendly. Not because it isnt accessible, there is just NO PARKING anywhere. So be aware and be ready to spend sometime looking for parking, especially on a weekend night like we did.

The restaurant is tucked away in between rows of other shop fronts so it is easy to miss. Once I parked, I joined my family in the restaurant where they had already been seated. The space is very spacious and it wasnt as busy as I had expected so that was a pleasant surprise.

Once seated, we looked through the menu and started to figure out what to eat. I have some friends who had already visited this place so I had come with some recommendations. We decided to start with the Appetizer Sampler which came with 2 of each of Spring Rolls, Chicken Curry Puffs, Shrimp Rolls and Steamed Chicken Dumplings. I think that was a good sized appetizer selection for the 5 of us while we waited for our main course.

I decided to order the Thaiger, burger glazed with thai peanut sauce on potato bread with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. We also ordered the Lamb Rack, Duck Basil, Chicken Pad Thai and Chicken Drunken Noodles. The food took sometime to come so we knew it would be fresh and well worth it.

Duck Basil

The Duck Basil was probably the best dish out of all, followed closely by the Lamb Rack. The duck was sliced like steak frites and then cooked with green beans, bell peppers and other veggies, served with a mound of white rice. Biting into the piece stolen from my little sister's plate, I was taken aback by how delicious the duck meat tasted, juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The chili sauce used in preparation was also quite good.

Lamb Rack

And then there was the Rack of Lamb. I dont think I have tasted a juicier set of lamb racks in a while. They were cooked just to the right temperature where they werent rare but they were also not well done. This made the meat juicy but also easy to take off the bone. I think my dad was in heaven eating them.

The Drunked Noodle and Pad Thai were your garden variety thai dishes but having eaten at many thai restaurants, I knew they can be easily destroyed. I have to say that that was not the case here. I tasted the authentic flavor in both the dishes and my mom and sister enjoyed them very much.

Chicken Drunken Noodle

I have to say the one dish I was disappointed in was my burger. Thaiger sounded great but I think the idea wasnt well executed, from serving to the flavor. The way the burger was served, the peanut sauce was poured over the burger, not glazed in it so the sauce ended up soaking the bun and making it really soggy. The buns were also a bit too tall for this burger so once everything was put together, there was no way to eat it as you would eat a normal burger. From the sogginess to the height of the whole burger nothing worked so I had to take it apart and eat it with a fork and knife. I have to say the idea of the peanut sauce was a thai spin but I think the flavor did not play well with the burger.

Chicken Pad Thai

Regardless of a few small disappointments in our entree, we were thoroughly satisfied with the food and ate to our heart's content. And when we couldnt think we could eat more, they brought out the dessert menu. And who can turn down a good dessert. So we ended up ordering off menu when the hostess mentioned that they had Chocolate Lava cake with green tea ice cream. I also placed an order of Thai Iced tea because, well, it is a Thai place!

The cake was phenomenal. Since we decided to only order one, all of us took a piece of the cake and after the first bite, all of us were clamoring to get another. Unfortunately, the server somehow forgot the tea, which never arrived and in its place the check did. So I decided that it wasnt worth waiting for it and we paid the bill. With one appetizer platter, five entrees, and a small dessert, $85 was well within reasonable price for a good evening.

I would highly recommend this place, not just because they have great food and good ambiance, but they have halal duck! Where else would you find that? So be sure to check out Nur Thai at 63-32 Woodhaven blvd, Queens NY. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Thaiger