Back when The Hipsters lived in NYC we ate a ton of Thai food. There was a joint called Jasmine that we ate at probably once a week. And many, many times at Penang. And Lemongrass Grill. But way before my years in NYC — back in the days of San Fernando Valley glory with Hipster Parents — we probably went for Thai at least once a month or so at this place called Lanna Thai that used to be a pool showroom and still had the water-filled pools in the middle of the dining room. Occasionally a child or drunken adult would take a dip. They put up varying types of barriers over the years, but people still seem drawn to falling in the water on their way to the bathroom. Our experience with Thai food in NJ has been less successful, however. In terms of consistency and quality. We’ve moved around from place to place trying to find “our” Thai place. We thought we had it in Kai Yang — which is still decent — but for some bizarre reason stopped selling beef. It’s not that we need beef, but it would be a nice option to have. And Hipster Jr. is a beef guy.
So on to the next one. Because we must have our spring roll, pad Thai and pad see ew fix. I feel like this space was a million things before it was Sukhumvit. It was some joint generically called The Spot. And the ill-fated and ill-conceived Mac Attack Gourmet Cheesery. Somewhere in there it became Sal’s Gastronomia, which sounds like an Italian stomach ailment. The point is, both COVID and whatever curse has been placed on this location had it flipping faster than a coked-up chimp. So it was with great surprise that this place opened in late 2022 and I somehow walked and/or drove by it 100 times without realizing it was neither a Mac ‘n’ Cheese counter, nor a weird Mediterranean sandwich shop. Because, again, we’re always looking for new and better Thai food to indulge that craving.
The thing is, it looks like Sukhumvit is actually making a go of it. This ain’t no vegan bakery or a five-year-old’s powdered-cheese fever dream. No, it’s what the ladies would call cute. Decorated in what my white-guy eyes would call modern Thai. Dark blue and gold with nice-looking banquets and comfy-looking velvet chairs. A painted tin ceiling and funky lighting. Like a West Elm showroom in Bangkok, if such a thing exists. We got our food to go, but could have definitely stayed for a bit if all the tables weren’t full. Which was really nice to see. And the food was actually decent. And plentiful. They didn’t skimp on the chicken in the pad Thai, and it was less greasy than it can sometimes be. Sukhumvit’s noodles were well-cooked in the pad Thai, pad see ew and pad woon sen and didn’t show up in that giant gummy noodle ball that can sometimes happen when you get Thai to go. It also didn’t cause any heartburn or general upset amongst any of our crew. All in all, it proved itself a worthy successor to our former go-to. Next time I’d like more peanuts in my pad Thai, but who am I to quibble?
104 Walnut St. – Montclair
973/860-7225
sukhumvitnj.com
