Dine Out : Somtum Der

Somtum Der New York, Somtum Der Restaurant Review

Before setting up shop in New York City, the original Somtum Der brought authentic Isan (Northeastern Thai) cuisine with a contemporary twist to the heart of Bangkok's busy Sala Daeng district. Located in the East Village, the NY outpost features a well lit interior with long communal tables and a counter area with red stool seating that looks into the kitchen. The somtum (papaya salad) station with it's jars of ingredients used to dress their signature dish is also on full display. We started with the Tum Thai, their original style Thai Spicy Papaya Salad made with green papaya, limes, tomato and chilies. It was bursting with bright fresh flavor with a generous amount of heat coming through even though we opted for a mild level of spice. The Moo Ping Kati Sod, grilled coconut milk marinated beef skewers served with nests of coconut scented vermicelli provided a brief respite from the heat which returned with the Pad Ki Pork and Basil, a stir-fried rice noodle dish that featured a balance of bold flavors topped with pieces of yummy crispy basil. If you're a fan of spice, this place definitely delivers as regional Isan dishes are known for a good amount of heat and I had read that they toned it down here for Western palates. The guy at the table next to us was sweating and turning red as he polished off dish after dish so clearly there are people who like the spice. We enjoyed everything that we tried and I would return to explore more of their menu. The portions aren't huge but they're reasonable for the price and we had good friendly service. Are you a fan of Thai food? How about spicy food?

85 Avenue A (5th & 6th)
New York City
212.260.8570

The lucky winner of the Spring Beauty Giveaway is Kim of A Very Sweet Blog. Congratulations Kim! I have a new natural beauty giveaway coming up next week on Earth Day. 

Somtum Der New York, Somtum Der Restaurant Review

Somtum Der on Urbanspoon

41 comments

Vonnish said...

While I'm not big on spice, I really like the vibe that restaurant has. It's got such atmosphere I'd go just to watch my friends eat!

Vonnie

JoaNNa said...

'Thai food is amazing! I'm pretty lousy for spicy food but I love Thai food nonetheless :)

Anonymous said...

I like spicy food! Though I don't think I've ever had Thai food.

Emmylou said...

My husband loves spicy food...he'd love this place:D

Elle Sees said...

i love thai food but i am a wimp when it comes to spicy food!

Lilli said...

Yep I am! As you know is one of my fav, so Id be enjoy this place for sure! And regarding the spice food, Im in as well :) Kisses Rowena! xo

Jackie Harrison said...

Great place to eat the information very detail thank you the images inviting looking delicious to try. Great review.

Unknown said...

Yummy! My husband would love this restaurant!
Beautetude

JOURNAL OF STYLE said...

Haha! My hubby loves it too! An addict!! :-DD I love the atmosphere of this cute restaurant! Looking very cozy and inviting!! Thank you for sharing your tip with us, Rowena!!!

JOURNAL OF STYLE

Anonymous said...

I absolutely adore Thai food and spice! The more the better actually. I haven't ever really explore different regional specialities however.

Kelsey&Kenecha said...

Mmm, everything looks so good! I think Kelsey would love this restaurant x

Florals&Smiles
Twitter

little luxury list said...

Yum, I love Thai food! It is so cool seeing papaya salad being constructed. The beef dish sounds divine too.
Congrats to Kim! It's funny because I was going to send her a Tony Moly lip gloss when I got back to NY! I'll look for other things from his line then :)

xoxo,
little luxury list formerly Chic 'n Cheap Living

Ivana Split said...

I'm happy Kim won because she is so adorable! congrats to her:)
this salad looks amazing....I want to have a papaya salad right now:)
I really do feel hungry...perhaps because this looks so yammy?
thanks for sharing...have a fantastic day!

http://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com

Shireen L. Platt said...

I love anything spicy but surprisingly I'm not a huge fan of Thai food. I think it's because Thai cuisine has a little sour in them and I'm not a fan of anything sourish. :-/

Shireen | Reflection of Sanity

Anonymous said...

I've heard of this place, but I can't believe I've never been there. I just love your photos and the review of the place. Amazing post.

Kay of Pure & Complex
www.purecomplex.com

Elissa said...

I loveeeeee spicy food! I'm not the biggest fan of thai food, but I do enjoy trying new dishes. Everything you tried looks amazing.

xo
Style Wire

Lena L said...

I love good Thai food! I like spice in general, but some Thai restaurants use too much of it or too much of MSG that I go into instant food coma!
Thai market on the upper west side is a decent one in the neighborhood, but maybe I will venture out for something better. :)

Margaret Dallospedale said...

OMG Great place!!! Yum Yum
Kisses
Maggie Dallospedale Fashion diary - Fashion blog

buffalo journeys said...

I love Thai food and spicy stuff. I used to eat spicier, but it has caught up with me over time. Unfortunately, the rest of my family doesn't like anything spicy, not even a little bit, so I'm always having to order two different dishes or just forego the spice altogether.
This sounds like an awesome place. I wish we have more Thai restaurants near where we live.

Paola Lauretano said...

Great place, I love Thai food!!!!
xo Paola
Expressyourself
My Facebook

nycstylelittlecannoli said...

This place looks great I will have to mark it down for when I am in the area of the city. I do like Thai and we have a local restaurant here in my little town (would you believe it) and it is very busy. The weekends you need a reservation to get in! It is so fun to try different types of cuisine and Thai is a good choice indeed! Thanks for the review!!
Rosemary

Unknown said...

Spicy wow wonderful

ALLIE NYC said...

OOoo this looks GOOD!! Summer is coming and I will be dining out more so putting this on my list.

Allie of ALLIENYC
allienyc.com

Vanessa said...

Mmmh, such a yummy post. ^^
Have a nice Thursday...

Unknown said...

The food looks amazing! I'm such a huge fan of Thai food! :)

http://ourruins.com

Anonymous said...

Your photos are always so lovely Rowena!

trishie said...

I love Thai food. So fresh and spicy. We're pretty spoilt for choice here in Sydney so that's lucky

A Very Sweet Blog said...

Those dishes look so good Rowena! Their presentation and taste look delicious. I'm laughing at the guy that was turning red. HaHaHa I can't eat super spicy foods, but many people love it. I am so ecstatic about winning your giveaway! I loved that pouch and all of the products! I'll be showcasing it on my blog! Thank you so much!
http://www.averysweetblog.com/

Anonymous said...

The food looks fantastic! Yes, I love Thai food, especially the curries and stir fries.

www.LUXESSED.com

Stanislava E. said...

Hhahaah the guy next to you sounds funny. Well, all of the food above sounds really exotic to me but I'd love to try it! Especially the salad. I have eaten Thai food once in Bratislava and I loved it! Also, I have heard that Thai food is very healthy. The place looks cozy and nice for dining out! Have a nice day, Rowena! xo

Effortlesslady said...

I love spicy food and this one looks yummy!!
www.effortlesslady.com

Unknown said...

That look so delicious Rowena! I love Thai but I don't think I've eaten authentic Isan food before.

BEAUTYEDITER.COM – Beauty Blog said...

Why dont we have this here in the Philippines? huhu :'( Happy Friday dear! :)

xoxo;
STYLEFORMANKIND.COM
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Anonymous said...

Wow, this just looks way too yummy. Adding this to our NYC to do list.

xx 365Hangers

Corinne said...

It looks great! I'm not a fan of spice though, I never get why people like to be in pain.

Corinne x
www.skinnedcartree.com

Tales of Whimsy said...

This place looks lovely and hoooray for Kim! She's a sweetie!

sonia // daring coco said...

I tried Thai in New York and have to say it was horrible. My cousin who was showing me around kept telling me in general, Asian cuisine in the States was nowhere near as delectable as the food he sampled in Australia. He pegged it down to geography. I kind of agreed considering Mexican food over here does not compare to the deliciousness of the USA hahaha. But I don't mind to be proved wrong on this. If I remember, I'll definitely hit this one up too.

Sxx
www.daringcoco.com

Ivana Split said...

I never had the opportunity to try genuine Thai food, maybe some day:) These dishes look delicious.

Midnight Cowgirl said...

The food looks really good! I haven't eaten a lot of Thai food, but I do like spicy food :)

Blackswan said...

I enjoy dining at places like these. Good food with nice ambience! xoxo

The Dainty Dolls House said...

Looks so good :) xx