Looking down the list of this year’s Michelin Star recipients from top to bottom, there seems to be little out of the ordinary. Daniel has secured its third star, joining the all-Manhattan pantheon of French and Japanese all-stars. The two star category is still a little above my pay grade, so you all can patiently await CS to eat through them. Today, we venture to the sometimes-controversial one-star category, to the very controversial one-star recipient: Rhong Tiam.
The Sandra Bullock of this year's Michelin recipients
This unlikely winner, deemed “a good restaurant in its category,” has moved from its West Village location to the current East Village location some months ago. It has also apparently changed names trice, from Penang, then Curve, to the more ethnic sounding Rhong Tiam.
I went for lunch, which could have been either very scrutinizing or very stupid. While it claims to serve lunch from 12:00-4:00 it certainly was not ready for us. And in the daylight, the décor was woefully disappointing. We sat on plastic chairs, and by we, I mean our table of three and a lone diner who was as lost as we were.
Then came of course the food, dearer to my heart than service, décor, or PR. This is apparently how Michelin stars are awarded in any case, sans frills and gimmicks. The first to come up was a sampler of appetizers: bacon wrapped shrimp, pork bun, and curry puff. The bacon wrapped shrimp was certainly delicious, crispy and juicy like anything donning bacon would taste like. The pork bun was good, but sadly not as memorable as the ones served at Momofuku. The single slice of pork belly just doesn’t do it anymore. The bun was also a bit too cold for my taste, as it probably should have been warmer and better steamed. The curry puff was on the contrary nice and piping hot, but a little too cliché.
Once you go Momofuku, you never go back
In heaven, everything is wrapped in bacon.
I was hoping for something edgier...
The main courses were more exciting. I got the drunk man noodle. Nothing particularly smashed about it, but very spicy and very delicious. It is also a good size, and will comfortable fill you up and throw you into a food coma. Then there is the tried and true Pad-Thai. The dish was good, but sadly the accompanying lime was shockingly dry. Even the back-up lime was the same, two drips per tortured quarter. The last entree was just mediocre, and so I’ll just leave you with the picture.
Spicy and intoxicating
A timeless classic
The years have not been kind...
At least it's the size of your face.
For your reference, the criteria for winning Michelin Stars are as follows:
• Quality of ingredients
• Skill in preparing them and in combining flavors
• Level of creativity
• Consistency of culinary standards
• Value for money
In the case of Rhong Tiam it seems that criterion 1 through 4 are no better or no worse than most of the restaurants un-starred in this blog. Value for money is the rather curious when talking about the Michelin guide. Does that mean to say then, that since a tasting menu at Per Se is upwards of $300 dollars, it should be six times more delicious than Degustation or 15 times more so than Rhong Tiam? The chemistry of the categories judged in tandem is nothing short of magical.
Regardless of stars, Rhong Tiam is definitely worth a try if Thai food is something you crave. Not only can you dine in, you can also take out. If do however, decide to drop by, I would recommend going at night time, as it does seem to have a more lively ambiance that Zagat and Time Out would reward.
Like people, restaurants sometimes look better in the dark.
NYT may be onto something, but Michelin stars are a 24 hours commitment!
Chow on star seekers,
Jessie
Rating: 
Rhong Tiam (Closed)
87 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003
