AUTHOR BIO: Dana Somerstein’s passport is stamped with perfect pizza slices, delicate dumplings, and buttery baked goods. When she’s not chasing her next reservation, she practices real estate and banking law as a partner in Fort Lauderdale.
As LenLen approaches its first birthday, it’s clear this downtown Thai spot has moved past taking baby steps.
Its confidence is well beyond its years. In the Flatiron District, LenLen’s décor evokes a vintage Thai corner store: bold and lively yet carefully controlled, with subtle homages to the ’70s throughout. The drinks are layered and inventive, ranging from boozy and savory-leaning to bright, sweet, and effervescent. The dishes are rooted in Thai tradition, but nearly every offering has a distinct spin on familiar Thai staples. I’d abide this place if it was stuffy, but it’s anything but, and LenLen executes it all as smoothly as the jams that flow from its early-2000s playlist.
From chef Peter Ki Suk Tondreau and Wanisa Torboonsitikorn, LenLen makes its first impression with the cocktails. We tried one alcoholic drink and one non-alcoholic option, since the cool kids aren’t drinking as much anymore. The tomato som tum is a tequila cocktail that lands balanced and layered, savory and bright with hints of pear and tamarind, without ever tipping too far in any direction. For the non-alcoholic option, we opted for the lemongrass manao soda. It was tart, crisp, and flickering with tiny bubbles, refreshing enough in the middle of a New York summer to make waiting for the subway feel briefly less punishing.
The papaya salad keeps the meal moving. Strawberries, an unexpected addition, turn out to be exactly what the dish needs, softening its sharper edges while letting the heat stretch out instead of spike. It’s enough spice to taste it without having to recover from it. This is the kind of papaya salad that makes every other version feel like it’s missing something.
But the duck red curry is where LenLen really gets going. Rich and lacquered, punctuated by cherry tomatoes that burst across the plate. The sauce alone could carry its own dish, but the confit duck leg gives it the right amount of weight, fatty enough to match the richness and balanced by orange segments. Think duck à l’orange, if the duck had spent a semester abroad in Chiang Mai.
The tofu with charred Chinese eggplant is quieter but just as convincing, all soft edges and deep comfort, the sort of plate that could make even the worst Monday feel survivable. We got the garlicky greens to accompany everything, and even at the end of the meal, the cabbage still kept a slight crunch. The garlic was savory and insistent, but not so aggressive that it would keep the vampires, or your date, away at the end of the night.
To finish, our waiter pushed us toward the Thai iced tea crème brûlée, and we’re so glad he did. The custard is creamy and leans more bitter than sweet, with a brûléed crust that adds just enough crackle. The sticky rice ice cream does what good finales should do: takes something familiar and makes it exciting again, swapping mango for strawberries and folding sticky rice and tapioca pearls into the cream itself for a cooler, smarter finish.
At nearly one year old, LenLen feels less like a restaurant finding its footing and more like one already standing on solid ground.
And there is p-LenLen-ty more to look forward to as well: a speakeasy-style concept is planned for downstairs, expected to open toward the end of the summer. LenLen has already moved beyond new-opening jitters. Now we’re curious to see what it does when it heads downstairs.
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