Thai Chef, Englewood

[menton1]

A sleek modern, minimalist design greets you in this new, recently-opened restaurant. Tables are roomy and comfortable. The "wall of windows" adds an airy touch.

This is really a fusion Thai, with a lot of French influence. Place is fairly new, so service was a bit spotty, with the dishes not timed quite right. But the quality of the food more than makes up for it.

Thai salad is typical, a nice peanut dressing, but the presentation of this and all their dishes is beautiful. The spicy shrimp soup is flavorful and interestingly different. Also the crispy duck salad wsas excellent.

For main courses, they have a few categories: Grilled, where we got a terrific Tender of Beef, in a very interesting Roasted Tamarind Sauce, with a beautiful little arrangement of vegetables on the side. A stumbling block was the Rack of Lamb, large and cooked perfectly rare with a nice coating of Thai spices on it, with the same vegetables. The problem was that it had an inedible large white sinewy membrane running through it. We sent it back and they apologized. They have a big selection of Noodles, we did not get these this time. Then there are the Sautees, with 3 choices of sauces-- Hot Pepper, Ginger, or a Wild Mushroom. The Loin of Pork with Hot Pepper was terrific with a nice assortment of veggies and a great sauce that was nice and hot. The scallops with ginger were cooked nicely, with different appropriate veggies and a nice ginger sauce with a ginger kick.

Desserts are homemade, but we were too full this time.

All in all, a nice addition to the area, they should iron out the kinks.

Thai Chef,

63 Nathaniel Pl,

Englewood (201-227-7487)

Edited February 9, 2004 by menton1 (log)

[menton1]

Is it true that they are opening another Thai Chef in Riverside Square? Seems a bit close to Englewood....

Anybody been to Thai Chef in Montclair? Same owners?

[Jason Perlow]

Same owners. They also own Kratiem in Englewood as well. Nearly identical menu except Thai Chef has some more french stuff and desserts.

[jhlurie]

Yes, it wouldn't surprise me if they wanted to open a Riverside Square mall location. They seem to want 2 or 3 locations in every town.

Reactions to both Kratiem and the Montclair location are scattered somewhere here in the NJ forum. The consensus seems to be... they are reasonably good, but our friend Wondee in Hackensack shouldn't start worrying all that much. They aren't serving the same market as her.

[janbee]

I've been to the Thai Chef in Montclair and it was DEE-licious. I've been promising myself another trip back, but Englewood is much closer for me. A Riverside Square location would mean that lunch excursions would be possible!!!!

I hope the restaurant doesn't suffer by adding locations. My dining experience in Montclair was a treat...

Janbee

[Jason Perlow]

Yes, it wouldn't surprise me if they wanted to open a Riverside Square mall location. They seem to want 2 or 3 locations in every town.

Reactions to both Kratiem and the Montclair location are scattered somewhere here in the NJ forum. The consensus seems to be... they are reasonably good, but our friend Wondee in Hackensack shouldn't start worrying all that much. They aren't serving the same market as her.

According to KT at Saigon Republic, They already opened a Thai place in Riverside Square but I am not sure if the owners called it Thai Chef or not.

[eggya]

i know the (son of the) chef/owners of kratiem and thai chef (5-6 locations in nj). they also own bluchili and sala thai in nyc. they cook for the princess of thailand and own ALOT of thai restaurants in the nj/nyc area, so if u think of any other thai restaurants the owner is most likely the same as thai chef! i know the the only complaint i heard about thai chef in englewood is the weird location, since such a nice place is in the same area as shoprite and a subway next door.

[tommy]

According to KT at Saigon Republic, They already opened a Thai place in Riverside Square but I am not sure if the owners called it Thai Chef or not.

i poked around there not too long ago looking for a thai restaurant. i don't know why, i just thought that the old rumors might be true. i do know that the Thai Chef people opened a japanese place in Riverside Square about a year ago, but that doesn't really help us.

at the end of the day, while i have enjoyed Thai Chef for years now, if i go to Hackensack, i'll just go to wondees. unless they're closed, or if i'm craving that crab soup or grilled pork that Thai Chef does so damned well.

Edited February 18, 2004 by tommy (log)

[janbee]

Have you ever tried Bangkok Garden in Hackensack? They are also on Main St. in Hackensack, maybe a block or two away on the other side of the street. I think they make the BEST Pad Thai.

I have been to Wondee's only once and it was very good. I will be sure to try it again since many of you speak so highly of it.

I know of the Japanese place that opened in Riverside Square, but did not know it was connected to Thai Chef. Has anyone been there?

Thanks,

Janbee

[tommy]

According to KT at Saigon Republic, They already opened a Thai place in Riverside Square but I am not sure if the owners called it Thai Chef or not.

i poked around there not too long ago looking for a thai restaurant. i don't know why, i just thought that the old rumors might be true. i do know that the Thai Chef people opened a japanese place in Riverside Square about a year ago, but that doesn't really help us.

a sign in riverside square reads "coming soon: thai chef". obviusly this is in addition to the japanese place they opened there a while back.

that's closer to me than both englewood and montclair, so it's a good thing.

does anyone know their website? i used to, but i didn't save it, and now my memory is failing. they used to have 2 URLs, both of which i can't remember.

[pnapoli]

does anyone know their website?

here ya go

[tommy]

does anyone know their website?

here ya go

damn. i tried that, but since my pop-up blocker stopped the lame pop-up, and the title of the page is something totally random, i figured it was one of those crappy squatters. shame on them for having such a poorly designed (and slow-loading) website. (a pet peeve of mine obviously )

thanks!

Edited March 5, 2004 by tommy (log)

[menton1]

I was on that web site a few weeks ago, and it worked a little better than now, but the information on it was about 1 year old... Looks like they need Jason's help on that site!

Be advised, though, that the food here has nothing to do with the type of food served at Wondee's; while not particularly authentic, the place is very attractive and the food is quite tasty and interesting-- the flavors are a fusion of French and Thai. Of course, the ambience blows away Wondee's as well. (Referring to the Englewood location).

[Rachel Perlow]

So I finally visited Thai Chef, today at lunch with my mom, aunt and cousin. The general consensus was that most of the food was good to very good, but that the service mostly ruins the experience. We started with some very good spring rolls. They were crunchy, but not greasy, and we loved the slivers of apples served as garnish, if not the overly sweet dipping sauce.

My aunt had the Pad Thai, which she pronounced good, but not as good as the pad thai she gets ordering take-out in California, when she visits her other daughter. My cousin said her Spicy Seafood Flat Rice Noodle (chow fun) was also very good, and prepared spicy as she ordered it. However, we had some service issues with her dish. It arrived at the table at least five minutes after the other mains. The waitress said it is because the “kitchen is very busy.” However, there were a total of about five tables occupied in the entire place and we suspected that she just forgot to enter the order.

I ordered the Soba Noodle with Peking Duck Salad. I was expecting a salad similar to Kratiem’s Peking Duck Salad (crispy duck, with greens, cabbage, green apple, tangy dressing) accompanying cold soba noodles in some way (on top, next to). What arrived was a large portion of teriyaki glazed duck breast atop warm soba noodles atop sautéed or steamed vegetables. It was delicious, but it just was not what I wanted as it was not “salad” like at all.

My mother had the Crab and Avocado Salad from the dinner menu salad list. This was delicious; big lumps of crab overflowing an avocado half and drizzled with a chunky relish/vinaigrette. However, it was really an appetizer sized portion so she shared some of my ample duck dish.

We preordered one of their famous soufflés. It was very chocolaty and presented nicely with a huge mound of whipped cream and a hot chocolate sauce poured over (more like the beverage than a sauce really). However, it was overcooked and there was no discernable flavor of Grand Marnier, so was rather a disappointment. This and other service issues, many mentioned above (poorly timed dishes), disappearing servers, having to ask for water repeatedly, make me doubt I’ll be going back.

Also, I finally figured out how to load their website. It is way too technically advanced for a restaurant, IMO. The menus were very hard to locate (you have to look under the Montclair location). Plus it has music playing with no way to turn it off.

[tommy]

Also, I finally figured out how to load their website. It is way too technically advanced for a restaurant, IMO. The menus were very hard to locate (you have to look under the Montclair location). Plus it has music playing with no way to turn it off.

if you have a pop-up stopper you end up staring at a blank window with no heading or anything. for months i thought the site was messed up, or that i had the wrong one. quite frustrating.

[menton1]

Everyone I've spoken to finds the service here spotty, as I have also reported in my little story above; However, some of their food is quite memorable, including the grilled beef in roasted tamarind sauce. It is also beautifully presented. The good food along with the terrific sleek ambience and the moderate pricing does merit an occasional visit, IMHO.

[tommy]

Everyone I've spoken to finds the service here spotty, as I have also reported in my little story above; However, some of their food is quite memorable, including the grilled beef in roasted tamarind sauce. It is also beautifully presented.  The good food along with the terrific sleek ambience and the moderate pricing does merit an occasional visit, IMHO.

what pains me to this day is that when they were open in montclair, before the expansion, about 10 people knew about it. service was top-notch. food incredible. after that expansion, it lost just about all appeal for me. it's really a shame, as, to me, this is a great restaurant that simply lost its way: horrible service, slow, spotty food, a freakin train wreck overall at times.

good pork chops, though.

Edited June 10, 2004 by tommy (log)

[menton1]

Everyone I've spoken to finds the service here spotty, as I have also reported in my little story above; However, some of their food is quite memorable, including the grilled beef in roasted tamarind sauce. It is also beautifully presented.  The good food along with the terrific sleek ambience and the moderate pricing does merit an occasional visit, IMHO.

what pains me to this day is that when they were open in montclair, before the expansion, about 10 people knew about it. service was top-notch. food incredible. after that expansion, it lost just about all appeal for me. it's really a shame, as, to me, this is a great restaurant that simply lost its way: horrible service, slow, spotty food, a freakin train wreck overall at times.

good pork chops, though.

You have seemingly contradicted yourself here; were you in-between some adult beverages when you wrote this?

[tommy]

Everyone I've spoken to finds the service here spotty, as I have also reported in my little story above; However, some of their food is quite memorable, including the grilled beef in roasted tamarind sauce. It is also beautifully presented.  The good food along with the terrific sleek ambience and the moderate pricing does merit an occasional visit, IMHO.

what pains me to this day is that when they were open in montclair, before the expansion, about 10 people knew about it. service was top-notch. food incredible. after that expansion, it lost just about all appeal for me. it's really a shame, as, to me, this is a great restaurant that simply lost its way: horrible service, slow, spotty food, a freakin train wreck overall at times.

good pork chops, though.

You have seemingly contradicted yourself here; were you in-between some adult beverages when you wrote this?

just finishing up most likely.

what part didn't you understand? i'll type more slowly for you next time.

Edited June 14, 2004 by tommy (log)

[menton1]

.what part didn't you understand? i'll type more slowly for you next time.

Yes, and make sure the "num lock" is lit!

Your rant "Horrible place" followed by "great pork chops" reminded me of the

Yogi-ism "Nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded!"

[Rachel Perlow]

actually, what he said was "horrible service," which in no way contradicts saying they also have great food (pork chops).

[Jason Perlow]

Pawana, another Thai restaurant, has opened up in the Thai Chef space.

Initial impressions -- excellent. Prices are also not out of line.

[Rachel Perlow]

As Jason noted above, the Englewood location of Thai Chef is closed (actually, it has been for some time), so I'm closing this thread. Please see the link above for more information on the restaurant that has taken its space, Pawana.