Wondee's in Hackensack

[Jason Perlow x]

This is a post I made on Chowhound a few weeks back.  I know we have a few chile heads here (yo, Mamster!!!) so I thought you might enjoy this.

(Posted originally July 11, 2001 on Chowhound.com)

I've been a long time patron of Bangkok Garden on Main Street in Hackensack, a very nice and classy thai place that caters primarily to american and indian clientele, and was convinced this place was the best thai restaurant in northern nj and dismissed going to Wondee's, which is just down the street from Bangkok Garden, for over a year. Boy was that a stupid mistake. We were dressed kinda schlumpy today and we didnt feel like changing, so i figured what the ####, try wondees.

I was astonished to find Wondees had a primarily Thai clientele and a very extensive menu with a lot of vegetarian options. And if you ask for something Thai spicy here, they really take you seriously. Many of the herbs and chilis used in the dishes are grown from Wondee's garden in the back parking lot (which consists of several dozen large pots and planters --- after our meal the owner and chef, Wondee, the restaurants namesake, was even nice enough to give us a tour and an education of the different chili plants, and she gave us some chili seedlings and a asian eggplant plant to grow in our home garden when I mentioned I was into growing chilis!).

I ordered the benchmark dishes for a thai restaurant --Gang Keow Warn (green curry with chicken) and Pad Thai, both of which were authentically prepared and with obvious care and love by Wondee, with lots of herbs and chilis. Rachel ordered "Ocean of Garlic" which was a mixed seafood dish with shrimps, squid, mussels and scallops in a salty and very garlicy sauce, also very good. Appetizers were thai spring rolls (very good), pork sate (heavily seasoned and not dried out, excellent) and Tom Kha Gai coconut chicken soup, which had a lot of chili oil in it, lots of basil and lemongrass -- one of the best I've had. We stuck up a converstation with a thai gentleman who lives in englewood who comes here at least once a week, he had a whole red snapper in a red curry with tamarind sauce, it looked and smelled awesome.

Like sriprathai in queens, Wondee has a large cart with all kinds of thai desserts and snackies including various dried fruits (we brought home some dried green guava with chili, dried mango and dried star gooseberrys) , other salty crunchy looking things as well as the lime green jello-ey thingies cut into diamond shapes. they had a mango and rice dessert on the menu but we didnt elect to try it, we were very full.

One thing of note is that they offer the dishes in small and large sizes, so you can try a lot more different things. We of course overordered and got the large sizes, which are very generous portions, and I ended up taking 3/4 of my curry and half the pad thai home.

[Fat Guy x]

I was walking on Ninth Avenue in Manhattan tonight (checking out the Roosevelt Hotel -- what a scene; but that's a different story) and wandered by a Thai place called Wondee (792 Ninth Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets, 212-459-9057). A longshot, since I think this may be a standard Thai name, but do you know if there's a relationship?

Also, do you have address/phone info for these places you're posting about?

[Rosie x]

Jason--You ordered large portions??? Aren't you suppose to do that so you can have something to eat for breakfast the next day! (BG)

-----

Rosie

[Rachel Perlow]

I clicked this thread because I needed Wondee's phone number and realized Jason never posted the address for Wondee's. Here it is:<p>Wondee's Fine Thai Food and Noodles

296 Main St

Hackensack, NJ

(201) 883-1700

[Rosie]

Wondee's

296 Main Street

Hackensack, NJ

201-883-1700

Lowell and I tried Wondee's last night and Jason was right on target. It was the best Thai food we have ever had. We started with ethereal Thai steamed dumplings and fried spring rolls. Then we moved on to a chicken soup with coconut milk and coriander roots. It was served in a large bowl for four people. It was so delicious and pleasantly hot that I had to stop myself from picking up the large bowl and drinking all of the soup! Entrees were a special of boneless red snapper with a green mango salad; pad Thai (rice noodles with shrimp bean curd, bean sprouts and ground peanuts); Mustsaman curry with coconut milk, potato, peanuts and tamarind sauce and a chicken and pineapple curry with shrimp. All of the dishes were of the "I'd order this again" caliber. They were delightfully hot with fresh clean flavors. Bill came to about ฤ a person.

[tommy]

i too had been to bangkok garden many times, but never wondee's.  and after my meal today, i too agree that this was a mistake!!!

wow.  wondee's was incredible.  we started with crispy duck salad.  i should mention that the best version of this i've ever had is Thai Chef in montclair.  however, wondee made it better (and cheaper).  crispy duck with julienne pepper, apple, papaya, chunks of orange, tangy lime vinegrette.  unbelievable.  a fantastic dish.  mrs. tommy and i were giddy with excitement!

tom yung koong, the classic spicy shrimp soup, was fantastic as well.  i love this soup, and wondee pulled through.  our test has always been the following:  if you cough from the heat and sharpness of the soup after 2 or 3 spoonfuls, it's good!  this was good (coughing all around).

ordered pad thai, only because i treat it as some sort of "thai benchmark."  it was great.  light.  tasty.  also had a small (i *love* that small and large option) chicken with ginger, which was better than the best that i've had (which was at Bangkok City in hoboken, at it's peak about 6 yrs ago).  the sauce/broth was incredible.  lots of vegetables.  a generous portion for the 5 or 6 dollars.

i'm looking forward to returning to this place again and again.  i think it's BYO as well, which, you know, makes me happy.

props to the egulleters who have rekindled my excitment for NJ dining.  i think i'm going to the Trackside in Ramsey tonite.  report to follow (if it's notable).

[Jason Perlow]

i too had been to bangkok garden many times, but never wondee's.  and after my meal today, i too agree that this was a mistake!!!

Yeah, its mind blowing how good a Thai restaurant that little place is.

ordered pad thai, only because i treat it as some sort of "thai benchmark."  it was great.  light.  tasty.

Actually the Pad Thai made with  the cellophane noodles is even better -- although if you want a real treat, order her "sphagetti kee maow" but tell her to do it the original way with the flat rice noodles, thai spicy. It rocks.

[Rosie]

"i think i'm going to the Trackside in Ramsey tonite.  report to follow (if it's notable). "

Tommy--let us know even if it isn't notable.

[tommy]

went back to Wondee's tonite.  it's just wondeeful.  hehe.

had the tom yum soup with mushrooms (no shrimp).  it's cheaper than the tom yum koong, and it has lots of mushrooms.  this is perfect for mrs. tommy, as she doesn't like shrimp in soup and *loves* mushrooms.  

had yum woon sen, mueng bean noodle salad with minced chicken.  a *huge* portion, although it's probably meant to be entree size.  quite good.

roasted crispy duck with onion, pepper and basil was pretty good as well.  chopped up totally crispy duck.  fried basil leaves were a nice touch.  

i just love this place. :)

[jhlurie]

Tommy,

Now that you've been "converted" into an attendee of Wondees and China 46, have you also tried Kinara, in Edgewater, for Indian food? :)

[tommy]

Quote: from jhlurie on 2:45 pm on Jan. 9, 2002

Tommy,

Now that you've been "converted" into an attendee of Wondees and China 46, have you also tried Kinara, in Edgewater, for Indian food? :)

baby steps.  baby steps. ;)

[Rachel Perlow]

They have a special of Soft Shell Crabs right now that is so good. These crabs were bigger than the one's I had at America last week!

[Rosie]

Be sure to check Jason's article on Wondee's in the NJ section of the NY Times December 19, 2004. Great article Jason. It's always a pleasure to read your reviews.

[Jason Perlow]

New Wondee's pics:

Tom Yum Goong soup

Thom Kha Gai soup

Moo Ping

Larb Gai

Fried Crispy Thai Catfish with Green Mango Salad with Cashew Nuts

Bean Thread Noodle Pad Thai

Pumpkin Custard

[Pan]

Looks good, Jason! I want some of that Thai food now!

Did anyone ever find out whether there's any connection between this place and Wondee in Manhattan?

[Jason Perlow]

No, there is no connection at all.

[Rachel Perlow]

Re: the fried catfish dish.

This is from the all-Thai menu (no english on it). We had been discussing it with Tom (Wandee's husband), and he mentioned it and I ordered it. I think it is probably a very good representation of a Thai classic, however, I wouldn't recommend it unless you like proteins fried to the point where it is all crunch and no moisture left in the fish. The salad part is wonderful though, and you can order it atop your choice of fried fish filet. I've had this before and it is excellent (which is why Jason recommended it in the Quickbite).

[ghostrider]

Gosh that Moo looks good.

The usual question: is this review /article likely to appear in the Times on line? I believe someone once mentioned that there's usually a delay?

I never buy the print edition any more.

Only NJ item I see there today is a review of 49 Main in Lambertville as a $25 & Under.

Edited December 20, 2004 by ghostrider (log)

[Jason Perlow]

It will probably appear in the NYT archive in about a week.

You can find my older stuff here:

http://query.nytimes.com/search/query?quer...full&srchst=nyt

[ghostrider]

Thanks! Fun catching up on your reviews. I'll check back for Wondee.

[Jason Perlow]

The Wondee's piece is now avaliable in the NYT archive:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html...751C1A9629C8B63

[ghostrider]

Thanks! That's a wonderfully pithy review.

Makes getting up to Wondee's one of my top New Year's resolutions. Yes I know it's shameful I haven't already gotten there. Too much inertia.

[pbrodsky]

I was inspired by Jason's recent photographs to go to Wondee's twice this week. I had tried it a while back and thought it was rather bland, but either we ordered badly or they were having an off day -- I have changed my mind and thought the food was excellent.

[ghostrider]

Finally!

Tom Yum Gai was excellent, lemon-grassy & fish-saucy, with some bite to it.

Keang Pa ("old fashioned Thai curry") w pork - lots of bamboo shoots, green beans, mushrooms, carrots, green pepper, basil & lime leaves. Very fragrant, not a particularly rich or salty curry, perhaps not their best offering, but satisfying.

Mee Krob + Thai Salad, first rate.

So much more I want to try on that menu. Wish they were closer. Found the place easily, coming down from Paramus, after turning the wrong way onto Fairview - WHY don't road signs in this area EVER say simply North or South, they always name some damn town instead & you have no idea whether it lies in the direction you want to go. Then getting out of Hackensack to head south is a nightmare, I always wind up in some industrial wasteland & then suddenly I'm in Teterboro, which is not where I want to be. Oh well, a couple more trips to Wondee's & I'll get the hang of it.

[ghostrider]

Thanks to another session with MSN MapPoint, navigated our way to & from Polifly Ave with no hitches this time.

Wondee's was only half as crowded (a bit less than half full) tonight as it was exactly one week ago. How does one explain that?

We shared a Som Thum, the classic green papaya salad, thick shreds, ground peanuts & dried shrimp, chopped green beans, a few cherry tomatoes for contrast, a sweet-hot dressing. Crunchy, fiery, refreshing.

Sheila had their version of Singapore Chow Mei Fun - sorry, I've lost the Thai name. Absolutely delicious.

I'd gone there intending to have the Moo Ping, but, as happened last week, the menu & my appetite of the moment overruled my initial plans. I went for the Pad Khing w pork - mushrooms, black fungus, onions, green & red pepper, some cabbage & celery, a black bean sauce, & most important, lots of SHREDDED GINGER ROOT.

I have been searching for a place that uses sufficient ginger in dishes like this since we moved to Jersey 14 years ago. Usually I have to go back to NYC or cook my own when I need a serious ginger fix. No more. Wondee's does it right. I am ecstatic.

Heartfelt thanks to Jason & everyone else who championed Wondee's here, & to all those who made eGullet a reality. I'd never have gotten connected to Wondee's without all of you.

Wondee's is one of North Jersey's treasures, no question about it. It's worth the drive time to get there.

And there's so much more of that menu to go through....

Edited February 27, 2005 by ghostrider (log)