Malaysian food at Nyonya and Donald Draper
It's always more difficult to figure out why some dishes appeal to the palate and some do not. There's a huge long list of such things. Those foods that I didn't grow up eating or foods that I don't know how to prepare are at the top of this list, and one such dish is pad thai. Most recently I got pad thai from Nyonya on Grand Street in Chinatown. It was really delicious and affordable. However I'm not sure what distinguishes it from other pad thai. I just don't know why it's delicious or which characteristics appeal to me. It just does. It's delicious and I loved it. Not everything in life works like that though. I recently started watching the TV series, Mad Men. I don't even like it, but I keep watching that shit. Something is WRONG with me.
There's lots of similarities between Nyonya and Mad Men. Both are pretty well-received by the masses. Nyonya is one of the better Malaysian places in Manhattan, and Mad Men is one of the more critically acclaimed show on TV right now. I suppose that at a Malay place, it would be more appropriate to get a dish that's not the national dish of Thailand. I don't think this stuff through though people.
Comparing pad thai at Nyonya to Donald Draper, the main character of Mad Men, we find more similarities. The pad thai dish is a good dish. I find myself liking it more and more with every bite. Sure, on the surface it looks like every other pad thai I've ever seen, but Nyonya really nailed down the taste and flavors. Good ole Draper is also a good character. He's imperfect, as you can tell by his shady adulterous morals, but somehow he pulls you into the show. You don't know what those damn writers are doing, or how they're playing tricks with your mind, but you keep watching. After a while, you realize, "Well, I do kind of like it... but I don't know why..." And that's where Draper and pad thai share this trait that I speak of... this blindfolded appreciation of something. It's almost like my senses are robbed of any ability to discern acute differences, but on the whole, I know how I feel about the thing.
I've had a few different family style meals at Nyonya before. They're versatile that way. You could just get some pad kee mao or pad thai to go. Or you could get a group of friends and order everything you want. When I went to get my pad thai take-out that day, there was a group of 20 people in the back. So you know they can accommodate large parties. Last month Grub Street reported that Nyonya was going to expand across the street. I didn't even notice the expansion so couldn't tell you if it's open or not. It doesn't matter though, the original is still going strong. Nyonya is one of the places I always recommend when someone wants a solid place for Malaysian food. Hopefully though, you'll know why you like the place. Don't pull a Donald Draper.
Nyonya
199 Grand Street.
New York, NY 10013
212-334-3669
@FN,
Thanks for the link, it's always nice to see some cheap and delicious Malaysian food. Man... we need some of those little carts here!
@dee,
You're right, what was I thinking?! He's a Mad Men!
Danny
August 24, 2009 9:20 am
You like Malaysian food? You like it cheap and good? Come one over and check it out, Pilgrim:
http://pufflist.blogspot.com/2009/08/bukit-china-stalls-malacca-malaysia.html
FN
August 21, 2009 8:45 pm
thai food is my fave.
AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH DON DRAPER!
lol
dee
August 24, 2009 5:02 am
I
Janice
August 26, 2009 11:17 pm
Comment monster doesn't like it when you draw silly hearts either.
I heart Nyonya. And Ferrara's across the street from it. Spicy noodles and gelato are perfect together.
Janice
August 26, 2009 11:18 pm