Photo courtesy of Yelp
Nestled in a hidden pocket of Little Havana is Miami’s newest gastronomic export. Serving authentic Thai fare with Spanish tapas portions is Lung Yai – your next restaurant destination.
Photo courtesy of Yelp
Atmosphere
The restaurant’s interior is anything but ordinary. Its layout is divided into two sections: a narrow outside patio decorated with dim lighting and an indoor open kitchen bar. The patio offers a few seating options, including a community table for larger parties. Indoors you’ll find an extended kitchen counter that comfortably seats around fifteen guests and provides a front row seat experience to the chef’s performance. If you’re looking for a dinner and a movie, I recommend the kitchen bar.
Grub
Lung Yai offers a delicious menu as well as an eclectic ambience. Its plates range from classic Pad Thai noodles to exotic Palo Moo (slow cooked pork belly with tofu and shiitake mushrooms) to Jungle Curry Fried Rice (long hot chilli with jungle curry sauce mixed rice). The restaurant does justice to the expression “eat with your eyes”. Each dish’s aesthetic design is thoughtfully prepared and mouthwatering, leaving customers with the insatiable desire for more. Notable among the menu selection is the Khao Soi Gai / Nuar which contains fresh egg noodles in a golden curry topped with crispy noodles, coriander, red onions, and your choice of braised beef, chicken breast, or chicken drumsticks. This dish looks something like a science experiment – as the dry crispy egg noodles soak in the steaming citrusy broth, it softens to a velvety texture that instantly melts in your mouth.
Drinks
Oh and did I forget to mention their drink menu? Included with their signature Thai Beer (Singha), Lung Yai’s drink menu offers an assortment of red and white wines to pair with the delectable cuisine. While the menu doesn’t list their alcoholic beverages, the servers give you the run down immediately upon sitting. Also worth noting is their divine Thai coffee. Served with a sweet caffeine punch, this sweet drink doubles as a caffeine nightcap and dessert. Unfortunately, the menu doesn’t offer dessert, but the endless savory selections surely make up for it.
Service
Last but certainly not least is Lung Yai’s top-shelf service. The staff is accommodating, friendly, and efficient without being irritating. They immediately tend to you, explain the carte du jour, and politely explain that once you make an order, you cannot reorder. The restaurant does this to try and accommodate the traffic of customers flooding through the doors and standing in line out front. Here’s an important tip to note before stopping by: if you want to be seated quickly, arrive at the restaurant with all of your guests. Otherwise, staff will jot your name down at the end of the waiting list until your entire party is present. But most importantly, do not forget to order wisely and trust your appetite. Cheers!