Dinner at Kin Shop (food)

I'm normally not a fan of Top Chef, but I had read some really good things about this modern Thai restaurant from Harold Dieterle, the first season winner of the popular show. As I was visiting a friend in the West Village, we decided to give it a try. All the photos are courtesy of his camera phone as I was not planning any fancy food excursion.

I cannot speak to its Thai "authenticity" as we did not try any spicy dishes, as well as the fact that the restaurant calls itself a "modern Thai" restaurant. Everything we had was delicious, although we did not have anything that I would call truly spectacular. With its tasty, well-executed food, surprisingly reasonable prices, and interesting interpretations, Kin Shop, in my view, is a wonderful neighborhood restaurant definitely worth a visit.

Our appetizers included grilled prawns and pork and oyster salad.

Fried Pork & Crispy Oyster Salad with celery, peanuts, mint & chili-lime vinaigrette. I enjoyed this dish very much. Pork and oysters go well together, and the crunchy textures throughout livened my appetite. Surprisingly light and fit to be called a salad, despite fried pork and oysters.

Grilled Prawns with fresh lime & "phuket style" black pepper sauce. The prawns cost $4 each and had a wonderful grilled aroma. They're not particularly large for the price, but reasonable and well cooked.

Roasted Duck Breast & Red Curry with crispy roti, green mango, fresh herbs & tamarind water. The duck was cooked well, but the red curry didn't really do anything for me, and it was not a particularly special combination.

Braised Goat & Massaman Curry with fried shallots, purple yams, mustard greens & toasted coconut. I really really enjoyed this dish. The flavorful fork-tender braised goat went well with the comforting massaman curry. The accompaniments all worked well and this is a wonderful dish to eat over white rice.

Duck Confit Fried Rice (Can't find it on the online menu). Rice, however, does not come with entrees, and so I decided to order a side of duck confit fried rice. It was a pleasantly large portion for $10. The duck was rich in flavor and not dry at all, which is something that can easily happen with proteins in fried rice.