Chalong is worth a special trip.

We ended up at this Southern Thai restaurant because of its proximity to New World Stages, where we saw A Sign of the Times, a musical review about a woman’s journey set to the soundtrack of our Baby Boomer generation.

The perfectly seasoned coconut crab curry had just enough heat to be pleasant. The crab was lumps of meat and a soft-shelled mini, fried crab. Betel leaves added to the heat. Perfection.

The waiter suggested tossing the lumpu salad before enjoying it. We followed his advice, mixing the fresh oysters, chili paste, seafood sauce, fried shallots, radish slices, fresh mint, cilantro and pea shoots ($16). My friend made it more delicious by topping it with stir-fried leafy greens ($12).

Also good is their fried rice with jumbo shrimp, cilantro, fried garlic and fried shallots ($26).

I recommend both A Sign of the Times and Chalong.

Chalong
Hell’s Kitchen
749 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10019
chalongnyc.com/