Kin Shop is a contemporary Thai restaurant owned by Chef Harold Dieterle, first winner of Top Chef and proprietor of Perilla and The Marrow, also located in the West Village.  Of the three locations, we are the biggest fans of Kin Shop and have visited on multiple occasions.

9/7/2011  First Visit

There has been quite a bit of press surrounding Kin Shop since Chef Harold Dieterle was a Top Chef winner and he already owns Perilla around the corner. Perilla has done well over the years, but this new spot is Contemporary Thai which is a change for him. The reviews have been pretty amazing and Sam Sifton of the New York Times awarded him two stars. So off we went to check it out.

The atmosphere surprised me a bit. It was very casual with Thai influence. The theme is a soft sea green with banquettes and Asian chairs. We lucked out and got the only cool booth featuring a pair of Asian two-seater benches placed right in the window. There is a long granite bar and a chef’s counter where you can be seated to watch the cooking.

Apparently “kin,” is the Thai word for “to eat” and that we did! We checked out all the recommended dishes. The menu is meant to be shared, so we took a friend and ordered up a pile of food. Complementing kin shop‘s menu are Thai-influenced specialty cocktails, which are deliciously fresh and clean. Each one has a fantastic balance of flavors to compliment the spiciness of our dishes.

ALL of the cocktails are highly recommended! My favorite dishes were the VERY spicy duck, the pork belly and oysters, as well as the noodle dish. Everything was cooked to perfection and the flavors were big. Even on the noodle dish. It may have beat Ippudo, which was the winner of our Noodle smackdown last year! This is a place I’d like to visit again and again. I’d even stop in on a summer day for one of the cocktails.

Some of my favorite cocktails are the Kin & Tonic with Hendrick’s gin, St Germain, cucumber, cilantro and tonic, the Phuket Fill with vodka, pineapple and thai basil and the ALM made with gin and thai pickle brine.  Yummm!

Spicy Duck Laab Salad 13

toasted rice, ground chili & romaine hearts

Fried Pork Belly & Crispy Oyster Salad13

celery, peanuts, mint & chili-lime vinaigrette

Massaman: Braised Goat 22

fried shallots, purple yams, mustard greens & toasted coconut

4/4/2013  Update

Kinshop is now close to my new employer and has become a bit of a regular spot.  I LOVE the Steamed Pork Meatball Soup and pretty regularly get the Stir Fry of Aquatic Vegetables as a side.  I went this weekend with a friend and we had the Miang of Smoked Trout, which was a little mouthful of amazing flavor and the Steamed Chicken Meatballs, which I liked for chicken.  The green sauce was great.  It is quite unfortunate I forgot a few photos, which seems to happen almost every time I go!

Steamed Pork Meatball Soup 12

crispy garlic, bok choy shoots & black soy sauce

Miang of Smoked Trout 15

apricot, choy sum, chili jam & fish sauce caramel

My goal is to continue to go to Kinshop and replace the photos with my own!  These old posts get me down when I go back in time.  Harold Dieterle has opened a 3rd restaurant since my original posting called The Marrow.  Naturally we checked it out almost immediately and loved it.  The concept is Austrian/Italian.  Click through to our review for an explanation!

http://kinshopnyc.com/

469 Sixth Ave. – West Village