Open in Smithtown: Raan Thai
Raan Thai's shrimp mango curry Credit: Joan Reminick
Keep your eyes open and you'll spot a lovely new Thai restaurant situated in the corner of the Smithtown strip mall that's also home to Blacksmith Tavern. Raan Thai opened last month under the ownership of newlyweds Tom and Natthamon Hongthong; he’s host and manager, she’s chef.
As I found out on a recent visit, Natthamon Hongthong turns out some very good soups ($4.95). Both tom yum goong (shrimp lemongrass hot and sour soup) and tom kha gai (chicken coconut soup) were fragrant, with that complexity of flavor you look for in Thai cuisine.
A Thai pork omelet was crisp, satisfying, paired with fiery Sriracha sauce. A huge hit at our table was shrimp mango curry ($16.95), with jumbo crustaceans, zucchini and mango in a nuanced yellow sauce. Fine pad Thai ($10.95) rice noodles with egg, ground peanuts and chicken), too.
If the surname Hongthong sounds familiar it’s because Tom is the brother of Long Island Laotian food maven Penn Hongthong, who has written several cookbooks on the subject.
Raan Thai is at 203 Terry Rd., Smithtown, 631-656-5887
Raan Thai's shrimp mango curry
