Bodhi Tree

I always walk past Bodhi Tree and they always have a sign outside advertising some kind of fantastic deal, on lunch and noodles at dinner. I had to find out if it was really a bargain.

For around $8, you get a noodle/rice dish and two appetizers--the price will vary depending what protein you choose. My main dish was chicken pad thai. It definitely has a lot more flavor than most pad thais I've had in New York, but it's pretty heavy--it's so sweet and sticky, so it may not be suited for everyone's tastes. However, it's still good, and the chicken is quite moist, so it might be worth trying if you're feeling adventurous and want something a little heavier than the bland, Americanized Thai food that is so common.

My two appetizers were the crab cakes and tofu tom yum. The crab cakes weren't very good, I'm afraid. They don't have very much flavor; I'm not sure I would've known it was supposed to be crab if it wasn't called crab cakes. They're fried with some kind of batter too, and there is much more fried batter than filling. However, I liked the tom yum a lot. The tofu was nice and soft, and the vegetables were well-cooked but still had some bite. The broth itself was very flavorful, and the sourness really boosts your appetite.

Last week I posted about another Thai place, Spice. I would say the noodles at Bodhi Tree and Spice are pretty much the same "level;" they're well-cooked and flavorful. The tom yum at Bodhi Tree was better, but just ever so slightly. The fried appetizers at both Bodhi Tree and Spice were misses for me, and were really not worth getting. Although the food is pretty similar in these two restaurants, I would definitely choose Bodhi Tree, for the much more reasonable prices, as well as the decor; Bodhi Tree feels much more cozy and not as gimmicky-trendy as Spice is.

Bodhi Tree
58 3rd Ave. (between 10th and 11th St.s)