Klong

Gleaming copper ribbons undulate like flat egg noodles above Klong’s entrance. Inside, beehive-like lanterns hang above polished wooden tables, and a stone statue of Buddha pops against a backdrop of red screens. These design elements, along with the restaurant’s cement walls and steel statues, sometimes earn the setting the label "industrial," but the food isn’t the stuff of assembly lines. American, Latino, and European influences tiptoe into several dishes, as when chefs lay tuna tartare and wasabi atop crispy tortillas or mix seafood, scallions, and curry powder sauce into fried rice to create the Siamese paella. Desserts such as kao-thom-mud a la mode (sweet sticky rice wrapped in banana leaf and served with coconut ice cream) provide meals with a satisfying conclusion, like when a cop show ends with the criminal paying a fine for having a larger garage than zoning codes allow.