My wife Jun and I are always big fans of Thai food, especially the spicy ones that make you sweat like a crazy person but still taste so addictively delicious. When I heard that the husband and wife duo behind the still insanely popular Uncle Boons decided to open a more casual counter service spinoff to replace what was formerly Mr. Donohue’s (which I was very sad to see go), I knew we had to try this place too. Overall, it was a delicious meal for me when we visited on a recent Friday evening, although Jun wished that the dishes had more spicy kicks to them.

Uncle Boons Sister is nothing like its more formal sister. You place orders at the counter, get your dishes probably within ten minutes, eat and leave within 30-45 minutes after the food arrives. While you won’t find a “regular” restaurant experience at the place, what you will find is tremendous value (no single dish exceeds $15 and you can probably eat very well after ordering three for two people). Always make sure to start your meal with curried lamb pastry with sweet chili sauce that provided a nice flavor before we jumped onto the main dishes. In retrospect, Jun and I should’ve asked which dishes were on the spicier side. The soy and anise braised duck leg over rice with mustard greens and organic egg was not bad, but it lacked any semblance of spiciness or bold flavor. Crab curry over ride noodles with pineapple and Thai herbs was delicious but again, we wondered what would’ve happened if the kitchen decided to add some chili to add another dimension to this dish. On the other hand, phat thai (that traditional Thai take-out favorite for Americans) was very good, with nice texture to the rice noodles with dried shrimp and taramind sauce that Jun instantly approved (although the prawns on top of the noodles could’ve come out with a little bit more freshness). Overall, I thought the dishes were still prepared with the same thoughtfulness that I had seen at Uncle Boons, and Jun thought the kitchen needed a little bit of work to spice things up a little bit more.

The restaurant doesn’t take reservations and the dining space is quite tiny, but you won’t have problem getting seated in short order due to the quick turnover. Don’t bother with tasteless red wine we had but just order some beer to wash down your food. The restaurant doesn’t take any cash, so bear that in mind on your trip to the restaurant. I’m interested to see how our experience would’ve been different if we visit next time and order food with a singular focus on having the maximum spice level. Uncle Boons Sister is not the next best Thai restaurant, but for a quick casual meal to get your fix on Thai food, it will certainly do the job.

KenScale: 8.0/10 (Jun’s Score: 7.5/10)

• Creativity: 7.5/10
• Execution: 8.0/10
• Ingredients: 7.5/10
• Flavor: 8.0/10
• Texture: 8.0/10
• Value: 8.5/10

Address: 203 Mott Street, New York, NY 10012

Telephone: (646) 850-9480

Website: https://www.uncleboonssister.com/