Thai faves, Vietnamese pho share menu in Greenwood

The family behind the popular Kwanjai Thai in Fremont is betting that Greenwood residents won't want to have to go that far for delicious Thai food. So they've opened New's Noodles, a hole-in-the-wall in the Greenwood business district that serves many Kwanjai Thai favorites — plus the Vietnamese beef noodle soup known as pho (pronounced "fuh").

The menu: There are about a dozen varieties of Thai curries and noodle dishes, including phad Thai. Add your choice of chicken, pork, beef, tofu or shrimp. Vegetarians also have plenty of options. Let the waiter know how spicy you want your food (one to four, with four being very spicy).

Appetizers include spring rolls and crab Rangoon. Traditional Thai soups like tom yum goong and tom kha gai can be a full meal. And you can get that wonderful, sinus-clearing pho in at least six different combinations.

What to write home about: We wanted to try something besides the usual Thai curry for dinner, so we ordered the yellow curry fried rice with chicken ($8.50). It's a large portion — a tasty mix of moist curried chicken, onions, tomatoes, cashews and egg — that can feed at least three people, which is great in these hard economic times. Don't forget to order a cold Thai iced tea ($2.50) to balance the heat in the fried rice.

What to skip: The crab Rangoon appetizer ($6.50) comes with eight fried dumplings filled with crab and cream cheese, but we couldn't taste the crab. The dipping sauce didn't do much to enhance the experience, either.

The setting: Don't go to New's Noodles if you're trying to impress someone. The décor is drab, with mostly bare lime-green and reddish-brown walls. White tile floors reflect harsh fluorescent lighting. When we were there, the barely audible background music was Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean."

Summing up: If you can't decide between Thai and Vietnamese, the answer is New's Noodles. Our meal of yellow curry fried rice, crab Rangoon and Thai iced tea came to $21, including tax and tip. Keep in mind that a 3 percent surcharge is added if you pay with a credit card.

Sanjay Bhatt: 206-464-3103 or sbhatt@seattletimes.com