Restaurant Review: Green Papaya Thai Cuisine in Flushing

Green Papaya Thai Cuisine is a Thai restaurant in the heart of Flushing's Chinatown. Wedged between a couple Chinese restaurants, Green Papaya stands out in the neighborhood for its rich, bold curries and friendly service. The quality of the food is consistently high. This restaurant will satisfy a group with their stomachs set on Thai food.

Green Papaya Thai Cuisine is an outpost of Thai cookery in downtown Flushing's East Asian mix and a real stand-out on Prince Street, which is known for its Taiwanese restaurants. The Thai curries, noodles, soups, and stir-fries (pad prik and others) are consistently delicious. I have been pleased with every dish I've sampled. The flavors are full and rich and spiced according to your request for heat.

Try the panang curry ($5/small, $8/large) to open up your breathing, and find delight in every bite. Mine was perfectly cooked. The carrots in this red curry were soft, but not mushy, and the green bean still had a bit of snap. Or else, go for pad gra pao ($6) -- stir-fried chicken (or beef or pork), basil, garlic, onion, peppers, and chile sauce -- which slowly builds a smoky fire in the back of the throat. If you prefer, lay off the heat with fragrant tom ka gai soup ($3/small) and a heaping pile of pad thai noodles with shrimp, chicken, or tofu ($7). When mangoes are in season, I will be back to sample the dessert of mangoes and sweet rice.

Green Papaya is a small restaurant, but the staff is very friendly and competent. They even gave a companion a free refill of Thai iced coffee (deliciously sweet with condensed milk). You will not be disappointed by Green Papaya's food or service. Check out this Thai eatery the next time business or pleasure brings you to Flushing.