Samsaen Whisks Diners on a Journey Through Regional Thai Gastronomy

1. Expect an evocative design reminiscent of a rail car.

The restaurant is named for the neighborhood in Bangkok where Marprasert spent much of his childhood. As an homage to the old railway line that ran through the area, he incorporated subtle nods to train coaches throughout the interior.

“The design is both nostalgic and functional,” Marprasert says. “We used warm, welcoming wood paneling, similar to Thai train stations, complemented by golden shelves of vintage luggage and modern light fixtures.

“Train stations evoke anticipation and new beginnings, which is exactly how I want every meal here to feel,” he says. Samsaen isn’t the only train-themed Thai place to open in the last year here in New York, but it takes the aesthetic a bit less literally than Sukh Thai in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.

2. You choose your dining adventure.

Since a rail journey can whisk you in different directions, it’s fitting that dinner at Samsaen can lead to two distinct experiences. “Samsaen’s menu takes guests on a culinary ‘train journey’ through Thailand, celebrating the vast range of Thai cuisine,” Marprasert says. If you choose the “coach car” experience, you’ll begin with authentic street food, reminiscent of Thailand’s vibrant night markets.

There’s som tum, that zingy amalgamation of shredded papaya dressed in a tart-sweet-fiery emulsion of fish sauce, lime, palm sugar, and bird’s eye chiles. It’s the ideal foil for the Isan-style grilled pork jowl or the morning glory with crispy pork belly. Pad Thai also makes an appearance, gussied up with jumbo river prawns.

For dessert, try the housemade coconut ice cream. In Bangkok, this roadside treat typically comes sprinkled with peanuts and wedged into a fluffy bun — sort of like the Thai answer to Sicily’s brioche ice cream sandwich. In lieu of the bread, Marprasert opts for a crispy coconut cookie of the sort that might once have been served to royalty.

3. First class is a whole different story.

Diners will eat very well in coach, but to fully enjoy the range of Marprasert’s talents, you’ll want to book a ticket to the “first class lounge.” “Our overarching goal is to tell a complete story of Thai food, from its casual accessibility to its royal culinary traditions,” Marprasert says.

Not only is the first class side more upscale, but it’s also often personal. The Thai eggplant salad is Marprasert’s take on what he calls a “cherished family recipe from my childhood,” served here with charcoal-grilled, thinly sliced picanha steak. And while some of the dishes — the Hat Yai–style fried chicken or the whole steamed branzino bathed in a citrusy broth with bird’s eye chiles — are classics, others offer the chef to chance to flex his creative muscles.

The roasted bone marrow with spicy-sticky gor lae sauce, for instance, is a solidly non-traditional banger that belongs on every table. You’re going to want to scoop every last custardy morsel from two immense halves of the bone.

Jellyfish soup, which is doused tableside in squid-ink-stained broth fragrant with makrut lime, is another original stunner. Finally, the grilled jumbo river prawns arrive splayed open and mounded with young peppercorns, chiles, and slivered fingerroot. It’s a familiar combination of flavors, thrillingly reconfigured.

4. A love of Tennessee-style barbecue shines through.

Although the menu is grounded in regional Thai cooking, Marprasert wanted to nod to the gastronomic traditions of another place that profoundly influenced him. “After moving back to the U.S. in 2014, I landed in Tennessee and immediately immersed myself in the culinary scene,” Marprasert says. He landed a job as a dishwasher at a traditional Thai restaurant and worked his way up through the kitchen’s ranks.

“It was in Tennessee that I truly fell in love with barbecue,” he says. “The smoky aroma and the unique cooking process captivated me. I even entered my first barbecue competition there, which was an incredible experience.”

Look closely at some of the menu items and you’ll still see that reverence for barbecue here. In lieu of the usual chicken in the green curry, Marprasert features slow-cooked beef short ribs in coconut-rich broth. “For the Massaman curry, I slow-braise the brisket for 12 hours,” he says. “It’s my way of combining traditional Thai flavors with barbecue techniques.”

5. Keep an eye out for Queens classics.

Samsaen may be more refined than Marprasert’s first concepts, Makin in Middle Village and Kam Rai Thai in Astoria, but real ones will recognize a few Queens classics on the menu. “What drew me to Queens was its incredible local scene and the demand for truly authentic Thai food, much like what you’d find in Thailand itself,” he says. For Samsaen, he reconfigured some of those flavors and presentations, without sacrificing the technique behind them.

Marprasert has always displayed an impressive aptitude for housemade charcuterie, including the Northern Thai-style sausage, sai ua. While it’s not on the Samsaen menu currently, guests will find a related northern classic: ua tod, a ground pork patty with lemongrass and makrut lime leaves, wrapped in rice paper. Best of all are the Thai-style grilled meatballs, which are made in-house using special kitchen equipment to achieve an ultra-springy, savory street snack.

Samsaen is open Monday to Friday for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Saturday and Sunday for lunch from noon to 3:30 p.m., Sunday to Thursday for dinner from 4:30 to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday for dinner from 4:30 to 10:30 p.m.

Diana Hubbell is a James Beard Award-winning food and travel journalist whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Guardian, Atlas Obscura, VICE, Eater, Condé Nast Traveler, Esquire, WIRED, and Travel + Leisure, among other places. Previously based in Berlin and Bangkok, she currently lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Follow her on Instagram. Follow Resy, too.