Thai-style shrimp, shrimp and more shrimp at Wondee's in Hackensack

Thome Yum Koong, a spicy shrimp soup, is only one of the dishes made with the popular crustacean at Wondee's Fine Thai Food and Noodles in Hackensack.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I had a one-track mind when we had dinner on Saturday at one of our favorite restaurants, Wondee's in Hackensack.

Shrimp or koong in Thai. In or out of the shell, it didn't matter.

I started with a small bowl of Thome Yum Koong, a spicy shrimp soup with plenty of lemon juice, mushrooms and chili paste ($4).

I usually order a steamed whole fish -- red snapper, sea bass or striped bass -- with chili pepper, garlic and lemon juice.

So, on Saturday, I asked for shrimp made in that style, called Pla Ma Now, instead of Koong Lard Prig, jumbo shrimp topped with a sweet-and-sour chili sauce that we usually order ($17). 

Our third shrimp dish was Pad Suki-Yaki, sauteed bean thread noodles with preserved bean curd and vegetables ($10).

My wife started with a small bowl of Geuw Nam, Wondee's wonton soup with roast pork and vegetables ($3.50), and we shared the two shrimp dishes.

Pla Ma Now made with large shrimp instead of whole fish.

Pad Suki-Yaki is a dish of mildly spicy bean-thread noodles with shrimp, tofu and vegetables.

Wondee's wonton soup is filled with roast pork.

Details

Wondee's Fine Thai Food and Noodles, 296 Main St., Hackensack; 201-883-1700. Closed Mondays.

BYO, parking in rear off of Camden Street, takeout but no delivery.

Wondee's -- Bergen County's best Thai restaurant -- gets a new floor

Wondee's Fine Thai Food and Noodles on Main Street in Hackensack.

Editor's note: What I thought was a technical problem with my smart-phone camera, which was producing gauzy photos, turned out to be a dirty lens. But I am still have periodic trouble uploading images to my computer via Google+.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I chuckle when I see an article or review of a new Thai restaurant in Bergen County, and just turn the page.

Chef Wandee Suwangbutra remains at the top of her game in the kitchen of Wondee's, which she and husband Tom opened in 1997 on Main Street in Hackensack.

But in recent years, the rented space fell into disrepair, especially the dark-blue dining room carpet.

Tonight, when I walked in the back door off of the parking lot, I immediately saw that a new dark-wood floor had finally replaced the dirty, worn and torn carpet, which was patched with tape in places.

Our server said the new floor was installed about two weeks ago.

Wondee's has a full menu of fresh whole fish, seafood, pork, chicken, beef, noodles and soups, and spiciness can be varied.

But don't make the mistake of asking Wandee to prepare your food "Extremely Spicy."

The new wood floor at Wondee's Fine Thai Food and Noodles in Hackensack.

An appetizer of Tofu Tod, deep-fried tofu served with a sweet chili sauce and ground peanuts ($7).

A new item, Shrimp Spring Rolls, were beautifully fried ($5.50). I also had a small bowl of Thome Yum Koong, a spicy shrimp-and-mushroom soup flavored with lemon juice, chili paste, kaffir lime leaves, galanga and lemon grass ($4).

A vegetarian selection is Yum Rod Pedt, a salad of crispy tofu served with shredded carrot, onion, orange and apple in lime juice and a mildly spicy chili paste ($10).

Details

Wondee's Fine Thai Food and Noodles, 296 Main Street, Hackensack; 201-883-1700. Open for lunch and dinner, closed Mondays.

BYO, free parking in rear off of Camden Street. Take-out, but no delivery. No American Express cards.

In an informal taste test, Wondee's Thai food beats Bangkok Garden

Compare Som Thum, a fresh green papaya salad, at Wondee's Fine Thai Food and Noodles on Main Street in Hackensack, above, and a takeout version from rival Bangkok Garden Thai Restaurant on the next block, below.

The strands of papaya are thinner in the Bangkok Garden salad, and the taste doesn't match that of Wondee's salad.

Wondee's Thom Yum Koong, a spicy soup, above, has more shrimp and mushrooms than Bangkok Garden's takeout version, and the broth tastes cleaner. 

Bangkok Garden says it was the first Thai restaurant in Bergen County when it opened 25 years ago in January. Today, the dining room, compared to Wondee's, is beautifully decorated and in beautiful shape, above. The restaurant also has a full bar. 

Wondee's is a BYO that opened in 1997, and its dining room is much smaller than Bangkok Garden's, and in poor shape, with torn carpet and an uneven floor raised above pipes. This summer, fresh paint on the walls and ceiling helped a little, but the restaurant is in desperate need of a complete makeover.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The waitress at Bangkok Garden Thai Restaurant asked me to sit at an empty table while I was waiting for my takeout order on Saturday afternoon.

I looked at the polished wood floor, the tablecloths and the elaborate Thai decorations, and then thought of the shabby interior of Wondee's on the next block, where I've enjoyed wonderful Thai meals for more than a dozen years.

But when I got the two dishes home and tasted them, I knew why I was the kind of customer who doesn't judge a restaurant by its decor.

Bangkok Garden's green papaya salad seemed to have all of the right ingredients, but the portion was smaller and the taste was off.

The broth of the shrimp-and-mushroom soup, made with lemon juice and chili paste, also tasted odd, as if it had been sweetened. 

The soup also didn't have as much shrimp or mushrooms as Wondee's version, which I order every time I eat there.

Bangkok Garden's prices also are higher than Wondee's.

Like I said, you can't eat the wallpaper.


Wondee's Fine Thai Food and Noodles, 296 Main St., Hackensack; 1-201-883-1700. BYO, rear parking lot. Closed Mondays.

Bangkok Garden Thai Restaurant, 261 Main St., Hackensack; 1-201-487-2620. Full bar, rear parking in metered lot. Open 7 days.

Great Thai food in a familiar -- but worn -- setting close to home

At Wondee's in Hackensack, Pla Ning is a steamed whole fish smothered in mushrooms, ginger, celery, onion and pickled mustard greens, all served on a hot plate ($18).

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The dining room at Wondee's in Hackensack got a little fresh paint this summer, but other problems with the dated decor remain at what I consider the best Thai restaurant in North Jersey.

Chef Wandee Suwangbutra is still at the top of her game, as the great food shows, and her prices can't be beat. 

Wondee's charges $18 for a whole fish that would cost well north of $20 anywhere else.

Down the street at Bangkok Garden Thai Restaurant, a whole fish is listed online for $28.95. 

Wondee's is a BYO, Bangkok Thai has a liquor license. 

My favorite seafood dish at Wondee's is Ocean of Garlic ($18). The beautifully fried shrimp, squid, scallops and mussels are tender, grease-less and studded with garlic. Cutting the richness of the dish is a crunchy salad of pickled cabbage and carrots, and there is lettuce for wrapping the seafood, if that's how you want to eat it.

Torn carpet, uneven floor

On Saturday night, we were seated at a table on the raised floor, which apparently covers pipes, near the kitchen doors.

I had to be careful in placing my chair's rear legs away from a ramp that meets the floor in the front part of the dining room.

The dining room is clean, but the carpet is torn in places and patched with tape, and I noticed that one of the seats at a table across the way was stained.

Loyal customers who use the rear parking lot know enough to step up onto the raised floor when they enter and down when they leave.

Wandee rents the space she calls Wondee's (she spells her name with an "a").

Then food arrived

But when the food began to arrive, I stopped thinking about the decor, poured the Guinness Draught I brought with me and dug in.

First, I enjoyed a bracing soup with chili paste, lemon juice, mushrooms and crunchy shrimp called Thome Yum Koong.

My entree was Ocean of Garlic, which has become my favorite seafood dish at Wondee's.

Other members of the family had wonton soup, and shared a whole sea bass and Pineapple Fried Rice.

Pineapple Fried Rice includes shrimp, chicken and Thai sausage ($11).

I used a spoon to bring up shrimp and mushrooms from Thome Yum Koong, a spicy soup made with lemon juice, chili paste, kaffir lime leaves, galanga and lemongrass ($4 for a small bowl).

The meat eaters in the family always order Geuw Nam or wonton soup with roasted pork and vegetables ($3.50).

Wondee's Fine Thai Food and Noodles, 296 Main St., Hackensack; 201-883-1700. BYO, parking lot in rear. Closed Mondays, no delivery.