Spicy soup, salads and restless natives at Wondee's in Hackensack

Pla Lard Prig or Deep-Fried Whole Striped Bass with Sweet and Sour Chili Sauce at Wondee's Fine Thai Restaurant in Hackensack.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

In the year or so since Chef Wandee Suwangbutra and husband Tom retired, there have been big and small changes at their popular Thai restaurant in Hackensack.

The biggest, of course, is Chef Air-Arisa Katengamkan, who was only 28 when she took over the restaurant after training by Wandee's side.

Her arrival wasn't announced, but loyal customers noticed changes in the dining room -- first fresh paint, then a new floor and faux-brick wallpaper.

In November, Wondee's (the restaurant's name is spelled differently than the chef's) began to deliver locally for the first time since opening in 1997, announcing the change on Facebook.

On Saturday night, we drove over for dinner, and noticed some smaller portions and slightly higher prices in what remains a moderately priced menu.

The takeout menu also is new.

Still, given the level of preparation, Wondee's remains the best Thai restaurant in Bergen County, if not all of North Jersey.

Restless customers

But the natives are restless.

At the next table, a woman who said she is a long-time customer complained the pork dish she ordered wasn't available, and she said she didn't plan to return.

The restaurant also was out of coconut water, and when we ordered whole fish, the server said there was no wild sea bass or red snapper, only farmed striped bass.

Vegetarian Yom Rod Pedt, above, and Som Thum, below, two salads we've ordered many times, were served on Saturday in smaller portions, and the former is $1 more than before.

Thome Yum Seafood Soup.

Soup, salad and fish

We started with a spicy Thome Yum Seafood, a soup with shrimp, mussel, squid and bay scallops ($4.50 for small); and two Wonton Soups with roast pork and vegetables (also $4.50)

We shared two wonderful salads, vegetarian Yum Rod Pedt, crispy tofu in a dressing of lime juice and chili paste ($11); and Som Thum, fresh green papaya in a spicy dressing with green beans, peanuts, garlic clove, tomato and dried ground shrimp ($8).

Our whole striped bass was deep fried and served in a sweet-and-sour chili sauce for $20, a little more than before.

Chef Air-Arisa

I ate at Wondee's for years before learning anything about Chef Wandee Suwangbutra during an interview for a 2005 newspaper article about Hackensack restaurants.

She opened Wondee's in 1997 after spending 17 years training cooks for new Thai restaurants in Manhattan.

But the new chef/owner lives her life very publicly on Facebook:

Air-Arisa Katengamkan

Wondee's Facebook page

Details

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

BYO, parking lot in rear, closed Mondays.

A new chef at Wondee's Thai restaurant, other Hackensack changes

A new Asian Indian restaurant has opened on Main Street, near Mercer Street, in Hackensack, above, and a Mexican restaurant has taken over the space on Sussex Street, near Main, once occupied by John's Coffee Shop, below. Still, for dinner tonight we returned to Wondee's, one of our all-time favorites, and learned the Thai restaurant has a new owner and a new chef. The food is as good as ever.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

A new owner and chef at Wondee's in Hackensack are behind recent changes in the decor, but tonight we were happy to learn the Thai food is as good as always.

On our last visit in early May -- when we were thrilled to see the old, tattered carpet covering the floor finally had been replaced -- no one told us about the change in ownership and in the kitchen.

Chef Wandee Suwangbutra and husband Tom sold the Main Street restaurant they opened in 1997, and moved their family to South Carolina, a server said.

The new chef is Air-Arisa Cabrera Katengamkam, 28, who learned to cook from working at Wandee's side in the kitchen.

Still best in Bergen

She learned well, because the Green Papaya Salad, Ocean of Garlic and the other dishes we ordered tonight were as good as they've ever been.

And that will allow Wondee's to hold onto the unofficial title of best Thai restaurant in Bergen County.

The new floor and wallpaper at Wondee's Fine Thai Food and Noodles, above and below.

Som Thum, a fresh green papaya salad, has always been my favorite Thai dish ($8). The crunchy green fruit, string beans, tomatoes and peanuts swim in a spicy dressing of lemon juice, chili and ground dried shrimp.

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

Ocean of Garlic, one of Chef Wandee's specialties, is as special as ever, combining deep fried seafood, minced fresh garlic and black pepper (shrimp, mussels, bay scallops and squid) with a crunchy pickled salad ($18 with a small bowl of white rice).

Geuw Nam, wonton soup with pork and fresh cilantro ($3.50 for small, $9 for large).

Wondee's is a BYO.

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

Open for lunch and dinner; closed Mondays. Takeout, but no delivery. BYO, parking in rear off of Camden Street. American Express cards not accepted.