šLittle Grenjai, New York City
A few months ago I saw an Eater article about a Thai place in Bed-Stuy that sold smash burgers with Thai flavors. It was a popup, not to be seen again for a long time. I waited. Impatiently. I refreshed their Instagram every so often. This past weekend, they made their returnāthis time as a full-time restaurant.
I was excited to try this burger. I love burgers, including smash burgers. Most smash burgers follow a similar structure of meat, cheese, (special) sauce, and bun. I like it. It focuses on the ingredients. On the other hand, some burgers are stunt food for likes and views. They pile up ingredients and make it messy. It's impossible to eat or enjoy those. It's rare to see flavors make their way into a burger with subtlety and finesse.
Hamburger America & George Motz did that with onions. Emily in NYC did that with the use of Gochujang in the sauce. Nowon in NYC took it one step further adding Kimchi into their sauce. I fondly remember a smash burger with Thai chilis I had at a popup at the Hoxton in Shoreditch, London in 2022. That one was by the same chef as Night+Market in LA and is available at Chet's in Shepard's Bush. I had an idea of what a Thai-inspired burger could taste like.
I watched their Instagram, days before opening, hoping to get details on availability, reservations, and other logistics. I learned they were doing burgers only for lunch and that lunch was walk-in only. They opened at noon and I left about an hour earlier trying to avoid a long wait. I got there just around noon. To my absolute shock, I was the first one there. Their shutters weren't even completely open. I saw people milling around inside. I hung out on the street, out of view, to avoid rushing them. I had a cup of coffee to keep me company.
I walked in as the first customer, coffee in hand. They politely explained to me that I could order at the counter and sit wherever I wanted. They also apologized for having a smaller menu than they had planned. About half the menu was crossed out. Luckily the burger was available. It came in a single or double configuration with an optional duck egg. I normally order doubles and avoid eggs (too messy). Here, it felt right to order the egg so I stuck with a single.
They already have their liquor license and a bunch of beers to pick. I had not seen many of these before. I recognized Orion and another. I asked for help to choose. They took each can or bottle out to show me, a very kind gesture. They gave a short description of each.
I started with the beer. The person from the point of sale counter asked where I'd like to sit. I motioned towards the other counter that was facing the kitchen. She took my beer there, opened it, and poured it while I finished paying. Right up to the rim. As I sat down people began to slowly come in. Some, like me, came for the burger and sat at the counter. Others as couples or groups for the entire menu. It only took about 15 minutes after they opened for nearly every seat to be filled.
I made my way over and sat down with a beautiful view of the kitchen. The place has this Thai-American canteen feel that I found fitting, especially the tiles on the counter. I saw someone prepping the burger patties into pre-formed balls though I couldn't grab a picture in time. I sipped my slightly bitter finishing lager and watched burgers get made. The music was pretty loud, which I don't mind. So far, a wonderful Saturday afternoon.
The ambiance at Little Grenjai
While I was the first to walk in and order, I was not the first to get my burger. That honor belonged to someone else, someone who decided not to get the duck egg. No matter, I was taking it all in. A few minutes later, my burger came. A small plate with beautiful branded paper held my burger.
I may have looked at it for a minute or two before snapping pics just to understand it. The layers started with the bun, held together by the thinnest edge on one end. There was a patty that visibly had chili peppers in it. Melted American cheese topped the patty and pickled cauliflower, carrots, and peppers like a giardiniera. A beautifully fried duck egg and holy basil stuffed in there, just below the sauce.
The Krapow Burger at Little Grenjai
I tried to gather the burger. With all the ingredients spilling out, it took a second. I appreciated how soft the seeded bun was and the larger size to bring it all together. Still, the smashed patty was larger than the bun without being too thin. Without the egg, it's probably a one-hander but with the egg, I needed both. This validates my choice to stick to a single patty. I went in for my first bite and got the most predictable and hilarious result.
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I had yolk splatter onto my beard, hand, plate, and the counter. It was at this point that I realized I had no napkins. I was undeterred and continued to eat this burger. The center of the patty still had a little pink to it which is not a problem for me. It had chilies in it and I'm guessing some other flavors one would find in a krapow. Sometimes when adding ingredients to the burger meat, it becomes tough or dries out like a meatball, this was neither.
I noticed the Thai basil in every bite. Greens usually bring freshness to a burger, this did that, but it also brought the hallmark pungent spiciness. I liked this as a counter to the semi-sweet sauce they made. Even the cheese, a component I was originally skeptical of, worked well to bring a level of saltiness to the burger.
Then there is the egg. I chose to get it because it's duck egg, which is rare. Also, the krapows I've had in the past, are usually topped with an egg. The edges were crispy and gave some textural contrast to the other components. The yolk was warm and bright. It exploded out and I found myself dipping the burger into the yolk that wound up on my plate. Still, I wanted to taste more of the sauce that was likely masked by the yolk a bit. I was proven right on the messiness of an egg but next time I'll ask for a knife to slice and drip the yolk before biting into it.
The flavors all worked together. It did not feel like a stunt at all. It was a smash burger with some Thai flavors. It was well conceived and executed. After eating this burger, it took a lot of strength not to get up and order a second one. So two singles next time, with and without the egg.
My meal was not done yet. I also ordered a Thai Tea Cake. The taste was exactly what you would expect. It was Thai Tea, in a cake form. The crumb was dense, cool, and moist. The frosting was lightly sweet with a creamy and buttery texture that reminded me of custard more than frosting. Both the cake and frosting had an identical flavor with the contrast coming from texture and sweetness.
The cake was light and I finished it in 6 bites. I wish I had a Thai Tea to drink with it! Perhaps they will in the future.
šLittle Grenjai
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