Somtum Der is one of Bangkok’s favorite Isan (Northeastern Thai) restaurants which now has an outpost in the East Village.

Owned by Thanaruek Laoraowirodge and Supanee Kitmahawong, Somtum Der offers a menu of spicy Larbs (ground meat salads) and Somtums (papaya salad) and much more.

Isan cooking has now become much more commonplace even in Manhattan (Queens’s is an old hand at it) Somtum Der still offers a menu with a difference.

Not every dish we tried was a winner but there were clear standouts. Their Somtum was very good but I thought their larb was outstanding. We tried the “Herb Soup” which was very aromatic and tasty and the “fried rice was really good too.

I didn’t love their skewers of beef marinated in coconut milk which was highly recommended by our server and the grilled rice sticks sound amazing but taste like nothing.

All in all, I really liked the vibe of Somtum Der and I recommend going with lots of people because then you can really sample a lot of their delicious offerings.

Here is some of what we ate:

Gaeng Om Kai isan-style Pork soup with local herbs

Larb Moo minced pork salad with green vegetables and chilies.

Tum Thai original-style thai spicy papaya salad.

Khao Pad Kraprao Moo fried pork with thai basil mixed with rice

Grilled Sticky Rice der-style