The Zaab Zaab team is serving up boatloads of fiery Isaan Thai seafood to Williamsburg

By Scott Lynch

Bryan Chunton and Pei Wei are not afraid to shake things up. At the end of 2021, the partners owned three restaurants: Eat Gai in the Essex Market, Eat Gai Part 2 in Elmhurst, and Tiger Prawn here on Grand Street in Williamsburg.

All that changed, however, when a new sauté cook named Aniwat Khotsopa made family meal at Tiger Prawn, starring dishes from his native Isaan, in the northeast region of Thailand. Chunton and Wei were so blown away by how good everything was that Khotsopa was quickly put in charge of the kitchen in Elmhurst. The restaurant was renamed Zaab Zaab, the menu filled with fiery Isaan delights, and the accolades, and customers, rolled in.

In fact, Zaab Zaab became such an hit that the festive but modest-sized dining area was quickly overwhelmed by all of the love for Khotsopa’s cooking. “The success of Zaab Zaab drew a lot of attention, but we don’t have a lot of seating over there in Queens,” Chunton told Brooklyn Magazine. “So we decided to turn Tiger Prawn into a second Isaan place to accommodate the crowd.” And so Grand Street gets Zaab Zaab Talay, which roughly translates into “extremely delicious seafood”

It’s a big win for Brooklyn, and the news gets even better. The chef here in Williamsburg is Kannika Kittipinyovath, who is also of Isaan descent and grew up among the fishing communities of Rayong, on the East coast of the Gulf of Thailand. So not only is she serving what Chunton calls “the greatest hits from Queens,” but there’s also about a dozen new dishes here that Kittipinyovath created especially for the Brooklyn location.

Yes, the now-famous Larb Ped U-Don, made with duck breast, skin, and liver, is here, as is the Mieng Pla Pow, a salt-encrusted whole tilapia stuffed with pandan and lemongrass, and the Neur Yang, or sliced rib eye, which is great with the spicy Zaab Zaab fries, available at both locations.

All of the above are terrific, but we went with the new stuff for our Brooklyn Magazine feast at Zaab Zaab Talay last week. (Order a couple of things “Isaan spicy,” rather than just regular “spicy,” for the full effect. Note that we did not mess around with the highest heat level offered, “zaab zaab,” because we’re not insane.)

The Larb Pla Duk Yang — basically, “catfish larb” — seems destined to become one of Kittipinyovath’s signature dishes, all deboned chunks of smoky grilled fish.

Larb Pla Duk Yang, or catfish larb, $19 (Scott Lynch)

Another must-order is the Larb Tod, four deceptively simple crisp-fried pork and chili meatballs that pack a wallop. The Som Tom Hoy is a mess of sour shredded green papaya, loaded with birdseye chiles and crunchy bits of black crab, with four half-shell oysters on the side waiting to be drenched in Kittipinyovath’s fish sauce.

Larb Tod, $14.95; Som Tom Hoy $26 (Scott Lynch)

There are a couple of new whole fish dishes at Zaab Zaab Talay, including a fried snapper and a delicious steamed branzino called Pla Neung Manow that arrives at your table in a burbling bath of lime garlic broth.

Pla Neung Manow, a whole branzino in burbling lime garlic broth, $36 (Scott Lynch)

There’s classic Tom Som Gai, or lemongrass soup, and a version with pork ribs, and one with prawn, squid, and scallop. We went for the Leng Zaab Zaab Soup, a Brooklyn exclusive made from intense garlicky bird chili lime broth and gnarly hunks of pig spine.

Leng Zaab Zaab Soup, or pork bone soup, $18.95 (Scott Lynch)

Another advantage Zaab Zaab Talay has over its Elmhurst cousin: cocktails. A full bar here in Williamsburg allows for boozy pleasures like the rum-based Bird of Paradise, and the Jaew Margarita, made with mezcal and jaew som, a condiment made from roasted rice powder, tamarind, and lime that’s usually served with grilled meats. There’s also wine, beer, and Thai Fanta in both red and green “flavors.”

A full liquor license means cocktails can be had at the Brooklyn Zaab Zaab

Chunton and Wei kept all the seafood murals from when the place was Tiger Prawn, as well as the massive blue crustacean hanging from the ceiling in the back dining area. They did freshen the place up a bit, adding colorful accents throughout. And because there are more than triple the number of seats here than there are in Queens, Zaab Zaab Talay can take reservations and have save tables for walk-ins, Best of both worlds.

(Scott Lynch)

Zaab Zaab Talay is located at 208 Grand Street, between Driggs and Bedford Avenues,and is currently open on Monday through Thursday from 5 to 10:30 p.m., on Friday and Saturday from noon to 10:30 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 9:30 p.m. (718-576-3743)