Chef Behind Cult Favorite Larb Ubol Brings Isan Thai to Soho and Murray Hill With Lan Larb

Lan Larb, a new mini-chain helmed by chef Ratchanee Sumpatboon, recently opened two locations in Soho and Murray Hill. The restaurant specializes in budget-friendly Thai food, with an emphasis on  (though not exclusive focus on) the Isan cuisine of Northern Thailand. According to a manager, Lan Larb is under different ownership than Sumpatboon's hit Hell's Kitchen restaurant, Larb Ubol. But the menu still looks like a shorter version of the one there, which has been winning over critics and the blogosphere for the past year. It includes an obligatory pad thai and pad se ew, but also plenty of larbs, papaya salads, and chef's specials like fried whole fish. Plus many of the dishes Robert Siestema loved on his visit to Larb Ubol have made their way to these outpost.