Ugly Baby

Ugly Baby Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant & décor: There is nothing subtle about the interior of Ugly Baby in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn. The walls are painted in a rainbow of red, orange, yellow and blue in blunt brushstrokes; servers and cooks wear bright colors to match. The small, welcoming space has an open kitchen.

Likes: Som pla kra pong; duck larb; tom kati sai bua; cider list.
Dislikes: Loud pop music can be distracting.

Food & Drinks: Chef Sirichai Sreparplarn oversees the menu. He takes his inspiration from Bangkok, the city where he was born. Start with larb, a fiery salad of rich duck and a generous amount of chilis and rice powder sprinkled on top. Ginger and red snapper fill an enticing, fragrant bowl of som pla kra pong, flavored with tamarind. A fried whole sea bream is tender and redolent of garlic and turmeric. Try the tom kati sai bua, a coconut soup made even richer with steamed mackerel. It’s soul-warming and perfectly balanced. For the adventurous, there is sting ray curry and a dish of fried pork intestine. To wash down the spice, choose from a thoughtful list of craft beer and cider, plus wines from the Finger Lakes, New Zealand and the Alto Adige. Be warned: Rice pudding with famously stinky durian for dessert is dreamy for some, and off-putting for others.