"Last winter, while he was still the head sushi chef at the Upper East Side restaurant Casa Tua, Ivan Ramos and a fellow cook were on their way to Queens after their shift. On the late-night train, the men became the target of an attacker, who hit them both for no apparent reason and fled. Shaken, they got off at Grand Avenue in Elmhurst to regroup, which is when Ramos remembered Tommy Thai, a dive-y restaurant known for cheap beer and late-night service."
"It took less than a year for Ramos to take over, opening Gayang, short for Guinayangan, his home municipality in the Philippines, in October. The menu presents his Filipino dishes alongside Tommy Thai's greatest hits such as som tum and kra pow moo grob. And the space remains visibly unchanged, meaning that the current restaurant at 85-33 Grand Avenue is best identified by the former's royal-blue awning, which still bears a white cursive "Tommy" in the middle."
"Another holdover from the Tommy Thai days is karaoke. I had intended to bring an entourage of willing crooners along but could only manage to convince one other person, from neighboring Jackson Heights, to come out with me on a blustery Friday night. Without a full backup choir, I hoped Gayang would be busy enough to prevent me from having to awkwardly serenade my friend all night."
Ivan Ramos was assaulted on a late-night train after his shift as head sushi chef at Casa Tua. Shaken, he stopped at Tommy Thai, a dive-y restaurant with cheap beer and late-night service. The owner planned to sell and within a year Ramos took over, opening Gayang in October, named for Guinayangan in the Philippines. The menu pairs Filipino dishes with Tommy Thai staples like som tum and kra pow moo grob. The space and royal-blue awning remain, still bearing a white cursive "Tommy." Karaoke survives, and an evening visit found groups dining and a TV in the back.
Read at Grub Street
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