The stretch of Eighth and Ninth Avenues from Columbus Circle to 34th Street has more Thai restaurants than any other sort–there are even more Thai eateries in this area than laundromats. While a few among the competitors in this overcrowded market have cultivated a reputation for quality–Pam Real Thai and Wondee Siam are widely regarded as the best-respected of the lot–most play the law of culinary averages, putting out safe, uninteresting, and often bland dishes that are bound neither to impress nor offend anyone. Which is why when HungryMan and I want Thai food, we generally leave our Little Bangkok and trek out to Woodside. But with the recent opening of Chai Thai Home Kitchen (also known simply as ‘Chai’) on Eighth Avenue, that may change.

Chai does one thing very differently from most other local Thai restaurants: it takes chances with its preparations and ingredients, incorporating French, Vietnamese, and even Japanese flavors into its dishes without resorting to a hackneyed ‘pan-Asian’ theme. The rebel responsible for the gentle fusion is chef Amornrat Fukuda. Fukuda trained first in Asia and then here in Soho’s Mercer Kitchen before helping start the original Chai Thai Home Kitchen in Williamsburg. Along the way, she picked up Vietnamese and Japanese influences and a traditional Thai home-style sous chef, Wanwisa Khetpanya. And by the time the pair landed on the corner of 55th Street and Eighth Avenue, they were ready to shake up Manhattan’s Thai scene.

On a small scale, at least–the restaurant fits only 18 two-tops. Yet the miniscule size of Chai’s space is offset by its playful, modern design whose most striking feature is an open rock pool, the side of which is used as prime window seating. It’s a clever and appealing touch that makes the space feel more open from the inside and outside. That said, when we have told friends of ours about the restaurant, we have warned them not to sit on the backless pool ledge if they plan to take advantage of Chai’s ample selection of sakés. Rice wine and Zen pools don’t mix.

Fortunately, the flavors at Chai generally do. One of our very favorite dishes, the crispy shrimp with Thai celery and yellow curry (pictured above, $14) mixes mostly classic curry elements with a lovage-like mild celery flavor, giving the dish an undertone that reminds us of a French mirepoix base. The dish, only avaliable at dinner, is on the special menu, but we hope to see Fukuda add it to the regular roster. More traditional dishes, such as the pad thai ($8), are also very solid and consistently good. The ratio of tamarind to chili in Chai’s pad thai is just right, as is the light touch with the oil– good pad thai should never be greasy. Also impressive is the staff’s eagerness to ask about diners’ spice preferences, and equally, to communicate these to a kitchen staff willing to listen. Whenever we have requested food spicy, it has been just that–no need to beg for food to be made grob grob, just to have it come back with half a microgram of chili hidden in the garnish. It is clear that Fukuda and Khetpanya respect their diners’ palates enough to give them what they want and to offer them just enough intriguing fusion flavor combinations to keep them guessing. It’s a plan that just might work, even in this neighborhood.

Chai Thai Home Kitchen, 930 Eighth Avenue (at 55th Street), 212-707-8778.