Harlem is probably the last place in New York City where you would expect to find a Thai-Latin fusion restaurant. Such culinary blending seems like it would find a natural home in a place like Sunnyside, Queens, where it is possible to purchase a café con leche and a bottle of fish sauce at the same little corner shop. But executive chefs Phet Schwader and King Phojanakong are gambling that Manhattan is where the concept will flourish.

Talay, which means ‘waterfront’ in Thai, occupies a massive space with views of the Hudson River and the Henry Hudson Parkway; the building plays host to three bars, stacked one atop another, and a bamboo-and-bling sunken dining room where most of the room’s light comes from blazing blue and green LED tracks that ring the space. Every inch of the restaurant, from the foyer to the bathrooms, feels like a nightclub. And perhaps this is the intention–the loudness of the ambient music and the pounding seismic bass rhythms certainly do give the impression that Talay’s primary focus is drinking, not dining.

Thankfully, the food makes up for much of the discomfort of having to shout across the table. Talay’s menu is split into large and small plates, with all food delivered at once–no traditional courses, no traditional pacing. This works well if you can create your own meal tempo by ordering dishes that require a bit of a wait, like the smoky-sweet arroz valenciana (pictured left, $24 as a main dish), a delightful Filipino-influenced take on paella, loaded with savory sausage chunks and plump shrimp; along with a few others that take less time, like the tart and ultra-garlicky Thai beef salad with shredded green papaya and green apple (pictured on Flickr, $11) an acid-trip hybrid of a fajita and som tum. Or even the simple, crunchy wok roasted bok choi (pictured on Flickr, $8).

The unusual non-rhythm of the meal made us realize early on that, if you are not careful, it is possible to order an entire meal and have everything served to you within five minutes. For diners in a hurry, this works out beautifully, but if lingering is more your style, we’d recommend hanging on to a menu and staggering the meal, tapas-style.

One dish that arrived quickly was the crispy shrimp with fried plantain discs (pictured right, $12), a winning combination of tender, sugary plantains with several super-crunchy deep-fried shrimp. While the shrimp were intended to be the stars of the small plate, the plantains were the best thing about this dish. We would love to see the quantities inverted, especially as the plantains really do emphasize the Latin elements of the menu, elements that are sometimes tricky to locate.

One example of this is the ginger cod and rice noodle special (pictured left, $19), a large plate featuring a generous eclair-sized fillet of marinated cod atop a pile of toothsome rice vermicelli. Staring at the plate, none of the three people at our table could figure out the Latin influence in the dish, but one bite of the buttery, moist cod and we spotted the adobo rub, albeit one made with a generous handful of aromatic Asian spices. On the other hand, the Thai elements were there for the smelling–it is hard to ignore the mule-kick of an intense ginger-galangal broth as rich and concentrated as the one drizzled over the cod. Not that you would want to; all the flavors worked splendidly together, even down to the unexpected and tart garnish of two pickled ramps. Even though this dish was one of the evening’s specials, and not a permanent menu item, it typifies what Talay is ultimately all about: creative and playful fusion food that does not take itself too seriously. It is a concept that pays great dividends–despite a venue that reads as more Limelight than lime leaves.

Talay, 701 W. 135th Street (at Twelfth Avenue), 212-491-8300.