One restaurant on 9th Avenue that most people tend to know is Vynl– it’s not a landmark because of the size of the storefront, but rather because it is pretty unusual as diners go. As far as I can tell, it’s the only Thai-inspired, glitzy and kitchy diner that features menus sandwiched between the cardboard covers from 33 1/3 LPs from the 1970s and 80s. Until recently, the bar was backgrounded with row upon row of boxed celebrity dolls from that same era: Sonny and Cher, Donny and Marie, New Kids on the Block, etc.. Vynl is such a unicorn of a restaurant that anyone who’s been to the 9th Avenue strip more than a couple of times knows all about it.

And then it moved. Well, in truth it was much slower than that. The signs appeared a few months ago on a vacant shop about 2 blocks south of its former 54th Street corner, announcing the new location. Progress seemed to be glacial, but it was clear early that the new site would be a few orders of magnitude larger and glammer. Just this week, the new Vynl opened its doors– impressively never missing a beat though, its former location stayed operational until the very end. We dropped by on Thursday’s re-opening night and gave a few new dishes and a few of our old standby favorites a try as we admired the diorama boxes that now house such plastic luminaries as N*SYNC and Destiny’s Child.

HungryMan decided to focus on the Asian dishes and started with the fried tofu appetizer, served with peanuts and a dipping sauce made with vinegar, shallots, and cucumber strips. Anything that involves deep frying tofu is a risk, as it’s only good for a very short period of time, after which the blocks transform into leathery chunks. Vynl passed the fried tofu test, but not by much; while the sauce was fantastic, the tofu itself was well on its way to room temperature by the time it got to our table. This is a very easy thing to fix, so we weren’t too concerned. And it was still warm enough to be enjoyed, so no harm done.

Continuing with the Asian dishes, HungryMan ordered the Sesame Chicken entrée, which was a very large portion of battered and fried chicken pieces, covered in a sweet sesame sauce. This could have benefited from a little chili, but it was a solidly good dish nonetheless. I only wish that Vynl would be a little more adventurous with the garnish of bland broccoli, as this really added nothing to the entrée. Even mixing it in with the chicken would be better than leaving it to the side next to the scoop of white rice. Without the chicken, this plate would have looked more like hospital food than restaurant food, and given the care taken with the surroundings, we expected a little more from the chef.

My dinner featured choices from the diner-ish portion of the menu. I started with the butternut squash soup, which as you can see, is served completely unadorned. Somehow, it’s fitting though, as the fireworks happen within the dish. The soup revolves around creamy, puréed squash, but the reason why I order this almost every time I come to Vynl (and I suspect, why the dish has been promoted from ‘Special’ status to regular menu item) is the very subtle spice, the heat that cuts through the sweetness of the squash, and the perfect saltiness of the broth. This is the dish I’d be most likely to try to replicate in my own kitchen.

As my main dish, I elected to give the caesar salad with salmon and harissa sauce a try. I’ve had this before and have really enjoyed it. But last week, something was really awry in the kitchen at Vynl– I had to send back the salmon (which I really dislike doing) because it was so undercooked that parts of it were raw. Not just slightly underdone, but actually raw. When it was returned to me, the same piece of salmon had been removed, slapped back on the grill, and replaced on the bed of lettuce, still underdone. The romaine wasn’t much better– the dressing was far too salty (too much cheese), and it tasted as if the entire plate had been re-salted afterwards. It was like eating a salt lick.

Four large glasses of water later, we were able to leave, not entirely sure of what will become of the newly relocated Vynl. Perhaps the problems we witnessed were just kinks that will be worked out in short order, but they were still surprising to see in a restaurant that has become a local favorite through its consistency and affordability. My hope is that once things settle down, the cooking will return to its former quality, allowing the food to match the delightful new and very sparkly interior.

Vynl, now on 9th Avenue at 51st Street, 212-956-9277