Harold Dieterle isn't taking the easy road with his second restaurant, Kin Shop.

We wouldn't have complained if he'd opened something similar to his first spot, Perilla; it certainly would have required less work. But Dieterle doesn't shy away from a challenge, and so Kin Shop's menu veers into new territory: Thai food.

Dieterle pays it forward, so to speak, by passing the challenge on to his diners: rich, fragrant and bold flavors more common in Queens than the West Village.

It's a risk that pays off. Deeply fiery duck laab ($13; pictured on the left) gets its heat from roasted chiles of such intensity that anyone preparing them needs to wear a mask. Were it not for the dish's cool lettuce wrappings and a bottle of Hitachino beer in close proximity, we would have cried uncle--which would have been a loss.

Squid-ink soup ($10) is tuned for richness rather than heat. Tubes of squid stuffed with crumbled beef brisket bob in the musky shellfish base (which boasts almost urchin-like flavors), and pools of hot sesame oil break the surface--a nutty grounding for this seafaring dish.

And the true test of a good Thai kitchen--curry--scores big: Each is made daily with fresh spices procured from the Saffron King. Opt for the Massaman ($21; pictured on the right), which blankets a slow-braised goat neck with fragrant, coconut-y sweetness.

Blessed are the risk takers.

Kin Shop, 469 6th Ave.; 212-675-4295 or kinshopnyc.com