I have never written a review on Yelp before, but joined just so I could review this restaurant. The place was not horrible, but the disconnect between expectations/reviews and reality was so great that I simply had to share my thoughts on this.
I had heard good things about this restaurant from people my wife works with, so I eagerly went there after work yesterday with my wife and kids, to be very disappointed. The restaurant is beautiful for a moderately-priced, Asian fusion restaurant. A free-standing, non-shopping mall building promises a good experience, with superior decor, but both service and especially food were lacking. I ordered Pad Thai, and it was quite spicy (too peppery, not just the Pad Thai typical peanut-y/lemony/fishy taste), with a bitter, greasy aftertaste, as thought it were deep-fried in overly used frying oil. I realize this dish is not actually prepared via deep-frying, but making Pad Thai that tastes light and clean, not bitter, is a bit of an art, and I expected better from an upscale restaurant. The taste here reminded me of the worst of take-out-only strip mall Chinese restaurants (and yes, I realize that Pad Thai is not a Chinese dish...)
The spring rolls where also extremely crunchy, almost feeling too thick in dough and definitely over-fried, with an unusual hint of mint (which I will not ding them for, although it was not to my taste).
My wife ordered a a fake-meat dish from an extended specialty menu, which was quite decent. I used to live near Rockville Centre and order mock duck on the menu at Thai Table, which had simply fantastic Thai food. They had only few fake-meat dishes, but mock duck there was a gold standard to me (no longer on the menu, but they can make it), similar to the dish we ordered at Matsulin, but it was better-spiced.
Back to the restaurant at hand... the Thai iced tea was very good, not too intensely spicy, and light and creamy. They made it right, and it was refreshing.
Our other appetizer, vegetarian chicken nuggets, were ordered for the kids but were simply not great, even for fake meat.
The server spoke extremely limited English. I understand that English may not be a primary language in an restaurant offering regional cuisine, but we had two or three incidents. First, he brought us extra appetizer of dumplings, which we had not ordered. I asked if these were complimentary, and he could not understand the question. Finally he simply brought them back to the kitchen. Much later in the meal, when the hostess/manager (?) asked how our meal was, I found out that the dumplings were indeed not intended as a complimentary offering.
Later on, I tried to get an additional side dish of white rice added. This, too, took quite a while to get through, involving pointing, etc., but we were accommodated.
The meal proved quite pricey for mediocre cuisine, as the appetizers for the kids jacked up the price. We spent around $60 for 4 people, which is not high for a restaurant but can be high the equivalent of 4 noodle dishes at an Asian restaurant. The food simply didn't feel "worth it"
Overall, the price was not the problem. The service and especially the food did not match the price. Had the Pad Thai been great or even good (no bitter oily aftertaste), and (to a lesser degree) had we felt that we could communicate with the server even reasonably well, a quick meal for two adults + 2 kids for $70+ (including tax and tip) might have felt worthwhile. Admittedly, I did not sample the sushi, and the fake meat was quite good, but overall the experience felt like a strip-mall Chinese restaurant meal (even if we ordered mostly Thai food!) good for quick take-out in a pinch, not an upscale, lovely and delicious experience at ANY price. My 2-star rating is NOT a rating-per-value, but an absolute rating based on the quality and taste of the food we ordered.
Were I again in the area (I don't live far away) I might try the restaurant again without my kids, but I would avoid the Pad Thai and some of the appetizers, and would need to try something else on the menu. I so much wanted to like this place. A beautiful restaurant is hard to find where I live (Manorville/Moriches area). This place promised so much, but disappointed. When I saw its high food rating listed on a placard (from another rating website, not sure I can name it), I was shocked. Nearby in Manorville, we have the new Asian Perl restaurant. The town is underserved for restaurants, and it is a breath of fresh air. I always order take-out from there, and I haven't even bothered to eat in the restaurant there yet as it seems small and basic (but CLEAN), but the food is delicious. Maybe I just got unlucky in ordering Pad Thai instead of Sushi or some other menu item at Matsulin , but I have to wonder if people are letting themselves be swayed/fooled by the nice decor. read more
