FIRST VISIT EVER!!!
So far, so good. Stopped here while waiting to pick up my son just down the street, so took the opportunity to get in some ethnic flavors and Vietnamese and Thai are some of my most favorite! I was looking for this other place I'd recently visited and reviewed without referring back to Yelp or Google so finding this place was purely by chance. It's a quiet Monday evening and the crowd is small. I had already eaten earlier, so I wasn't too hungry. They advertise having "bubble teas" which seem to be an urban thing here in San Antonio. I take a chance and ask if they have a regular milk tea (Can a girl PLEASE get the hook ups?!) and no, they only have the blended bubble teas, but my waiter says they do have a Thai Iced Tea that isn't blended. I opt for that. I also request an order of their fried spring rolls. Nothing big or fancy, but hoping will give me an idea on whether I'd like to return for something more.
The menu is comprised of (American) Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese dining options. They have seasonal specials as well as tons of lunch and dinner specials. The drink comes quickly. I blend the worlds of tea, milk and boba. I immediately notice a dark, silt-like powder at the bottom. I swirl my fat boba straw round n round to get it to mix again. The color is dark, so I brace myself for a stronger tea taste. And yes, my suspicions are correct. The flavors are not balanced, so I'm left underwhelmed, a little meh. The spring rolls come and are left in front of me by the cook or food runner. They are a pair of deep fried spring rolls filled with pork, julienned carrots, onion, glass noddles, mushroom and get this... taro. A passing waitress confirms. I have never heard of taro being added to Vietnamese spring rolls. Have you?? I ask and she verified that taro is an ingredient quite commonly found in these appetizers. They are perfectly crispy, and very tasty when rolled in the provided leaf lettuce and pickled carrots. The carrots are not as pickled and sweet as I'd like, but they do the trick. The fish sauce that accompanies is also spot on. Great treat!
The atmosphere and dynamic between the personnel comes off as very familial, so it would not surprise me to learn that this might be a family run business. The service is not overly friendly with me, but they are efficient and have been seen smiling and lingering at other customers' tables. Likely regulars, so I do not necessarily take offense. LOL!
The music is a contemporary Asian sound that isn't my cup of (Thai) tea, but not unpleasant and the decor is tasteful. Large paintings/murals adorn the walls. The mural of 5 workers in a kitchen with firy woks and bowls of pho is my fave. Lots of detail and great artistic talent was put into it. I'd photograph it, but a gentleman is sitting there and might take offense to my paparazzi skills this evening. No matter, if you'd like to see it, I'd recommend coming to check it out for yourself. I'll be back to try some pho and hopefully they'll wow me and earn a full five stars from this girl. read more