Had a great double date here, minus the Halloween decor. I would consider this place fine dining, and the skulls and witches and skeletons just go against that vibe. Yes, it's Halloween season, but I would have preferred their normal pretty decor behind all the garish stuff.
We were seated upstairs. When reservations were made we were told that we'd be on their rooftop with heaters - I was a bit apprehensive about getting cold, but the rooftop is actually covered, and the gas fire heaters were pretty to look at while providing comfortable heat. It was perfect for a late October evening. I'm not sure how well it would have gone in January or February.
Our server, Lily, was SUPER. Great with suggestions, friendly, matched our pace perfectly (we were catching up and taking our time; she was going fast, but realized our pace and slowed down to match it. Super thoughtful.). Just exactly the server you would want in a place like this!
Overall, the food was good, drinks were exotic, the night was crisp, and we had an amazing time. A great place to revisit for a special occasion, with Asian vibes/food rather than the traditions steak or Italian!
Below are details on food for my next visit (and maybe a suggestion or two for the chef..)
One night in Bangkok $18
It's a spicy cocktail, with a nice little kick as an aftertaste. Not overbearing. Definitely not a sweet drink. I really enjoyed it. The cost probably includes the little dry ice show as it's being served - basically the server puts the drink down in a fancy platter and pours dry ice. It doesn't really do anything for the drink itself. Nice, but I can go without.
From JFK to Tokyo
With homemade syrup. On the sweeter side; not my cup of tea.
Lakefront Hazy IPA
Good old hazy IPA.
Royal Flower Dumplings
4 pieces of purple dimsum, filled with a sweet nutty something. I don't think has meat. It looked pretty, but they were crammed together and sticking to one another. The other bowl had a nice bouquet of lettuce, which was supposed to be used to wrap the dumplings. The bouquet was also pretty, but nested together and it was difficult to take each leaf graciously. I don't think the lettuce complemented the dumping much and would have preferred to each it alone.
Spicy Fatty Tuna
Delicious!
Chashu Bao Buns
Each bun was printed with Room Service logo. The pork belly was very tender, the green onion salad (for lack of a better word) was on point, and the sauce was a perfect complement. Perfectly balanced bite!
Hung Lay Short Rib
I don't think this was meant to be a soup, but the sauce it came in was almost like it. It was very yummy, and calling out to the rice that came with the dish. They work well together. The short rib dish by itself is very flavorful (salty), so it really needs to have some rice to mediate. The meat itself is very, very tender, falling apart. On a personal note, I don't really like meats this tender, because it loses texture. But that's just me.
Pad Kee Mao (Drunken noodles)
This comes to a very high 2nd place in our search for the best Pad Kee Mao in the States. First place remains in LA. This one is the best in Milwaukee as far as I'm concerned. The chef used udon noodles for this dish. It was still good. I love udon noodles. But for a Pad Kee Mao, I think the regular flat nice noodles would have brought this dish more top notch. I see why they're trying to bring a twist to this dish, perhaps to try to make it special. But seriously, the flavors, the ingredients, were all so good that I think the dish will stand on its own with the normal version.
Chicken Classic Pad Thai
Another street-food dish that was trying to be more special by being wrapped around with a thin egg crepe. Make for a pretty presentation, but the flavors speak for themselves in this outstanding, basic pad Thai. They could have gone without the egg wrap, which mades the egg very thin. The traditional scrambled version would have tintilated my tongue more. Just a thought. It was still a top notch Pad Thai! read more