Food offered by the vendors at the Ballard Seafood Fest was not up to snuff for me, so I decided to go here with my foodie friend for dinner that day around 6:30pm before catching Built to Spill later that night. You could say the "secret" part of this restaurant is that you see the signs advertising the place at the front, yet you have to enter a small lobby before hitting up the main entrance door almost to the immediate left of the lobby entrance. If that was a mouthful, wait till you need directions to find the shared restroom one floor below... besides that, the inside contains several booths and two- and four-tops in a compact but surprisingly quiet area due to the muffled noise from the seafood fest. My foodie friend and I got a booth seat close to the window where we thought the main entrance door to this place was. How convenient... Menu is extensive and includes appetizers, soup, curry, noodles, rice, desserts and a bunch of lunch specials. The two of us took our time deciding what we wanted, and settled on the following: - Phad woon sen with chicken (2-star spice): my dish for this visit. This is a bean thread vermicelli noodle dish with egg, onion, cabbage, celery, Chinese broccoli and Thai stir-fry sauce. Noodles had a smooth, silky and al dente consistency, and paired well with everything else inside. This is savory all right, but not overly so. - Thai fried rice with chicken (3-star spice): my foodie friend's dish. Similar to my phad woon sen in ingredients though it has tomato and garlic and no celery. Very filling, and not too oily with the taste spread evenly overall and a smoky taste akin to wok hei. - Pandan sticky rice with mango: a dessert we split together. Yeah, we went overboard with this and I ended up eating up most if not all of this dessert. The sticky rice here is pandan flavored, and a ton of thinly sliced mangoes surround the dish, with some cubed mangoes sitting on top of the sticky rice dome in the middle. So dang delicious, didn't think the sticky rice could be any other flavor than what the coconut sauce usually provides! All dishes were around the same price of $15-20 - yes, even the pandan sticky rice with mango. It was a lot, but the both of us went beyond the night with everything we ate here without having to get anything else after. I've got a new favorite Thai restaurant that I'd like to come back to given I'm around the area! read more

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Ordered take out online. Ordered 415pm on a Friday afternoon and it was ready about 30 minutes later. I arrived a bit early and they didn't have it ready but the lady was super nice. If you're going to have a dine in experience, there are a few seats on the upper level but most of it is on the downstairs level with a few stairs going down. Simple but cute tables. Really nice vibe. I ordered the green curry with pork and a spicy level. It had a nice kick. I love spicy. Probably could have went higher. If you like hot, go with this level. I got it with sticky rice. Wasn't the biggest fan of that. I think next time I'd go with the classic white rice. Not because it was bad. But because I think it didn't match well with the curry. Parking in Ballard isn't great so be prepared to walk a bit to get to this place. read more

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There are some businesses off the beaten path and there are some that are hidden in plain sight. Secret Savory seems to be a blend of both, showcasing trendy Thai in one of Seattle's most prominent neighborhoods. In short (#1), the food was tasty, the service was solid, and I'd absolutely consider returning again. The interior is far more modern than the outside would suggest. It feels like being in someone's home with lots of white space, a decent sized dining room, and a bustling staff that is busy fulfilling takeout orders and keeping up with the demand. As a proud graduate of Le Condon Blue Dusit of Thailand, Chef Jiratkaruen has designed his menu to focus on all the major regions of the country. There are mainstream classics such as phad kraw praw or specialty dishes like khao soi, amid a myriad of curry choices, noodles, spanning vegetarian, seafood, and meat heavy dishes. Everything that my group and I ordered, we enjoyed, and marveled at the presentation. Our pad see ew was pretty typical with a nice kick with a good amount of flavor. The chicken wings were a crowd favorite and but my nod was to their black pepper and garlic soft shell crab, which was crispy, airy, and delightful with the accompanying tangy, sweet sauce. Pad thai was its usual self: partially sweet, texturally wonderful, and an easy dish to enjoy. While the royal khao soi with chicken was somewhat underwhelming, the chicken was extremely tender and the sauce had a nice dark tone to it. Most of us were buzzing over the chayote with garlic, which was the surprise appetizer -- we had assumed it would be like bitter melon, but it was surprisingly savory and was melting in our mouths with each bite. The pan fried chive cakes were beautifully plated, but the taste was somewhat dry and without the soy sauce / fried garlic bits, would have been disappointing. The service was a tinge on the slower side but if I could change anything it would be the portions in relative to the price. I realize that we're all to indulge, but the plates had a bit less food than what I would have expected. Couple this with any of the cocktails from their extensive selection and the bill is going to be hefty one. __________ (#1) Warning: long review alert! read more

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Great Thai spot in Ballard. Came here for dinner on a Friday and we're seated right away. It's a casual spot with great food and great service. We got the fried mushroom salad, the shrimp paste eggplant, and the crab curry with noodles (kanom-jean-numya-pa). Everything was delicious! The fried mushroom salad was very unique. The mushrooms were nicely fried without being oily and the sauce it was served with was amazing. The shrimp paste eggplant was very flavorful, I wish there were more pieces of eggplant but I enjoyed the bell peppers and onions in the dish too. The crab curry noodles were fun to try! The curry was flavorful but not too strong and did not overpower the crab. There was a good amount of crab meat. It also came with some veggies (romaine, broccoli, pickled mustard, green beans). You mix everything together! It was a light but fulfilling meal. Also the service was also great, very attentive. read more

Secret Savory - Crab curry with noodles - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Fantastic low key thai restaurant. If you're looking for thai food as good as Noi or Kin Len but without the crowd or wait this is the stop. Great selection, very authentic, great flavor, and generous helpings of seafood. Highly recommend the seafood pad woon sen read more

Was drawn in by the good looking menu and good Yelp reviews that supported it. They have a large menu highlighting the different regions of Thailand which looked awesome. We tried 2 pretty basic but our favorite Thai dishes: the pad see ew and the khao man gai/Hainan chicken steamed & fried. The flavor of the pad see ew was too sweet for my partner and the broccoli was undercooked and still hard and bitter having not taken in any of the flavor or heat. The khao man gai was disappointing with nearly a third or even half of the steamed chicken being fatty and inedible. The flavor of the rice was good but not quite ginger flavored as the menu described. The dipping sauces were good but both might be slightly too spicy for sensitive diners. Overall, it was pretty expensive compared to the quality of the food and the portion size we received, especially for the khao man gai. Definitely our other go to restaurant does it better. But this place had a large menu and we might give them another chance and try and venture out to another regional dish we aren't quite familiar with and definitely to check out the desserts. So we'll see! read more

Needed a dog friendly spot in Ballard and was feeling Thai and luckily this spot has some outdoor seating that we could use. The service was nice and quick and friendly, we ordered off the lunch menu which had a decent amount of food and we both took some of our food to go. I got spicy level 3 for the garlic and it was spicier than I expected, still good though. The cocktails were good and pretty as well. I would say the outdoor area is very small and not very nice but you gotta do what you gotta do when you got a dog. Overall would recommend though and would maybe try sitting inside. read more

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Authentic Thai food. Great flavors. The soup was a little sweet for my taste, but the lard was spot on. The spice tray was excellent. My buddy loves their Phad See Ew. I'd definitely go here again, and it's on the Alaska Mileage Plan Dining, so that was a nice bonus, and also why I'd pick here over the other Thai spots on the block. read more

Secret Savory - Tom yum soup, lard salad, Phad See Ew - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Tom yam noodle soup with pork hit the spot. Very casual dining. The service was very nice. I would come back if I am in ballard again. read more

Secret Savory - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

The crispy mushroom was delicious! The shrimp paste eggplant was a little salty but great flavor overall! read more

Secret Savory - Secret mushroom crunch - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I went recently--it was the first time I'd been since many years ago, before the pandemic! It was good then. It's amazing now. And their happy hour is a phenomenal deal. We got a ton of things, all good, but my favorites were the Miang-Kham (make your own wraps with betel leaves), Royal Kao-Soi, green beans, and chinese broccoli. Their pandan sticky rice with egg custard was one of the best things I've ever tasted in my life. Can't wait to go back! read more

We tried it for the first time last night..... great service and delicious food! We will be back.

Came here after a long shift and the restaurant is tucked in a building with other businesses. The food was amazing. Quite different from your typical Thai restaurant. I tried two different dishes- spicy basil fried rice with ground chicken and a curry dish with Roast duck and longan and lychees were included. It was a very savory curry, sweet and savory, with a good heat level 3. I am someone who loves spicy, ordered my fried rice at a level 4 and it was pretty spicy. My spice tolerance is very high so I don't recommend that level if you can't tolerate medium-hot heat. We also orders their chicken wing appetizer- super crispy and flavorful. It was yummy! read more

Secret Savory - Hot Basil Fried Rice - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Food was great - good presentation . Alittle pricy but they have a decent lunch special and small happy hour Parking alittle big of a headache since it's only street parking - anywhere from $6-10/hr read more

Secret Savory - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Hidden gem in Ballard for delicious Thai food. It's tucked away on the main market street. I have only done pickup orders from here so I can't comment about the service. My order has always been ready within 15 minutes. I always get their soft shell crab, it's crunchy and tasty. The portion sizes are decent and appropriate for the price. Highly recommend trying their soft shell crab! read more

Such a cute Thai spot if you're ever in downtown Ballard. Really love the decor and the service. Everyone was so nice and the food was amazing. There are a few other options for tie around the area, but this is one of my favorites because of the cute decor and it generally is a little quieter because it does seem secret read more

Love this spot! My husband and I came here for lunch with our pup. They have a table or two which sits outside the restaurant and they were nice enough to let us dine there with our pup. The food is really good and service is great! They have really tasty crab dishes! We tried the crab fried rice, chicken seaweed rolls, and pad see ew and everything was so good! read more

Secret Savory - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

AMAZING Thai food! I've tried a good amount of Thai restaurants in the Seattle area and this is my favorite by far. We were amazed at all of the delicious meals that we ordered for dinner. The pad Thai is a MUST and the chicken wing appetizer was so tasty! Great ambiance and very fast service. We highly recommend!!! read more

If you've not stopped by this wonderful "hole in the wall" restaurant you're missing out! Tucked away off Market is Secret Savory, a light and bright, small but mighty, Thai restaurant with plenty of delicious menu items and drinks to choose from. Staff are friendly. Prices are fair. Food is absolutely delectable. Because it is small, don't be surprised if there is a bit of a wait especially over weekends. It is certainly worth the wait however. My noodle Tom yum soup was the perfect mix of sour and spicy. The Dancing Thai Iced tea with a touch of rum was quite literally one of the best Thai iced teas I have ever tasted. All in all, the food and experience is great. I can definitely see this becoming a regular spot for a great lunch or dinner! read more

Secret Savory - Dancing Thai Iced Tea - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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I've been here twice in the past 60 days. On my first visit everything tasted perfect! My sister and I ordered the Kor-Lae Chicken appetizer, the green bean garlic, the Royal Kao-Soi noodles with tofu and the Kang-Ped-Bed-Yang with roasted duck. The dishes were hot (temperature), full of spices with some heat and delicious. I took my partner there last week and we ordered the same dishes thinking it would be the same. Unfortunately, the food was disappointing. The dishes arrived lukewarm (temperature); the pineapple and lychee were cold and tasted like they took it out of the fridge and added it to the sauce. The only items that arrived hot was the green beans and the rice. Sadly, my second visit didn't compare and I'm disappointed they lacked consistency. read more

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Such a cute and unique little Thai shop in Ballard! They label the food by regions of Thailand. The soft shell crab dried curry is a must! Along with the whole soft shell crab, they cooked vegetables with more crab!!! I absolutely love how well the flavors came together. We also got the panang strip loin curry. The steak was cooked to perfection. The curry was a little heavy for me though. Nothing majorly bad to say about it. It's just not my vibe so I probably will not get it again. I highly highly HIGHLY recommend the kanom jean num prik!!!! The curry is a little sweet, the shrimp was super tender, and the ground peanut really compliment the entire dish. It came in a really cute bowl where you pour the curry in and mix it all together. It's a really fun and really good dish. 10/10 The mango sticky rice is also a MUST! The presentation of the dish was stunning and the sticky rice was amazing. The coconut milk sauce could be reduced a little more in my opinion. They put A WHOLE MANGO on there though!! 10/10 would recommend this place read more

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Every dish I've had here stands out compared to pretty much every other Thai restaurant. Which is not easy to do in this area. However it does come with a slight price increase that I feel is often worth it, often not always. The inside is on the small side but the layout provides a nice separation that makes you feel like you're in a larger space. The decor is nice and clean. The materials are fairly high quality. This spot has decent natural lighting, but this does make it feel a bit odd because the day I can was dull and it reflected inside. Meh, I could see my food just fine, just wish they had more lights. Their service is also just ok. Nothing special and far from bad. They are nice. I was able to get seated right away during happy hour. I've been here before and also passed by many times and this place has never been packed. Not sure why when they have these amazing dishes. Maybe the price for the area makes this more of a luxury despite being better priced than many of the nicer restaurants in the area. I can say their food taste absolutely delicious. Every meal I've had was better than anywhere else in the area. They also offer many dishes I just don't find anywhere around here. On my last visit I tried the jackfruit salad and 2 different crab based dishes. One thing to note, their food has a more of a sweet flavor than spice. I don't mind. In my opinion it's nice to have sweet tasting food from time to time be extra spicy. The jackfruit salad was over powered by the fish sauce flavor and I couldn't eat more than 2. Needs more salad or maybe something else to help cut or spread the saltiness. My Kanom Jean Numya Pu had amazing flavor and texture, but was for sure not worth the high price I paid. Everything about it was underwhelming but the flavor. I'm glad I experienced it, but wish I had ordered something different. The curry softshell crab was spot on. No complaints with this dish. The proportions made sense and there was actually enough crab to satisfy. Every other dish I've had at this location was a similar experience to how I felt about the crab curry. Unique, tasty, decent portion, prices appropriate. I highly recommend planning a simple date night here or even just getting a solo plate. You for sure can find cheaper or more expensive, but eating here almost corrects the judgement bar of what middle quality Thai food is. No this isn't the most fancy Thai restaurant and no it's not a hole in the wall. To be honest I'd rather come here than several of the fanciest Thai restaurants I've been to. Can't wait to come back. read more

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We ordered the Royal Kao-Soi and Savory Noodles Tom Yum soup. This was literally the best Tom Yum soup I have ever tried. It had a nice slight peanut taste that complemented the soup and the cilantro. I had never had Royal Kao-Soi but it was very tasty and even though the portions are huge I nearly finished it. They had local craft beer on tap. You can tell the chef puts care into the meals as they al come out nicely presented. The only thing I could say negatively is the ceiling fans could be replaced. read more

Presentation was good but food was meh. I've had better. The salted fried rice was too soggy. Savory crispy fried chicken was mostly batter. The chicken dish wasn't that tasty. The chicken was bland. Service was sub par. The guy that waited on us didn't smile and seemed bothered when we asked for a box to have something to go. Box wasn't big enough so I asked for foil and he wax just over it. I wouldn't go here again. read more

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Always a sensory treat to dine here. They have some of my favorite flavors in Seattle from the pickled jalapeños to the fish sauce brined Thai chili and the chili crisp, I put all three on everything! Yes, I like it HOT! My favorite is the Thai sausage and I always get Larb. I can pig out and still feel like I'm eating healthy. They don't add a lot of extra sugar to their Larb as one other very popular Thai restaurant in Ballard. And I appreciate that. I also enjoy their Thai Moscow Mule! That's where I get all the extra sweetness for the meal. Yum X 1,000,000 read more

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Still delicious, just wanted to post pics from our most recent visit! It was also my kiddos birthday and they were really nice to bring out some desserts. read more

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Khao man gai is one of my favorite dishes and I saw it under chef's special recently, so I gave it a try last night! I chose the crispy chicken and it was pretty good. I just wish the chicken was a bigger portion. $20 for that portion is steep. read more

Cozy lil spot with big flavor. Our group of four were seated immediately on a Friday night. Service is fast & friendly. KANG PED BED YANG (low spice): I think this is one of my favorite curries I've had in the US ever! I rarely see this dish in the bay area tbh... AND with lychee. This has all my favorite ingredients mixed in one. Creamy, savory, sweet, and a little spicy-- topped with crispy, tender duck...! Expertly balanced. You need to try this if you like sweet curries. Rice must be ordered separately. NOTE: Went above and beyond for customer service... One of our friend's orders was made too spicy which had to be sent back and remade. They ended up comping the entire dish for us :O read more

Summary: Solid spicy and (slightly too) sweet Thai Details: * Massive menu of eats from various regions of Thailand * Spice levels are not quite super Thai spicy, but not wimpy either: start with a level two and adjust accordingly * Lots of seafood options, all of which were quite fresh * Flavors are pretty solid, but while everyone else in our group loved the food, my girlfriend and I found many of the otherwise tasty dishes a bit too sweet (though I imagine you can ask them to cut back a bit) Accessibility: There are two levels in the restaurant, so be sure to mention your need for an accessible table when booking. The (external) bathroom, unfortunately, is down a flight of stairs and not otherwise accessible. read more

Secret Savory - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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A no-frills spot for Thai eats with a focus on seafood -- they have a large menu, and literally everything on there looks absolutely delicious! We stopped in for a meal on a Sunday evening and they were so gracious even when we had a large group! The servers were really sweet and patient when explaining the menu, too. My personal favorite was Southern Green Curry -- so flavorful and chock full of vegetables. It's fun to share, and the portion sizes are definitely great for a more family-style meal. Overall, a solid spot and I'd come back! read more

Secret Savory - Thai Hot Basil Fried Rice - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

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Really wanted to love this place! I visited with a friend who was visiting Seattle and had seen the great reviews for this place but sadly found it to be pretty disappointing. Service: I think the server may have just had an off day or the place is understaffed, but a few things went wrong for us. We were forced to get our food to-go, because our server assumed that we were getting takeout. By the time we clarified that we were dining in, she told us it was too late and we had to get it to-go. I also ordered rice with my dish and was charged for it, but our takeout didn't include it. We requested utensils so we could eat it nearby at a park but those likewise weren't provided. Also felt the server was quite rude to us, but it may have been due to a busy day for them. Food: I ordered the shrimp paste eggplant dish which was really good but a bit too sweet for me. Loved the eggplants and shrimp which were both really well cooked. Portion sizes were pretty generous and I was quite full after. Note that the lunch menu says rice comes with the dish, but this is only if you dine in. Rice is separately charged for takeout ($3). Overall: Good but slightly too sweet Thai food, slightly forgetful/dismissive servers. I think Thai food is generally quite good in Seattle and their food didn't really stand out to me, so I'll probably go somewhere else in the future! read more

Secret Savory - Shrimp Paste Eggplant - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Grabbed take out and it was really generous portions relative to price (except maybe the dumplings) and well packaged. It was actually so well sealed I had a little trouble opening it at first! We were headed to a brewery for book club so I ordered the crab fried rice, garlic chayote, and chive dumplings to share. Lots of vegetarian and vegan options! I absolutely would recommend all of them. I'd also come back and order again because the fried rice was delicious and it's so rare to see chayote! It's located in a busy area, but has a cute little dine in space. read more

Secret Savory - Chayote Garilc Crab Fried Rice chive dumplings - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Small and cozy restaurant, no wait at 7:30pm on a Friday for 2 people. My husband and I were greeted quickly and seated. We ordered the chicken pad thai, thai basil fried rice, and dried curry soft shell crab. Chicken pad thai - 8.5/10 (4/5 spicy) The noodles were cooked perfectly with a nice chew. The tamarind/fish sauce was an excellent combo of sweet and savory and an ideal amount to coat the noodles. We wished there was more peanuts and chicken. 4/5 spice is perfect if you like spicy food but don't want a runny nose all dinner. Thai basil fried rice w/ minced beef & fried egg - 6/10 (3/5 spicy) The flavor was great on this dish, but the rice was really dry. The egg wasn't runny enough. The prawns were very dry and tough to chew. 3/5 spice wasn't very spicy. Dried curry soft shell crab - 5/10 (3/5 spicy) This entire dish ate very mushy. Mouthfeel was very off, just soft textures like baby food. We were expecting a dry seasoning based on the name of the dish, but everything was stir fried with a curry sauce which made the fried soft shell crab soggy. Not very spicy either. Parking is located on the street, free after 8pm. read more

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This is my favorite Thai restaurant in Ballard! Whether you are eating in or picking up a takeout order, you are greeted with a smile and your food will be delicious. I always order the khao soi, which you can't find at every restaurant. The one odd thing was that the chicken came with a chicken leg in it - I typically order tofu so had never experienced this! It still tasted good, but took a little more effort to eat. This time I also ordered the green beans, which had a perfect amount of garlic. I have never had a bad dish here! read more

I finally tried this place out and was super disappointed. I ordered the pad won sen and asked for easy on the oil-they didn't follow the request and even worse, half of the tofu was burned (I have had tofu in easily 100 different restaurants over the last 25 years and have never had it burned ) and the rest was super dry and had no flavor. How did they mess up such an easy dish?? I ordered via Grubhub, so paid $40. read more

I kept finding pieces of shell in my crab fried rice. It made it a bit hard to enjoy the meal.

Their menu is super fun, they label dishes by the regions you'd typically find them in Thailand. We ordered pad Thai, shrimp paste eggplant, and soft shell crab dry curry stir fry. The Pad Thai was sooo flavorful and you could really taste the tamarind. Also really enjoyed the soft shell crab dry curry stir fry, we had never tried something like that! Eggplant was good but typical. Overall we enjoyed the meal -- some new stuff, and some well-done classics. read more

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A friend turned me on to the wonderful Secret Savory tonight. I had the Eggplant with Chili -- made with chunks of deep fried tofu (because I can't get enough fat in my diet...lol) in a delicious sauce. I intended to take half of my entree home. (That didn't happen.) read more

Secret Savory - Eggplant with Chili Sauce - Thai Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Ordered takeout here on Valentine's Day and it was great! The order was done quickly, the staff were friendly during pickup, and the food was great! I got Pad See Ew, and my partner got a curry soup with pork. We were both very happy with it. read more

Wanted a quick dinner before dropping off family at the airport. Many places were closed on a Monday evening, so we were happy they were open and had open tables. We ordered quickly ! We started with The seaweed chicken roll. It was served during our dinner, but was very good. The plum dipping sauce was so good and added the perfect sweetness to the chicken. I had the chicken pad thai. They asked what level of hotness on a scale of 1 to 5. I ordered a 2 and holy smokes it was so spicy. I topped it with the plum sauce to add some sweetness to offset the spiciness. My son ordered his with a level 3 and he also commented it was just too spicy. The food would have been good expect for this. Service was a bit spotty, we had 2 different servers and neither really showed us much attention. If in the Ballard I would try again, but be warned about the spice levels. read more

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