Overall 3.75 Stars…read more
After an all day conference in Jackson, we wanted to get some food and this restaurant popped up in my feed to try in Richland. Having only 30 reviews and all 5 stars, I was curious on why that was the case.
Located in a building with another restaurant and nail salon, the building itself was just a normal tan building. Nothing special, however when you walked in, you were transported to the southern hemisphere of Thailand where the warm ocean breeze sway your worries away. Boy, I sound like a song.
Ambiance : 4 Stars - there are enough seating at each table to accommodate 4-8 people - Bench or Table style. Decor had Thailand pictures, plants, and etc.
Service - 5 Stars our only server was very pleasant, easy to talk to, efficient, and very alert to make sure your drink was full or remove your empty dishes away. My wife and I enjoyed Thai food and we had questions because some of the dishes were slightly different than what we were use too. He answered all of our questions.
Food: 3.25 - 3.75 Stars
The food itself was good but not great because the seasoning was very light for Thailand food. Our server said they wanted the people to enhance their meal by adding other flavors to the dish. The answer was a SAFE answer. Authentic food should have the flavors of that region. I say, " be bold and confident in your dish". If the people don't like it, they can order something else. Of course I didn't say that to the server or Auntie who prepared our meals because I didn't want to get stuck in the kitchen cleaning dirty pots and pans. Hahah!
With that note, upon our request, our server did bring out chili oil, chili red pepper and crush, dry Thai peppers. and Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese Fish Sauce) so we may "doctored" our dishes.
We ordered the following.
Appetizers
Chicken Larb - 3.75 Stars. The chicken was finely diced and sautéed with onions and had some Thai seasoning. It was served with a healthy portion of green leaf lettuce and whole salted cashews.
It was good and flavorful but as good as Beef Larb. NOTE: BEEF LARB is not on the menu which is a bummer because it is a staple Thai food. Maybe they don't have it because the price of beef has gone up tremendously.
Also, they don't have Beef Crying Tiger too. Bummer
Thai Chicken Skewers- 3.25 Stars
The chicken was coated with a yellow curry and possible coconut milk than pan fried in oil. It was served with a yummy peanut sauce. It was ok. The chicken was a little dry when biting into it and the yellow curry flavor was mild. I wish it was grilled and had some tamarind and fish sauce on it too.
Main Dishes:
Pad Thai - with chicken 3.5 Stars it was large portion. My wife definitely had left overs. She said it was good but was missing the tamarind sauce, citric acid and palm sugar. We don't like it sweet but the palm sugar brings out the other flavors of the dish. Now, after she "doctored" it, she really enjoyed her dish.
Red Curry Pan Seared Salmon w veggies and rice - 3.5 Stars. I had mixed feeling with this dish. The pan seared Salmon was perfectly cooked, seasoned well and has a crusty seared on it. It was layered on top of steamed veggies in a red curry sauce. I was disappointed with the red curry sauce and the steamed veggies. It lacked flavor. Also, I thought the dish was going to be served in bowl with "stewed veggies" but it wasn't. Each item were layered separately. Steamed veggies on the plate, covered with the red curry sauce then finally layered with the seared salmon. Rice was served in a separate bowl.
My expectations were not met when I saw the dish. Also, the red curry sauce was bland but after I added Thai seasoning, fish sauce, lime wedge, and chili oil it was better.
So, do I recommend this place? The answer is "Yes". The server and auntie are pleasant and their southern regional Thai food are good. The atmosphere is laid back and has a very positive vibe. Though the restaurant wasn't too busy inside, I observed they have alot of loyal customers who ordered takeouts or sat at their tables to dine with them.
I definitely will come back to try their Papaya Salad and Pad See Ew.