On Saturday 8/16, we decided to sway from our usual visit to Little Home Thai to try out Sri Thai for dinner. Keyword for this review Yelp boys and Yelp girls: bland.
Arrived to the restaurant around 5:30pm and we were seated immediately. There were maybe only three other tables that were occupied and man, their tables are placed way close to each other! I think we were able to hear just about everyone's conversation.
Looking at the menu, it was your typical Thai cusine, nothing really stood out. We both quenched on a Thai Iced Tea which unfortunately was probably the best thing during our entire meal. It was served in a narrow and somewhat shallow "wine" glass, whereas other restaurants would serve it in a milkshake style glass. At $3.00 a glass, I made that bad boy last!!
We started off with the Tom Yum soup, which was priced per person at $4.00 each, which I think it's a tad steep for just a little bowl. I'd rather pay $9.00 for a tureen of soup and usually have two servings, cuz it's damn tasty soup. Unfortunately, Sri Thai's version was bland. It was lacking so much flavor that it tasted like I was sipping on coconut milk with lemongrass and cilantro.
We also ordered their Pad Thai. Again, it was bland, really sweet but lacking flavor. I swear, it tasted like the instant Pad Thai in a box you can buy at Costco or at Trader Joe's. Sure, they throw in (very little) shrimp, and egg and veggies but, to call this Pad Thai was an insult. Now that I think of it, there wasn't even any chicken or tofu in it. Ugh!
Lastly, we tried out the Combo Meat platter which seemed to be recommended from other Yelp reviewers. It was pieces of chicken and slivers of beef drenched with peanut sauce, sitting on a bed of veggies. Essentially, it was a chicken/beef satay without the skewers. It was good. Although their peanut sauce was a little watery, a tad bland and didn't have any bits of peanuts. Note: I read that a side order of peanut sauce is $4.00?? What a rip!!
The service was okay, I guess. Our server was fairly prompt and kept refilling our water glasses. The two ladies who brought the food out literally just propped the dishes on the table, banging on our plates and shoving our glasses. Their service overall was just lacking that sense of hospitality we've experienced at other Thai restaurants. Also, when we got our checks, we didn't even get any candy or mints. Apparently there was a bowl in the back of the restaurant where you had to serve yourself. SWEET, that meant we could grab a handful of mints!
PROS: It's a Thai restaurant in the Tri-Valley area!
NEGATIVES: For the area, I understand that the prices might be a little inflated but I wouldn't mind that too much if the quality of food was simply "good" and wasn't so darn bland! Finding a parking space can be a biyatch, especially on a weekend evening.
OVERALL: I would pass this place up on a weekend evening because parking sucks. Even if I went to watch a movie and I really, really felt like Thai food, I'd rather give up my parking space and head to Little Home Thai or somewhere else. Sorry Sri Thai, we came in with great hopes that we'd have an alternate Thai restaurant to frequent, but if it's any consolation, your overpriced Thai Iced Tea was great and your mints were yummy!! read more