First time dining in!
I had visited this place once before when it was the "take out orders only covid era". I don't recall the food much so I wanted to refresh my opinion of this place and what better way to do it than to dine in??
THE SPACE: It is a Friday and a busy lunch hour! The place is buzzing with social energy as groups (mostly 3+ per party), the TV (1 of 2) that happens to be right over my head is on playing a daytime law tv series, the tv at back airs Disney's The Jungle Book and Bruno Mars wails over the stereo speakers. There is a good amount of noise, but nothing over the top. If your sleeping infant is sensitive to noise, lunch hour would probably not be a good time to visit. Pretty large dining room
has approximately 16-22 tables from my guestimation.
THE SERVICE: I am greeted at the front door and seated very quickly by the hostess/cashier who stands behind the register in the back. She must get good exercise during her shift! I am dining solo (don't cry for me, I LOVE it!) and she seats me at a 2-seater table. A server comes quickly to ask what is like to drink and mentions that an iced tea (regular or sweet) comes with all lunch specials. Sweet! And I mean the deal AND the tea of choice. Haha!
THE MENU: is just the right size. I don't know about you, but a large menu is overwhelming. Chef Gordon Ramsay agrees, btw! So I love that all items are on a two-sided laminated menu that features all lunch specials on one side and appetizers, desserts and beverages on the other. I'm certain they'll have a separate dinner menu for that hour. Lunch specials are all $9.70 each, includes a slew of dining choices from Thai to Chinese entrees to choose from. All specials include the tea, rice (unless otherwise mentioned), egg roll and soup of the day. Please note that per the menu, soup and tea are not part of the special if ordering to-go. I choose: Pad Prig (aka Hot Pepper) dish with chicken as my protein. "Hot" as in they make it as spicy as you like and "pepper@ because they add green bell peppers to the dish. My server asks "how spicy?" And I go with medium. Easiest way to gauge a kitchen if you aren't fully sure what their definition of spicy is. Lol.
THE FOOD:
My tea comes quick and the soup is quick to follow. Today's soup is a light broth with pieces of ground chicken, rice, fresh chopped celery and carrot. The saltiness is perfect, and I find this soup to be very comforting. Totally something I'd make for myself at home. Unfortunately, my entree comes super fast, too. I've barely touched my soup! This crew does not mess around. A few minutes later I get to my entree, it is almost entirely cold. Food was cooked in a flash and some ingredients are still refrigerator cold and partially cooked. They're veggies, so I don't mind but would have loved an opportunity to enjoy my soup at my leisure. Oops! One tomato slice shows the fruit was not de-cored during prepping. May not be necessary step for the Asian community, but most Americans would balk at that. I am both Asian and American, so I quickly remove the top and eat it on one swift motion. The entree is tasty, so is my egg roll. No dipping sauce is offered for the fried appetizer, so I just ate it and was fine as is.
My server stops briefly to scoop up empty dishes and straw and disposable chop stick trash. HUGE PLUS in my book. I love a pre-busser! She returns to refill my tea and I ask if they have fresh mangoes available. A valid question as the season may not allow for access to fresh mangoes. She is sweet to say that she will go check in the kitchen to be sure there is a "good" mango for me. Haha! She may not trust her cooks to make that determination. 6 minutes later I have a sticky rice with mango dessert and it is perfect! If you haven't tried this sweet delicacy, you must! Pretty much a hit at every Thai restaurant. Basic traditional recipe that doesn't deviate, in my opinion.
OVERALL: I am quite happy with my meal today. The staff here are here to WORK and maintain a happy and well-fed clientele. Don't expect a chatty server, staff members on their phones or congregating in a corner. They are fast on their feet and ever-moving, so if you need something as they're swooping by, you'd best hope your chopsticks aren't in your mouth! Enjoy! read more