Obao has delicious food. If you're in Hells Kitchen and happen to stumble by Obao, it is worth…read morecoming in. Obao is has both Thai and Viet food. It does well with doing the whole "fusion" schtick without losing the essence and flavor of the dishes. Pad Krapoa Moo Krob, the meat on the pork belly was so juicy - the pork skin was crunchy and chewy at the same time, flavors of Thai spice, basil, and bell peppers harmoniously working together to bring a balanced meal. The shrimp basil fried rice was delicious, a great alternative if you're not feeling the crab fried rice. The service at Obao is always prompt and helpful, whether it's questions about the menu or recommendations, anyone is willing to help. Inside Oboa is dimly lit, a moody vibe that is fun and invites playful conversations.

While walking down the street in Hell's Kitchen, Obao caught my family's and my eyes. We looked at…read morethe menu and noticed that there were many gluten-free options, so we decided to try them out. The hostess stated how she had a long reservation list, but was able to get us right in! Once we sat down, our server, Spaghetti, came over to us. He was extremely friendly and took our drink orders right away. I ordered an Espresso Martini, and it was delicious. My father ordered a Vietnamese Iced Coffee, which was extremely tasty. For our entrees, my mother ordered the Pad Thai, and my father and I ordered the Pho Bó. My mom absolutely loved the Pad Thai! The Pho Bó was incredible. The broth was so delectable, and it was honestly the best broth that I have ever had. The portions were also incredible, especially for the price and being in the city! Once we received the check, we noticed that next to the Pho Bó, it stated that it is Michelin Recommended, and we completely understand why! We are looking forward to going back!

The drinks were excellent -- I had an espresso martini with Baileys and it was perfectly made. The…read moreyellowtail was fresh and good quality, though it wasn't served in the typical ponzu-style sauce I'm used to, so it tasted different than expected (not bad, just unexpected). The spring salad was delicious, and the chicken lettuce cups were amazing -- definitely a standout. The rock shrimp was also delicious, and both the fried rice and lo mein were very good. I wasn't a big fan of the fried dumplings; they didn't have much flavor in my opinion. I also ordered the filet mignon -- it looked more well-done when it came out, but it was actually cooked perfectly medium to medium-plus. Overall, a great experience with a few highlights and only a small miss.

My cousin told me about this restaurant and based on the reviews that I saw on here, Google, and…read moreInstagram, I was down to try. When it comes to ambience, this place checks off every box. I loved the decor, lighting, furniture, and music. It's very spacious, and I really liked that they have separate areas for dining, large groups, and if you want do hookah. Our server was great and tried to accommodate as best as he could. We were very disappointed with the food. I was bummed they were out of the oxtail eggrolls. The items we ordered lacked flavor and just didn't hit. We ordered the chicken satay, the peanut sauce was a bit too thick and in our opinion didn't compliment the chicken and the chicken tasted pretty greasy. I ordered the shrimp dumplings and really enjoyed those. I also ordered the sea bass. It was a bit bland and the rice that was served on the side was hard. My cousin enjoyed the spice kung pao chicken. For drinks, we ordered the sidecar and lychee martini. I thought my drink was pretty good. If I'm ever in the area again, I think I would try it again just to see if I didn't choose the right options.

Arrived early and enjoyed the happy hour before dinner. Good cocktails and food specials for happy…read morehour - highly recommend. Service was excellent and all most all dishes were amazing especially the bao buns and shrimp balls. Disappointed in the broccoli with bean sauce as it was mostly the steams. But the worst part was finding a rubber band in the Hong Kong fried noodles. The server did offer to have the kitchen remake the dish, we declined as we already ate most of it, so wish they would have discounted instead.

Bougie vibes on a Thursday evening! My bestie was in town, and we visited Tao for dinner. Lychee…read moremartinis and Asian delights abound! Reservations were relatively easy to score. She was raving about the Fish in Sand, which apparently she and I had at Tao in Vegas many moons ago (I did not recall). Given it was Vegas, my lack of memory was understandable. Well, we ordered it (again) NYC style and it was sensational. The textures and flavor were spot-on. We also enjoyed a Rainbow Roll, a Salmon Avocado Roll, and the Chicken Lollipops. It was the perfect amount of food considering we planned to bar-hop a bit afterward. It feels like a Saturday night here, regardless of the day of the week. The music is upbeat but not so loud that you're shouting. I appreciate a lounge-style DJ during dinner!

This restaurant offers great Thai food, and a very flavorful and "saucy" Pad Thai is a highlight…read more The dishes are served on disposable plates, making the meal informal, but the quality of the meals is very good and always enjoyable.

I've seen the LoveMama food truck in Williamsburg many years ago but never got around to trying it…read more I knew about the restaurant but also have yet to try it until yesterday. They have a great lunch special for $13.99 entree & drink. Very nice deal. I ordered the Nasi Lemak with chicken and the calamansi honey jasmine drink. As a Malaysian, I can confirm that the Nasi Lemak was good. I would just recommend that they give the rice and curry a few minutes to cool down before serving. This dish should never be served piping hot. This is a lukewarm or room temperature dish. I would also recommend peeling the cucumber completely which is the authentic way. The peel had a bitterness which wasn't pleasant. The calamansi drink didn't have any jasmine flavor and needed more calamansi, but still refreshing. I ordered a mango sticky rice to go. It was just ok. Overall, I'd come back to try more things. Service was friendly. Fyi there's a fee for credit card payments.

Ambiance (5/5): The establishment is extremely ornate and decorated in theme from top to bottom. I…read morelove how much detail and elegance they put to each room (not to mention the 16-foot buddha statue in the main dining room!) Be aware that the lighting is dim and the background noise is loud! The front bar room is so loud that you have to shout with your guest. Our party of 6 was seated in a tiny booth which we had to ask for an additional chair to accommodate us. Service (5/5): We were able to get someone's attention to order and we were refilled on water often. The food was organized by appetizers and entrees that arrive all at the same time. The wait between ordering and food felt reasonable to short. The waiter also specified that certain dishes quantity (i.e. potstickers) could be increased to accommodate our party size for an extra cost. Food (5/5): TLDR; every dish was honestly SO good; I was surprised and will rank the items by 'must get' to skippable: Short Rib Bao Bun (3 pc): The short rib was so tender and flavorful. The bao bun was soft. The sauce was thick and worked well with the short rib. Pork Potstickers (5 pc): I preferred this over the lobster and scallion dumplings. The exterior skin is pan-fried with a nice glaze, hint of truffle. The bite was umami from the creaminess of the Parmigiano Reggiano. Chicken Satay (3 pc): The 3 pieces of chicken were relatively large, very tender, seasoned well. They were well complemented with the peanut sauce that is worth keeping to dip into other things! Don't sleep on the side of spicy cucumber salad, which was so well balanced in tartness and flavor. Pad Thai: This is one of the best Pad Thai I've ever had! The flavors are bursting, with a balance of sweetness, nuttiness from the peanuts, and tartness from a squeeze of lime. Peking Duck for 2: This dish is definitely more than enough for our party of 6 and appeared to be a half serving of the whole duck. The duck pieces are pre-cut for us to self-assemble into the wraps (not the usual bao bun but like thin tortilla wraps). I think I counted 8 wraps? Triple Pork Fried Rice: The rice has a lot of depth and generous chunks of pork. The rice is thicker than regular jasmine with a more chew which I liked. Dragon Tail Spare Ribs: Although this has a nice flavor, handling with your fingers makes them super sticky for your whole dining experience. The restaurant should give out wet towelettes if this dish is ordered!! Meat was tender and easy to chomp off the bone. Tuna Tartare: A small quarter-sized tartare dollop is served atop a small cube bread. The fish was fresh, presentation was beautiful. Was hoping for more tartare for the price point but it was very good. Overall, the dish was not filling so would skip if the party is hungry. Lobster and Scallop Dumplings: Great flavor with reasonable chunks of meat inside. Just preferred the potstickers a lot more! Bok Choy: Pieces were chopped in half and cooked with a nice crunch. Topped with something that gave it more texture. The garlicy taste was forward (in a good way). Rainbow Roll: While it was fresh and the individual pieces were large in portion, this felt like any other sushi roll. Skip this! Side of White Rice is $9?! That's theft and is skippable The amount of food ordered was probably a little more than what we needed but glad we ordered as many as we did.

This restaurant has such a beautiful atmosphere. I was truly amazed by the giant Buddha altar and…read morefelt very peaceful paying my respects. I especially loved how it was placed elevated above the floor -- it gave such a calming and respectful feeling. Even with the hustle and bustle, the place still felt relaxing and serene. As for the food, it was decent. We ordered a few different chicken dishes since we don't eat pork or fish, so our options were a bit limited. One thing that did make me feel uncomfortable was the hallway near the downstairs bathroom where a picture of a Buddhist monk in saffron robes was displayed. Personally, I felt it was not the most respectful placement. Overall, I still enjoyed the experience and would love to come back again to see the beautiful giant Buddha.

Ambiance beautiful sat by Buddha wall, food was amazing had edamame dumplings, tuna tartare spring…read morerolls, Cantonese spring rolls, general tso dumplings, chili rock shrimp, Cantonese steamed sole, tangerine chicken, sweet & crispy jumbo shrimp, black pepper beef, Asian stir fry, garlic fried rice and dessert selections of pastries Family style to accommodate the party size Everyone was very well fed. Food was delish Servers were very pleasant Drinks r great

The quality of the food, particularly the desserts, was relatively good. We did the tasting menu…read morenumber 2 and particularly enjoyed the rock shrimp appetizer and the black pepper beef entree as well as the dessert sampler. The pacing of the meal for the quantity of food received seemed very rushed, and we didn't really have a chance to relax and enjoy any of the courses. However, the quality of the experience was a complete disaster particularly for the price. Clearly, the packed restaurant would disagree, but for the four of us anyway, we would not return. It started with the check in process at what felt like a long hotel front desk with multiple, self important hosts and hostesses overseeing your entrance to the cavernous bar/waiting area. One problem is the noise is so deafening that you can't really hear what they say to you but we check in a few minutes early and waited obediently in the bar area chatting. After about 30 minutes (15 after our reservation time), and watching numerous parties large and small who arrived after us be seated by the hostesses wandering through the dimly lit space who peer quizzically and ask your name, my husband went to ask for an update. (We joked that those vibrating lighted buzzers alerting when your table was ready would have been super helpful, but it was amusing to watch while we waited). It was clear they somehow lost track of us as she had him repeatedly spell our (not unusual) name. Anyway, after that, within 10 minutes after that we were taken downstairs to our seats (but not before standing awkwardly in the large dining area near packed tables waiting while our table was cleaned). Server with a heavy accent was kind and mostly helpful so none of this is on him. The busser who managed to spill half a pitcher of cold water on my husband's back, soaking his shirt and jacket and barely apologizing, is a whole other story. We managed to get a glass of his mediocre Cabernet comped for the experience. If I sound annoyed, I guess I still am. I had high hopes for a fun and tasty experience in a cool part of the city and it just wasn't.

Duck noodle - more simple and plain flavors but very good. Duck was perfectly moist…read more Crab fried rice - decent but the green sauce it comes with is amazing. It's fish saucy, sour, cilantro Khao soi - great and more soupy than most. Other places do give more crispy noodles but the flavor on this is very good. Typically had it with chicken but this has crispy pork belly which I love. Get extra noodles to soak it up. Hat Yai - idk why I always get this it's just plain fried chicken with like sweet and sour dipping sauce Pork jowl - typically fresh sour salty Thai tastes Cocktail - forgot the name but see photo. I very much enjoyed it

Was able to be seated quickly with reservations. Service was attentive and knowledgeable. Seating…read morein the back was crowded, but didn't take away from the experience. The oyster dish was recommended by the waiter. 10000/10 would come back just for it. The oyster paired with the curry sauce and rice was an explosion of flavors. I have never tasted something so delicious!

I was there a week ago with a group and we were taken care of by Sarah …read more She was Amazing without her we would have been lost . Every thing she recommended was so on point and she was soo lovely !! Will definitely return .

I went to this moderately fancy, pretty popular Pan-Asian spot with one of my groups a while back,…read morewhere, as usual, we split a lot of main dishes. They are a sister restaurant to the even fancier Chinese Tuxedo, with a menu that leans primarily towards ASEAN/Southeast Asian countries. The place was slightly loud and somewhat dim for photos, but thankfully, we were in a separate room, so the noise was muffled. The food was overall pretty good, though I prefer some other spots. This is especially given the price point, but it is nice to have solid representations of food from many different countries. To drink, I remember not being in the mood for a cocktail, so I went for the $14 Fiery Forge with Pathfinder hemp spirit, Lyre's Italian orange, pineapple, five spice, and pomelo soda. It had mild spices and a lot of citrus, and it was decent. The first dish that arrived happened to be the best, the $38 Crispy Lamb Ribs with a Cambodian sweet & sour sauce. The ribs were crispy on the outside while remaining very tender inside, with the fat properly cooked as well. I was also happy that they weren't overly sweet either. This was very tasty and one of our easy favorites. The Roasted Duck Breast for $32 with Chinese celery, Thai basil, dragon eye fruit, and plum dressing was also solid. The duck was cooked nicely, being tender with a mildly fatty texture, and the dressing was thankfully not overly sweet. I do wish there was a bit more dragon eye fruit/longan, but it was solid. Also tasty, but the most expensive, was the 'Crying Tiger' Grilled Sirloin Steak for $46 with aromatic herbs, spicy tamarind dressing, and toasted rice. I have had this dish, also known as Suea rong hai, in many Isan/northeastern Thai spots, and this was solid. The steak was cooked nicely, and the dressing had a mild kick, with some roasted chilis for those who want a bit more heat. My only complaint is that I wish this were also served, as per usual, with sticky rice, as it's already a pricey version of this dish, and even cheaper places serve this traditional accompaniment. The Newton Circus Sambal Stingray, for $28, with roasted skate and sambal belachan, was alright. It was comparable to most Malaysian and Singaporean spots serving this dish, though I preferred a slightly stronger sambal at some spots, and the fish was cooked better at others. The portion size was also daintier, although at least we didn't have to deal with the fish bones. For a better version at a reasonable price, I highly recommend Wok Wok nearby, on Mott Street near Confucius Square. Last and least was the Singaporean Chili Crab Fried Rice for $28 with hand-picked Jonah crab and lobster oil. This is famous here, and I don't really see it. I liked the fried rice's seasoning and crunch. However, the sweet chili sauce overpowered whatever little crab there was. For a similar price, I would recommend the nearby Phoenix Palace, which had more crab flavor and was more balanced. The food overall was good. If this were in another neighborhood, I would probably recommend it more, but there are other spots for ASEAN food that are a bit more reasonably priced and of better quality. It's still good, though, and certainly better than many other Pan-Asian places. This would be another 3.5, but that doesn't exist, so I'll round up.

TLK was excellent! I got the grilled lemongrass chicken and vermicelli noodles as part of a work…read morelunch order. Even through delivery, the dish was excellent. The chicken had that classic "grilled" taste, really nicely prepared. And the veggies and noodles in the dish all tasted fresh, without a ton of sauce to cover up the flavors (though the sauce on the side was still good). It can be tough finding lunch options that split the difference between (relatively) healthy and still delicious. TLK did that, I definitely will be coming back to try more of their menu!

Ordered delivery. Tasty with a nice portion of veggies, protein isn't worth it. I ordered the spicy…read morechili garlic ho fun with tofu. The tofu was an extra 6$ and the dish only had 6 rather small pieces of tofu. Ridiculous. I'd order from here again, but I'll add the protein myself.

Amazing experience! Came for brunch on Mother's Day and were welcomed in right away. We opted to…read moresit at a table in the back and although the lighting was quite dim at first, it added to the intimate setting. The place was decorated nicely with Japanese art and paper lanterns. The staff were friendly and patient with us and gave us our time waiting for our full party to arrive and look at the menu. The food was delicious. My favorites would have to be the chilled sesame noodles and the Wagyu burger! The black sesame latte was also rich in flavor. The lavender in the matcha latte was also strong as well - perfect for those who enjoy drinking lavender flavored beverages.

SERVICE - located in Williamsburg a few streets away from…read morethe waterfront - amazing service. from the moment we stepped in i felt like all the workers were very attuned to taking care of the customer. we were immediately asked if we had dietary preferences and handed separate vegan menus. when we sat down, the lady taking our orders thoughtfully walked us through the menu options and gave us her recommendations. we later got to speak with one of the co owners and he was very receptive to feedback. - two floors of seating gives it ample space to accommodate diners - outdoor patio available though not on the chilly day we went - ambiance good for a semi casual meal - food served relatively quickly MENU - Japanese fusion brunch and dinner menus - vegan/vegetarian options available - average price FOOD - the hangry panda (9/10): roasted potatoes, tofu scramble, mushroom sausage balls, with a side of housemade fennel raisin sourdough. This sounded like a perfect savory brunch for someone who likes to try multiple things. Every item had been carefully thought through and very well executed. The potatoes were crispy on the edges and fluffy in the middle. The tofu scramble was soft and almost silky. The mushroom balls were delicious. They had a crispy exterior and a slightly chewy but not tough interior. I would order those on their own as an appetizer. The star of the plate for me was the bread. The owner who spoke to us told us he makes it himself and it shows how much care he put into baking it. The structure of the crumb was airy with a crunchy crust. I loved the addition of fennel and raisins for sweetness and a touch of warmth. The only small tweak that I would make to this is to add something fresh like a side salad or sautéed greens, as i think the bitterness would round out the flavors. WOULD I GO BACK? Yes! I am hoping to see their plant based selection expand