Hidden Garden was easily one of my favorite restaurants at Live Aqua and one of the few places we…read moreended up visiting twice during our stay. There's usually a wait to get in, which says a lot considering most of the other restaurants didn't have much of one. We waited about 30 minutes the first night and 15 the second, and after eating here, I can see why it's one of the more popular spots on the property.
We started with several appetizers. The samosas were small but really good. The gyoza was fine, just your standard gyoza. The chicken satay was another highlight, with a really flavorful peanut sauce. The dumpling soup was okay and a little different than expected since it included noodles.
For entrees, the mixed fried rice was excellent. It had some kind of unique seasoning that I couldn't quite identify, but it worked. The rice had great texture, and they definitely didn't skimp on the shrimp and chicken. The pad thai was pretty good too, although it leaned much sweeter than I expected. It almost reminded me of a really good upscale microwavable pad thai, with more sweet sauce than spice. The THAO was another standout. It's kind of their version of orange chicken, and it was really good. My only complaint is that the portion size felt a little small, so I'd recommend ordering something alongside it.
The desserts were surprisingly great across the board. We tried almost all of them except the mango and turmeric dessert. My favorites were the carrot cake and the leche coconut dessert. Both were excellent.
They also have a nice selection of signature cocktails. The Sakarita, a sake margarita, was okay. The Geisha was good if you enjoy the smoky flavor of mezcal. My girlfriend really liked the Leche Martini, and my favorite was the Buddha, which felt like their take on an Old Fashioned.
Service was consistently good. What really stood out was that when we returned two nights later, our server immediately recognized us, welcomed us back, and genuinely asked how we had enjoyed our first visit. It felt sincere and not scripted, which was a nice touch.
The only downside is that the restaurant is entirely outdoors. They do have fans, but on really humid nights it can be rough. The second time we visited, the humidity was intense, and even sitting directly in front of a fan I felt like I was melting. That's more of a weather issue than a restaurant issue, though.
Overall, this was one of the best meals we had at the resort. Great food, good drinks, friendly service, and a menu that had several items worth ordering again. If you're only trying a few restaurants at Live Aqua, this should absolutely be one of them.