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.