Service - 3/5
Ambiance - 5/5
Food - 3.5/5 (generous portions, and this is based on their lunch menu)
Upon entering, one word to describe the ambiance: opulent. The minute you walk through the doors, you are greeted with a striking golden figure, which I believe is Kinnari, who is guarding the entrance to this lavish restaurant. The walls have beautiful painted murals, and ornate Khon masks adorn one of the back walls. It is also hard to miss the exceptional hanging leaves above, giving way to an enchanted and serene forest.
While the restaurant was crowded by noon, we were quickly seated. After we had a quick overview of their menu, we decided on their lunch menu. Waiting for the waitress to finally come back to take our order was not, however, as quick as we were seated. I'm chalking it up to the place being busy at the time. After we placed our order, we were served water. My suggestion is to order a beverage, as their water tasted heavily chlorinated.
Here's what we ordered:
Appetizers:
Phirom Dumplings - 3/5 stars. Two (2) steamed dumplings that were a tad overcooked. Their filling consisted of ground chicken and shrimp mashed to a paste encased in a dumpling skin. I think it is their rendition of Kanom Jeeb, which is supposed to be ground pork, with shrimp and vegetables, wrapped within fairly thin dumpling skin. Comes with soy sauce, as it was salty.
Golden Fritters - - 2/5 stars. Two (2) fried dumplings that were very dry. Basically, these are the fried versions of Phirom Dumplings. These also came with a soy sauce condiment, but this sauce had a slight sweetness to it.
Entrees:
Drunken Noodle - 4/5 stars. It was a very good blend of savory and umami flavors, albeit a little too bold due to the heavy-handedness of the sauces. Plenty of mushrooms, string beans, and bell peppers, which are greatly appreciated. The tofu, being the chosen protein, was a tad overdone as the skin was a bit rubbery, and the inside of the tofu lost its moisture. I'm guessing these were cooked ahead of time and just reheated when people order them. Hence, the deduction of a star.
Basil Fried Rice - 2/5 stars. Another classic Thai rice dish that is very popular, but this was too salty, sadly. It was hard to eat, so luckily, my husband shared his Drunken Noodle entree with me. We will take it home and add additional jasmine rice to lessen the saltiness. It was a huge disappointment, as I stated earlier, fried rice is a popular dish in Thai cuisine. I couldn't smell the aroma of the jasmine. I should have been able to taste the sweetness and savoriness from the basil, but again, it was extremely salty. What was odd was the texture of the rice: the rice was hard. I suspect the rice would have benefited from being cooked longer so that the water could be absorbed.
Both entrees had generous portions. The service was polite. They didn't ask if everything was okay when they saw a plate practically untouched. The tables are a bit too close, as I noticed when people sat down or when the server came to place our food on our table.
Very impressive place for a date and a great place to meet up with friends to get away from it all.
Despite the fact that it wasn't a perfect meal, I would like to come back and try it again, but perhaps at a less crowded time. Parking is within a shared, abundant strip mall parking area. read more