Cuisine type: Thai
Atmosphere: family-friendly, cozy atmosphere
Meal: dinner
Overall grade: 7.67
Ben
A vibrant environment filled with conversation, a lively and popular locale. The service was pretty good, though it could be a little difficult to get their attention. I was in the mood for something a little more intense than the green curry I was served - a little weak despite being warned it was spicy. The house wine was decent and had a fair price, and the mango ice cream is a real winner for a dessert. Overall a pretty solid Thai place, though I have definitely had more amped up flavors.
Food 7
Drinks 8
Atmosphere 9
Service 7
Value 8
Nina
The week between Christmas and New Years Day was not exactly a busy work week - between work holidays and vacation days, we were left with exactly one work day, a lonely Wednesday. Since that was all the time we had at home, it seemed impractical to go grocery shopping and try to cook dinner at home between unpacking from our trip out to the Midwest for Christmas and our impending drive to Disneyland for New Years Day, so we were planning on eating out. Conveniently, a friend was visiting the area so we took the opportunity to meet with her for dinner in Fremont. We found this small(ish) Thai restaurant conveniently close, located in one of the many strip-mall style parking lots so ubiquitous around the Bay Area.
The three of us shared a Thai samosa-looking appetizer, which had a spicy veggie filling, not unlike its Indian cuisine counterpart. In keeping with the Thai flavor profile, this was served with a small cucumber, carrots and cabbage salad topped with crunchy peanuts.
For the entree, I opted for a classic with a twist - Pad Thai with crab meat. The dish was not completely out of the ordinary - fairly plain in flavor, with a pile of saucy rice noodles served along finely shredded veggies and crunchy peanuts. The crab meat addition was the unique component, which I feel enhanced the flavor above and beyond the usual vegetarian or chicken varieties I’ve tried in other restaurants. I also appreciated that the peanuts were minced, which is not always the case, and served on the side with the dish, so I could control if and how much of this ingredient I would add to my plate. The glass of house chardonnay I picked to accompany my meal was merely a pleasant addition, though its role would have been more fitting had my entree been spicy (note to self - ask for more spice next time :) )
Finally, since it was a festive occasion (in the midst of winter holidays, dinner with a friend) we also went for dessert - in our case, we picked sticky rice and mango ice cream. The rice tasted almost too savory and the coconut syrup used to create the sticky effect had a strange, plastic-like aftertaste. The ice cream was tasty, creamy and satisfying, though nothing mind blowing either. Unfortunately (and contrary to my habit) the dessert course actually negatively affected my impression of the meal, which up to this point had been delicious and well executed.
Food 7
Drinks 7Atmosphere 8
Service 8
Value 9
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