Cuisine type: Thai
Atmosphere: casual bar/lounge
Meal: lunch
Overall score: 6.75
Nina
As part of showing my brother around the Bay Area we decided to stop through the city to show him the famous Lombard Street and possibly scout out a hookah lounge. Turns out that the city passed an ordinance that forbids any place serving food or drinks from allowing any form of smoking (West Lafayette, IN passed something similar, though it allowed for exceptions for places making their money primarily from the sale of tobacco related products like hookahs), so the only places still open were the ones with BYOB policies and with odd open hours. We also learned our lesson about trying to approach the winding part of Lombard St by driving along Lombard street - we stayed in a long line of cars for a good half an hour, with people coming from side streets waiting close to no time since each intersection had a four-way stop sign.
While we were walking around the city along streets west of Union Square (where some of the advertised hookah lounges were supposed to be), we realized we were growing hungry. It was already 2 pm and we had only eaten breakfast, so it was no surprise, but we had lost track of time driving around Marin County. We stopped at the first place that looked like it had some potential - Osha Thai Noodle Cafe.
The place was decorated fairly cheaply, though it tried to convey an air of chic bar / lounge with dark benches in the table seating area and cozy cushioned sofas / armchairs in the bar area. A real deal breaker in terms of atmosphere inside was a persistent, loud pounding sound that resonated throughout the restaurant the whole time we were there from someone doing renovation work to the only bathroom in the establishment. I don’t really understand why they couldn’t schedule this work to take place outside business hours and allow their bathroom to be available to patrons.
The menu featured a section for the health-conscious, with “green” Moroheiya noodles (buckwheat flour, whole grain etc instead of wheat) and lighter protein. I opted for the green noodles with salmon and creamy garlic sauce. While I question the healthiness of that creamy sauce, I can’t complain about the flavor. The dish was well composed, with a good amount of salmon chunks and just enough sauce to make it rich, yet not too heavy. I was worried that the salmon would fall apart and wouldn’t hold up to a creamy noodle dish, but they did something really smart to make it work - the salmon cubes were lightly coated in flour and fried to a perfect crisp without being greasy or overdone. That added a perfect textural contrast to the creamy sauce and smooth noodles and locked in the flavor of the fish at a perfect level of tenderness.
Since I assume the repair work incident is isolated (how often can they be renovating), this is definitely a place I’ll keep in mind for a quick and flavorful meal in the area between downtown and Little Saigon in San Francisco.
While we were walking around the city along streets west of Union Square (where some of the advertised hookah lounges were supposed to be), we realized we were growing hungry. It was already 2 pm and we had only eaten breakfast, so it was no surprise, but we had lost track of time driving around Marin County. We stopped at the first place that looked like it had some potential - Osha Thai Noodle Cafe.
The place was decorated fairly cheaply, though it tried to convey an air of chic bar / lounge with dark benches in the table seating area and cozy cushioned sofas / armchairs in the bar area. A real deal breaker in terms of atmosphere inside was a persistent, loud pounding sound that resonated throughout the restaurant the whole time we were there from someone doing renovation work to the only bathroom in the establishment. I don’t really understand why they couldn’t schedule this work to take place outside business hours and allow their bathroom to be available to patrons.
The menu featured a section for the health-conscious, with “green” Moroheiya noodles (buckwheat flour, whole grain etc instead of wheat) and lighter protein. I opted for the green noodles with salmon and creamy garlic sauce. While I question the healthiness of that creamy sauce, I can’t complain about the flavor. The dish was well composed, with a good amount of salmon chunks and just enough sauce to make it rich, yet not too heavy. I was worried that the salmon would fall apart and wouldn’t hold up to a creamy noodle dish, but they did something really smart to make it work - the salmon cubes were lightly coated in flour and fried to a perfect crisp without being greasy or overdone. That added a perfect textural contrast to the creamy sauce and smooth noodles and locked in the flavor of the fish at a perfect level of tenderness.
Since I assume the repair work incident is isolated (how often can they be renovating), this is definitely a place I’ll keep in mind for a quick and flavorful meal in the area between downtown and Little Saigon in San Francisco.
Food 9
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 5
Service 8
Value 7
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 5
Service 8
Value 7
Ben
A Thai place a little south of Nob Hill in SF. We went at around 4-5 PM for a late lunch meal. The place looks overall very hip, with a dark interior, 270 degree bar on the ground level and an offset floor with dining tables. We had a pretty unpleasant experience - to be fair it was not a peak meal time (~4-5 PM), and possibly a singular experience. We walked in and got a table, and then started to hear this tremendously loud drilling. It turned out the bathroom was being worked on (so we couldn't use it), and there were construction workers ~20 feet from the table pounding / drilling away to install a sink. My green curry was fatty with a pretty mild flavor and a pretty small portion, and the service was a little distracted / impatient. Nina's brother did seem to really enjoy his dish, a chicken fried rice. Overall, I can see the potential of the place in its prime condition, but my one experience was not a great one.
Food 5
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 5
Service 5
Value 7
Drinks 7
Atmosphere 5
Service 5
Value 7
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