| rev:text
| - It was an ominous night. Rain drops pattering on the windshield of our car, hard enough that the glass could just shatter. Pouring. Thunder in the backdrop. Screaming. Our phones beeped, "FLOOD ALERT!" Was this really a good day to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday? We didn't know what to expect when we pulled into this shady plaza off the strip, hoping to try the Lotus of Siam that everyone raved so much about.
We were lucky, planning ahead and reserving our tables. As a word of advice, I suggest that you always ALWAYS reserve ahead of time before coming to this place. Even with such horrible weather, there were hordes of customers waiting outside in queue.
Being seated into the restaurant, it was a bit overwhelming at first. It was crowded - so so crowded. There were pictures framed covering every inch of the walls, tables everywhere leaving little space for walking, kitchen staff and servers bustling and turning. The menu was extensive and we didn't know where to start and choose from. Our server even forgot to give us our straws until perhaps 7 minutes into the dinner service.
So then, why the 5 stars?
As we all know, it's the food. The food is what kept us happy and going, and saved this restaurant from being anything less than 5 stars.
As there are descriptions of most of the food already in other reviews, I'll just list down what I loved, liked, and would pass.
LOVED:
Garlic Prawns - it's expensive. A chef special. But the shells tasted like a crunchy chip, and the shrimp was fried to perfection.
Seafood Thai Fried Rice - we actually ordered 2 of this because of the fact that the fried rice was so chunky! They really packed this with big, big pieces of seafood. It was worth it.
Crispy Duck w/ Panang Curry - Most people order this at at least a 5-8 in spicy level. My group ordered this in a 1. We don't handle spice well, but we still loved it! Although small, the duck was one of the best I've ever had and the curry sauce went will with my fried rice.
Tom Kah Kai - I've never quite had a soup like it really, or maybe perhaps it was because I don't get Thai very often. The flavors went from tangy to sweet, always leaving you with a bunch of surprises at every gulp.
Fried Whole Catfish - in my opinion, this was the real winner. We ordered this last minute, needing something BIG to get full (the dishes are small in size). I'm always quite skeptical of ordering catfish as they always end up tasting like mud paddies due to where they are caught. However they raise the catfish themselves, so it tasted amazing. I suggest ordering this first as it takes the longest to cook.
Fried Banana w/ Coconut Ice Cream & Sticky Rice - In the Philippines, we have a similar fried banana called Turon, however it fails in comparison to these. The fried banana didn't taste like it was drenched in glaze and oil. It was also fresh! The coconut ice cream tasted really good. Nothing like those that are store bough. The sticky rice was greatly balanced between too sticky and just plain soggy, a nice meet in the middle.
LIKED:
Khao Soy - For people who like spicy food, this is a winner for you! As for me, I could only take about 2-3 spoonfuls before my tongue started burning for mercy. However, within those few bites, I loved the flavors it produced, sweeter and mild. We ordered this with chicken, but it was a bit dry.
Tom Kah Kai - this also had a whole range of flavors to it. Minty, zesty, tangy. All I can say is that it was very complex. An array of flavors, but it was just right. The only thing was that at times, it was a bit too sour for me.
Pad Thai - the pad Thai was good. Nothing more, nothing less.
DISLIKED:
Nua Nam Tok - the beef was super dry unless you dip it in the sauce. The problem with this is that the beef is the main spotlight of the dish. Skip it.
Thai Tea - I have to admit the drink was good. However, there was just so much ice and not enough tea; can you really call this a drink?
In contrast to entering the restaurant with mixed feelings, thinking it was overhyped, we left feeling happy and content.
Also, kuddos to our waiter (he was the only one in yellow) who patiently dealt with our questions about what's good, not good, and recommended.
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