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| - We came here for dinner due to the fact that we were visiting a nearby music store in search of a piano to purchase.
We had been intending on dining here on several occasions, but would get sidetracked by other shinier establishments along the way. Old Downtown Mesa is quite sparse in terms of activity, and after 7PM, activity dies down tremendously unless there is an event at the nearby Mesa Arts Center.
Why only 3 stars, you may ask?
Let's start out with the Satay Skewers. Although there were a generous amount of skewers, and they advertise that these were grilled and marinated in a home-style sauce; these were effectively quite bland. If it weren't for the peanut sauce that it came with, I would venture to say that these were practically flavorless.
For something to be marinated, the expectation is that the marinade permeates the beef and adds an inherent flavor to it, even without the dipping sauce. Such was not the case here.
We had the same experience with the Cashew Chicken. The sauces were good, but the meat itself was quite tasteless. Not something that we were expecting from a typical Thai restaurant wherein the distinct flavors of the dishes need any prompting or extraction. The flavors should exude from the meats due to the prolonged preparation.
The yellow curry had promise. Although not as spicy as I am accustomed to, my wife had requested that it be very mild. And that is exactly what she got! Not their fault on this dish. It just wasn't a yellow curry without the curry kick to it.
A few positives did come to light. For one, the fried banana desserts, with and without the Gelato were stupendous and absolutely delightful. They certainly woke up our palates after having experienced the restrained entrees.
Another positive was the service. Both gentlemen servicing us were very prompt and attentive. Never a moment went by where they didn't check up on us. Drinks were promptly filled, and dishes were quickly done away with.
We will probably give this place another chance, and order different dishes the next time - hoping that something will enliven our palates during our next visit.
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