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| - It's always a little disappointing when the quality of the food isn't up to the level of the ambiance, service, and price.
That's exactly what happened during our recent visit to Kiin. The place is certainly selling itself as a fancier than average Thai place, with its somewhat lavish atmosphere and obsequious wait staff. And indeed, I have absolutely no complaints about how we were treated all night. (Our water was literally topped up every few minutes or so.)
I should also note that the restaurant was celebrating Songkran, the Thai New Year, by handing out free drinks. (I opted for the cocktail, which was admittedly delicious.)
We decided to order three things:
Pandan Chicken ("marinated chicken wrapped in pandan leaf, sweet chilli sauce"): This was probably the most disappointing dish of the night, ultimately. The biggest problem was that the chicken was quite dry and flavorless, although, admittedly, it tasted okay once dipped in the tasty sweet chilli sauce.
Pork Jowl ("grilled pork jowl tamarind, roasted rice, mint, roasted red chilli, Thai kale stalks"): And this was my favorite dish of the evening, though I wasn't blown away. The grilled pieces of pork jowl were all cooked quite well, while the various accompaniments complemented the dish perfectly. This tastes like an almost prototypical Thai dish, honestly.
Kua Hang Gai ("braised chicken stir-fry with lemongrass, Thai garlic and buffalo basil"): This plentiful dish is certainly quite edible - the chicken was cooked well and the extremely mild flavors work nicely together - but again, nothing stood out about it.
For the prices Kiin is charging, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect more than just a completely average meal.
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