Dank G.
Yelp
$59 before tax and tip.
1 Duck roll
1 Little gem (salad)
1 Khao Soi - special
1 person. No alcohol.
Came in with high hopes. SLC is a really sneaky good place for food. Unfortunately, for my experience, my expectations were not properly set. But do i really need to ask more qualifying questions?
I got here early on a Friday night. I wanted to jump on a seat. While it picked up, it was never packed. I was sat fairly quickly and put my order in right after i heard the specials.
As I was sitting there the table next to me cleared. The person who cleans the tables came over and sprayed whatever was in the bottle, then wiped it down. Usually I'm not a fan of industrial solution smell or used around food products; But this spray didn't really have an order like that. Then as I looked at my table I noticed the silverware sat directly on the table without the use of a napkin or plate.
For the food order- I took the advice of previous reviews except for the main.
The duck spring rolls were dropped, piping hot. Which was nice, but the duck was dry, which is unusual. The dipping sauce with sesame seeds was delicious. I asked for their red chili paste. The peppers were mild in flavor and heat.
Salad was exceptional- lettuce was perfectly chilled and the way the dressing stuck, you can tell the leaves were dry. A piquant dressing with distinctive citrus. I would eat this again.
The main was not without distractions. The first plate that was dropped was missing all the proteins. I asked and was told there should be chunks of fish in there. When I showed them, they wanted to take it back. I said they could just bring the proteins on a side plate. Nope. Or just drop in this plate. Nope, they wanted to send the whole dish back.
The dish comes with salmon, cod and shrimp. The 3 shrimp (size was 31-40 count per lb) were very tough and chewy. Definitely long overcooked. I pulled 3 small bones from the very little, tiney flakes of salmon or barely present cod. The protein was sub-scant, maybe 2 oz. With 99% being the shrimp. But certainly not fish chunks. Maybe these proteins stewed all day and my scoop didn't get to the bottom. Idk. The flat egg noodles were on the al dente side of al dente. Curry was very flavor fwd. While it was described as a Japanese curry (eventhough the dish orgins are from Thailand) i'd say its inspired from. Japanese and Thai curry has a delicate balance that was not present. Oh, on this second plate, the cook forgot the mushrooms. Bottom line - This dish didn't make it out of being just a noodle dish "non grata" that missed its marketing. And carried little to no value.
The server was delightful throughout the meal. I was never rushed. They didn't bring a dish till I had finished the previous dish. And the person who was clearing and wiping the tables was also very attentive and filled water constantly.
The check came with an unsolicited discount. Which was very nice.
As I was leaving, looking at other orders, I don't believe my experience was common. I don't have beef with how you want to cook your food, but the menu and servers play a big role in setting expectations. I believe you need to give diners the full picture. A mismatch between the description and the plate doesn't just disappoint, it sours trust. The food might still be good, but when you're expecting one thing and get another, it's hard not to taste the disconnect.
Oh the photo of JG is just for fun and is in the mens.