Savory S.
Yelp
(the 5th star is for encouragement.)
Just a great little restaurant. Period.
First and foremost, the staff are mature, friendly, efficient and knowledgable. We never felt rushed, and everything was there when we needed it. We came on a busy Friday night with lots of take-out order action, yet our table service was attentive.
The ambience is lovely. Tasteful jazz and bebop played at a comfortable volume (i.e. you can easily hold a conversation). Decor and theming that rivals a Disneyworld restaurant, every square inch filled with SE Asian antiques, pillars and spiritual artifacts. The lighting was also well done, candles everywhere (both real and flame bulbs), and just the right level of room overhead.
Another big bonus: padded booths!
Now the food:
We ordered the beef short rib appetizer, which were thin kalbi style, slathered in somewhat spicey stuff and grilled. Served with pickled veggies and two sauces, these ribs were very tasty, and the darker sauce sent me right back to Phuket.
Then the crunchy salad, which was a refreshing combination of romaine and other vegetables in a tangy citrus dressing, with fried wonton strips and chicken. Delightful.
Now, the Phad See Ew. This dish, while good, was the only one we thought could use a bit more attention from the cook. Ideally, this dish would include a bitter green like chinese broccoli, to balance the sweetness of the sauce. Instead, the cook used grocery store broccoli, which provided no bitterness at all, and had a slightly-off flavor. The broccoli was also undercooked, a bit raw/chewy in the center. Some of the noodles were unseparated, leading to a few very chewy bites until i peeled them apart with my fingers, revealing the white unsauced/slightly undercooked noodle inside. It was a busy night, and perhaps the cook didn't have time to soak and stir/separate the noodles completely. Just our opinion, but the dish might also be a touch heavy on the fish sauce element.
The menu, though mostly traditional Thai, is studded with a few unusual dishes and innovations we hadn't seen offered before. I think the chef, who i'm told is Thai, is very good, and I encourage her to stretch out her creativity in the special dishes on offer.
Last but not least, the prices are very fair.
Asian food can be so disappointing in Tacoma, but this place is a gem.