Craving sweet things at Pinto Thai

It may be against formal table etiquette, but this way is the best way...

Pinto is a small Thai restaurant in an unexpected location - a small, quiet and not very well lit at all suburban street near Curtin University. I must have angered a driver or three who were driving behind me while I crawled at an annoying slow speed to try and squint at which street to turn into.

It was a pretty good unexpected find by my friend Angela, who happened to turn into this street for no particular good reason at all. They have some sweet lunch deals that could really satisfy, should you be around the area.

Curiosity pays well sometimes!

Pinto

"Pile of love" are the words that take front page of Pinto's menu, and the good food is testament to their belief in food being nutrition for the body and mind. The menu features dishes that are categorised into stir-frys, noodles and curries, along with some of Pinto's signature main dishes.

Whilst deciding what to order, our table of four did a 180 degree head swivel, wide eyed stare as we all checked out the plate that was delivered to our neighbouring table - a magnificent stack of grilled pork spare ribs that all balanced on top of one another.

I think the dish's name "Heavenly Spare Ribs" is quite appropriately chosen :)

We decided to visit heaven next time as heaven didn't seem to have too much meat to go around the four of us.

Tod Mun Pla (Thai Fish Cakes) with special dipping sauce - $8

With a couple of fans of fish cakes on the table, they were easily won over by the description of Pinto's Thai fish cakes. These are made with snapper, chilli, mince paste and Thai herbs and spices and described as "very flavourful compared to other fish cake".

Although they were served popping hot and freshly deep fried, I am sad to report that they were mundane, just like the special dipping sauce which tasted nothing more than fancied up sweet chilli sauce. Not really a complaint, as the possibility of finding a mind-blowingly delicious fish cake is fairly grim.

Steamed Rice - $3 per head

We ordered rice to share, as ordering fragrant curries and satay stir-frys warrants the need to. Our original intention to order four serves of rice for four people was cut down to three serves when the staff member helpfully suggested that perhaps three would be enough. Hmm, our physique must be sending out the wrong messages...

Pad Thai with Seafood - $16.90

I had a hankering for pad thai and made sure it became part of our order that night. The system at Pinto is simple and well devised: you order your "base dish", be it green curry, fried noodles or whatever option you fancy then choose the meat you want, which is what sets the price of your dish. Mixing and matching to your heart's content.

We agreed on a seafood pad thai, which in hindsight was probably my preferred dish of the lot. It came with a good (although not entirely generous) mix of prawns, fish, squid and a grand total of 2 mussels that came in their shell. I ended up finishing what was left over after it did the rounds; left over not because it was a sizeable portion, but because the others have teeny appetites.

Penang Curry with Beef - $15.90

We ended up with a beef penang curry after deciding to simply pick one dish from each category on the menu. If I could choose again, I would probably go with chicken or duck instead of beef, simply because the beef tasted a little too normal, a little too tasteless and a little too not-having-that-awesome-softness I crave from meat curries. Pumpkin was certainly an interesting and clever inclusion that differentiates itself from the red capsicum, snow peas and mushrooms in the curry - it took me 2 chunks to realise I wasn't eating sweet potato.

The rich, golden curry sauce was great spooned over hot steamed rice, with the aroma of creamy coconut milk filling your nose as you eat. I always find my sense of smell is heightened when curry starts wafting around me, and I love it. I know most people put their curries and rice on a plate and eat spoon by spoon in a civilised manner, but I'd really recommend using a bowl filled with rice, dump a bucket of curry sauce on and pick it up, press it against your lips and using a spoon, chopsticks or whatever you have handy to just literally shovel it in your mouth.

It may be against formal table etiquette, but this way is the best to savour not only the taste but also to appreciate the wonderful aromas of the curry by getting up close and personal. And whilst it was described as a light curry, the sauce was deceiving - it packed a strong spiciness that caught us off guard.

Satay Chicken Stir-fry - $14.90

I've noticed a recurring tendency for my friend Melissa to gravitate towards satay stir-frys whenever she spots them on the menu. Pinto's chicken satay was a little underwhelming, as the homemade satay sauce did not have that rich, nutty flavour or aroma I love in a good satay sauce.

The red capsicum, green beans, carrots and baby corn were fresh and crisp but underseasoned. The chicken could also have packed a whole lot more flavour if it was stir-fried with lashings of the satay sauce, as it appears (and tastes) as if the sauce has only been ladled on top of the food instead of getting right in it, between it and all over it! Bummer.

Restaurant interior and open kitchen

The outside of Pinto is unassuming but took me by surprise as I stepped through the entrance. The dark, earthy tones used for its sleek, modern interior design for this buzzing Thai restaurant is a sweet transformation from its past life as a fish and chips takeaway. The tell-tale kitchen front is great though, for getting you close to the action and sharing good smells all around!

All dishes have an alterable spiciness level, on a scale from mild to blow your pants off super spicy. Oh and, don't try and ask for their dessert menu - they don't have one!

And the staff - they were lovely; polite and non-intrusive, even for all the times we laughed just a little too loud.

Pinto, Kensington

***

Pinto Thai Restaurant

Open 7 days

Lunch: 10.30am - 2.30pm

Dinner: 4.30pm - 9.30pm

2 Moresby Street, Kensington WA 6151

0451209892

Dine in, take away and home delivery

BYO wine only

***

Red Basil

I discovered the existence of Red Basil a while back as I was driving towards another restaurant (surprise surprise!) and made a mental note to check it out the next time I was around. When I eventually did, I didn't happen to "be around", but deliberately drove a good distance for this.

If I were this dedicated to everything I did, I would be a much better person.

I had finished work, an activity I always find to be extremely hungrifying. Gleaning over the large menu and feeling particularly ravenous, my eyes lit up over everything they saw - the prices in particular. Was it true to get a decent feed of Pad Thai at dinner time, at a seemingly authentic Thai restaurant, at a mere NINE DOLLARS FIFTY?

Bargain! A steal! Value for money! And perhaps...slightly suspicious. I wasn't sure what I would get. Immediately I had a feeling this could go both ways - I would either fall head over heels in love with this place, or it'd have me running, avoiding it like the plague.

Pad Thai - $9.50

I always believe the best way to test the waters at a new establishment is to try out the classic dishes that have been done to death, to get a feel of how it plays out. The go-to dish of Thai cuisine? Duh, you say.

The Pad Thai was on the small side, but suffices with that sort of price tag! I myself found this dish satisfactory and enjoyed all its components because I don't exactly think when I am hungry, but I imagine some may consider the rice noodles to be a little sloppy.

Green Curry (Chicken) - $11.90

Green curry is an absolute favourite of mine, and seeing it on the menu usually renders all other dishes obsolete to me. Although I had already chosen Pad Thai, I am a bit controlling and force Andy to choose this as his dinner :) I can't help it.

Red Basil's version spoils you for choice - vegetables and tofu; chicken, beef or pork; fish and seafood or prawn. We choose the chicken and when it arrives, the coconut milk aroma is delicious. Although the bowl seems small, it is absolutely loaded with carrots, beans, brocolli, bamboo shoots, kaffir leaves and basil. I'm excited by its generosity, but the level is spiciness is cranked up high and warrants about a litre of water to be drunk with the meal.

As Andy is busy fanning his tongue and making hissing noises on his side of the table, I'm starting to feel beads of sweat grow on my own forehead. Definitely a burner, even without the addition of fresh chilli in the curry.

Fish Cakes - $7

The next time I'm here is a few months after, and the restaurant is absolutely packed and buzzing. We don't manage to snag a table as there is already a line waiting, so they offered to give us a call when a table became free, which was a nice touch.

The crowds do not settle even after a while. By this time, the girls are ready to eat and order 2 starters to start(?) us off, but end up becoming part of our main meals. Melissa is a fan of fish cakes and enjoyed these patties made from a mixture of fish mince, curry paste and herbs. The side salad of plain shredded cabbage and carrot tendrils are unimpressive, but the cakes are a good start to the meal.

Peanut Sauce Stir Fry (Chicken) - $11.90

The Peanut Sauce Chicken stir fry is somewhat a different dish to what I would usually order, but was a decent feed nonetheless. The chicken is a medley of carrots, broccoli, onions and kai-lan vegetables in a slightly sweet and watery peanut sauce. The sauce is thin and whilst I wouldn't call it bland, it could definitely pack more flavour.

Soft Shell Crab - $6

The table had a hankering for soft shell crab, which was quite a large serving for an entree. The deep fried portions are tossed through with onion, chilli, coriander, spring onions and cashews and were unfortunately lots of batter. It took a while to finish off this one.

Red Duck Curry - $14.90

I remember it was a unanimous vote for the Red Duck Curry, as I had imagined the rich curry sauce would be amazing spooned over hot steamed rice. I liked the addition of pineapple in the curry, which had soaked in the curry coconut milk along with tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, beans and kaffir leaves.

The star of the show - the roasted duck, was sadly not the star of the show. Although the skin gleamed with caramelisation and looked as promising as ever, the duck was not very meaty and was a bit tough to eat. A longer time to cook it probably would have made all the difference.

Towards the end of a busy dinner rush

Red Basil is a mixed bag of good and bad, but is unfortunately let down by its service on both occasions that I have visited. Friendly but unattentive, or forgetful - the litre of water that was needed with the Green Curry only came after 2 or 3 requests.

The inefficiency is only emphasised more when you're waiting on some water to extinguish the heat!

Whilst the food is not fantastic, it is certainly not bad either. The portions are fair and representative of the prices charged, and I was very surprised to only fork out a blue note and a few gold coins to pay for dinner that night. A happy (but not necessarily full) little diner!

Gives you an excuse to sneak in a dessert :)

Red Basil is situated along the busy Albany Highway, neighbouring the popular Crust Pizza store

(08) 9361 2661

Cash only

Lunch: 11am to 2.30pm

Dinner: 4pm to 9.30pm

Times are subject to change - I was looking for a late lunch at 4:30pm and arrived to see the staff taking an afternoon nap on the chairs in the dining area.

Saowanee's Place

You know you had some bad ass Thai food if your stomach is beating you up while thanking you for setting it aflame. And not the type that leaves you spending leisurely time in the water closet either, because then that would just be bad Thai.


I'm not talkin' bad, but bad ass.
Bad ass Thai food will do no less than leave you wanting more.
I'm not your typical female shopaholic, but I'll gladly eat til' my stomach drops.


Saowanee has perfected the recipe for addiction, because my taste buds temporarily developed a sudden surging tolerance for playing with fire with this particular meal.

Saowanee's Tom Yum Soup (Small) - $9.90

If your stomach isn't very agreeable with certain foods, Thai cuisine might just pose a small problem. So many of their flavours focus on the spicy, salty, sweet and sour components that bring out the best kind of dish you could put in your mouth, but not the best kind of swirly whirly concoction to put into your stomach.

As such, I needed to weigh up my options. Highly saturated in fat coconut milk dishes to tone down the spicy factor and risk a stomach ache? OR, emit the fatty creamy white liquid and leave the spicy dishes alone and risk a stomach ache? WHAT TO CHOOSE?!

Perhaps To Choose or Not To Choose Thai, would be a more suitable question.

Teaser sized, but I am content

The Tom Yum is far from being protein heavy, but you are presented with a choice of what you want in there from tofu & vegetables, chicken, prawns or seafood (an entire sea of prawns, squid, fish and scallops).


Along with the meat, are morsels of mushrooms and tomatoes. The closer you bring a spoon of this towards your mouth, the more intense the rich aroma finds its way into your nose. If crack was a food, this is it. I could not stop sniffing.

Digging up my soup soaked treasures

Tom Yum is arguably a traditional and classic Thai dish that is recognised world over and favourited by appetites from any culture. It is a distinct representation of what Thai cuisine is all about, the different flavours of different ingredients that come together so perfectly when you cook 'em all in the same pot with a sprinkling of talent.

This small bowl is a magical blend of the sensations of taste - the tarty sourness of lime juice, leaves and lemon grass, the fiery heat of chillis, the saltiness of fish sauce and the light creamy sweetness of coconut milk. Just missing the bitter taste, but no one's missing that party pooper!


A slurp of this practically slides down your throat not leaving any skid marks 'cause it's just so smoooooooooth with the dash of coconut milk. So many flavours mingling on your tongue at the same time makes for a good time.

Lamb Green Curry - $21.90

Seems like I wasn't particularly adventurous and had the same mindset as when I visit Hans Cafe: "MUST. GET. GREEN. CURRY." Because a dish that makes itself so comfortable within Thai cuisine must be up to scratch to give Saowanee's Place the title of Favourite Thai Restaurant right?

They certainly don't under deliver on this classic - sliced lamb pieces moist with fragrant green curry sauce brimming towards the edge of the dish. Lamb was The Chosen Animal out of the choices of chicken, beef, pork, prawns, fish, seafood, Thai fish ball and if you really must, vegetables & tofu.

The lamb was strikingly similar to beef when it was muddled with the curry sauce. And although the amount of delicious juicy capsicums, potato chunks and bamboo shoots made eating them unstoppable, they were the only things left to eat when you have a small amount of lamb supplied in the dish.

Steamed Thai Jasmin Rice - $3 per head

The perfect complement to intensely flavoured Thai cooking is more like a requirement: rice.
Rice in its original form of glory, to fill up the belly, to soak up the juices and gravies you'd rather pour down your stomach than the kitchen sink, to be the staple carbohydrate in Asian cuisine, to just be there.


Rice, what would 4 billion people do without you?


$3 per person gets you a heavy porcelain ornament-like piece doubling as a storage for rice. It's not particularly cooked to my personal liking because it's mushier in some places and not served at a hot temperature that steamed rice tastes best in. However you do get bottomless servings to make your plate a bottomless one, to satisfy your bottomless food pit.

Table placements

Table arrangements at Saowanee's is a bit homely, neatly cluttered and a little bit cute.
Delicately folded paper napkins in resemblance of flower lanterns rest on plates that matches the crockery that your main dishes are served in, with a nice touch of flowers in a small vase (albeit fake).


At least fake flowers will last forever...when everything else just dies.


...


You have every right in the world to be a little boastful with a breadth of awards under your wings all while continuing to soar even higher. Being featured as Best Thai in Perth, WA's favourite Asian Restaurant, WA's Favourite Thai Restaurant and multiple finalist awards for just being excellent close to pretty much every year, Saowanee's Place hits all the birds with its one cuisine.


Proclaiming that you will "experience the taste of real Thai", they promise to deliver on that promise. Serious about this, the menu is full of traditional favourites of Thailand's abundant culinary creations each with strong flavours and rich fragrant aromas. Apparently they even had a hand at making their own spices initially, back when it wasn't readily available in Perth - which makes their dishes deliciously intoxicating to consume.


The place has a somewhat golden ambiance, literally. You dine under a warm, yellow glow of lights in a casually comfortable but subtly elegant dining room. The addictive smells wafts throughout the place and adds to the warmth of the atmosphere while it mingles in the air with diners' voices. And while portions are just fair given their prices, you are very likely to be unable to finish or eat less than your normal capabilities due to the hotness if you don't order wisely!


I notice takeaway prices are cheaper and I also notice service can be inconsistent. It was very start-stop service as there is attentiveness at the beginning which then slowly becomes increasingly difficult to get some attention. Regarding some loud burly chaps who had drunk a little over his limit, staff handled his requests with a little less tolerance. But they do well with food and even if they haven't mastered authenticity in your eyes, they still please the appetite!


In a restaurant like this, your senses are heightened. Thai (hot!) food wakes up your senses - gets your eyes watering, burns your taste, makes you sweat, gets your nose running and gives you a temporary dose of the flu.
And although you get free water to hose down your flaming stomach, we found that a soothing McFlurry does the job a whole lot more professionally.


***
(08) 9228 9307
Lunch Friday only: 11.30am to 2.30pm
Dinner Mon, Wed - Sun: 5pm to 9.30pm
Closed Tuesdays
***

Basil & Mint

Recently (in Perth's terms), the daggy but quite comfortably so! suburb of Morley welcomed the $60 million Coventry Square Markets to its vicinity. It houses a whole variety of stores within, ranging from fresh fruit and vegetables and butchers to homewares, toys, clothing, jewellery and the usual clutter of items that have a million or no apparent use that you expect to find at markets.
And unlike many of the other markets in Perth, this one opens 7 whole days.
And being open for 7 days in Perth, is quite a big deal.


But of course, I don't care about any of that.
I care about the offer of food and drink from the cafe strip out the front, where an army of eateries are the focal point of the markets. Though boasting a sleek and contemporary exterior, the market's outer shell is quite a stark clash with its monotonous, under-furbished interiors.

And even MORE recently, a small scale tornado flurried through the area and disturbed the usual peace and quiet of Perth's oasis of serenity. It picked up some roofs and trees along the way and wrecked anything else it fancied during its short visit, noisily proving that things do visit Perth once in a long while.

And it seemed to take a liking to the relatively new Coventry Square Markets.

Beef Green Curry served with Jasmine Rice - $14

Although a simple dish, Green curry is an addictive feed that attracts me to keep coming back once, twice, three times to a restaurant. It is that medley of subtle spiciness, mild creaminess but fullness of flavour that contributes to a perfectly made dish of curry.


Basil & Mint's fusion of Vietnamese and Thai cuisine delivers up a scrumptious Green curry set lunch, loaded with sliced capsicum, bamboo shoots, broccoli and snow peas in a fragrantly creamy curry sauce. Diners can choose out of a protein selection of beef, chicken, pork or tofu and vegetables for $14 or pay a bit more for lamb or prawn curry.


That sauce! Paired with steaming hot steamed rice, you can even omit anything else inside the bowl because rice and damn good curry sauce, is all you'll ever need.

Green Curry (Beef)

But of course, having a dish full to the brim of tasty curry-soaked vegetables and tender beef is always nice too.
And is way more acceptable than being served plain curry sauce and rice.

Pho Dac Biet - $14

Vietnamese restaurants claiming to be Vietnamese restaurants without the expected bowl of pho or the like to be seen on their menu very much so confuse the hell out of me. Yes, that does exist and I was disbelievingly impressed at this absurdity when I saw it!
How is a hot dog a hot dog with no sausage?


Thankfully there are a lot of familiar Vietnamese terms at Basil & Mint, however not many waiters on that day who could understand them. Life isn't always perfect and you can't always hire authentic waiters on top of authentic food.


Pho Dac Biet gives you a big porcelain bowl of combination rice noodle soup with raw and cooked beef slices, beef balls and tendons, submerged in a beef stock that could have a more intense flavour as its soup base. At the bottom line, they can improve on quality at this inflated price.

Bun Bo Hue - $13.50

This visibly red hot soup dish is usually a combination of sliced protein and liquid fire. Pork and beef meats and pork balls replace the usual appearance of Vietnamese processed pork loaf pieces and pork hock. The carbs in this heavy proteined dish is rice vermicelli, in an otherwise meat laden meal. 


Compared to other versions you can find, Basil & Mint's Bun Bo Hue borders along a watered down creation of a strong, fiery Bun Bo Hue. More suitable to milder tastebuds, it is a more subtle hot and spicy soup and doesn't taste as full flavoured as the numerous ones I have come across.


The chef himself came out and we told of our honest opinion, to which I hope he takes the feedback as constructive and not just plain faced criticism of his ability from undeserving diners.


...


A concoction of 2 cuisines in the one restaurant has proved quite well for Basil & Mint. It is not the most authentic of food you can possibly find, but after weighing up your options and without putting too much weight on Basil & Mint's plates, it does quite satisfactorily. You do alright.


Food is not short of tasty yet you could possibly feel like your hard earned dollars deserve more, especially if you've tried and grown accustomed to the restaurants scattered around Northbridge. Prices are higher than par while portions are at par, but settings and decor are anything but below par. At the same time, there's a hollowness that I can't describe, perhaps due to the emptiness of the restaurant on a lazy Sunday afternoon.


The fit out is a polished, neat and fresh dinig area with modern decor that differentiates it from other plain and homogeneous Vietnamese restaurants, which only seem to capitalise on food. I have absolutely no problems with that, but it doesn't hurt to eat your food in nice surroundings, at which you pay the price with higher prices.


Everything comes with a price, but not everything comes with a price you are willing, or need to pay.


***
(08)9275 8883
Lunch & Dinner: Tuesday - Saturday


***

Tao Cafe

I was quite excited to be heading to another lunch buffet. That's what my life is for - buffets buffets buffets for breakfast lunch and dinner :D Too much of a good thing is a good thing.
Little Lamb had some promo flyers out advertising buffet lunch for $12.90 or something. I wanted to starve the night before in anticipation for this.

Sadly, very very sadly, I was going to see a circus the next day (lol? Exciting life huh.) and was running behind with times. As such, Tao Cafe became an appealing option instead. I was left with good impressions the last time I ate here. More on that later.

So when you hear of a restaurant as a fusion of 3 very delicious but very distinctly different cuisines, what do you think? The initial time I saw the combination of Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese cuisine PLUS A SUSHI TRAIN in the one dining place, I scrunched up my nose.

Multiculturally creative, yes. But also messy and risky, equally or even more yes.
How good are you, chef? Reminds me of me, unable to choose one so what the heck, lets just chuck them altogether and hope for the best shall we?

I wanted to try a dish from each Asian cuisine from the menu but the delicious memories of what I had last time wouldn't let me try something new. Had to have it again. Yes, HAD to! That's what happens when you've got a strong attachment to your foods. You get really clingy. And then you probably get sick of the same thing. Less is more, guys. Remember that.

Ended up choosing from the Vietnamese and Thai section. Sob. Japanese cuisine will have to wait. Can't believe I put my favourite on hold.

Rice

Lets start off with my number one favourite - rice! I'm such a rice bucket. I don't seem to get full without it and meals just feel...incomplete. Needless to say life would feel empty without this companion.

This came all pretty and round. Don't underestimate though, this dome structure cost $2.50. :( It's pretty smart to not include rice with meals, cause then people order it extra. It just sucks though.

Green Curry - $15.50

This dish was what I tried last time that I can remember polishing off entirely. A littleee bit salty but that's when the rice comes in to save the day. Personally I think more meat/vegetables should be thrown in for that price. But it IS nice.

You get the choice of chicken or beef or go vegetarian for this for the same price or choose prawns and pay an extra $3. Naturally I chose chicken, it's like the best thing on 2 legs ever. And the perfect accompaniment to a classic Thai green curry.

Vegetables - usual suspects being capsicum, green beans. More variety would have been even better! I took the sauce home and that was my dinner for the night. So sad :( So no, it doesn't really suffice for two meals.

Pad Thai Noodles - $14.50

Sadly this was nicer the first time I tried it. I can't pinpoint what has changed, but I was able to stop myself from eating it when I was full, unlike last time, when I just kept going. Sigh. See, don't know how to resist.

Again, got the choice of chicken/beef/vegetarian or prawn, but this time that's $4 extra. Just because.

It looks like a deceptively small serving size but noodles have got that real sly ability to make you think you can demolish everything, when you actually can't. Stir fried noodles with egg, bean sprouts, spring onion in tamarind sauce means the dish has got this slightly sweet, slightly sour taste that goes down easily. And crushed peanuts on the side! - that I usually just eat on their own in one go.

Cause I am so totally in love with nuts.
Any kind of nuts.
:)

Condiments

I know this is nothing special but I still had to take a photo. The lights fitted in the restaurant somehow gives all their decor and foods a sparkly gleaming finish. If you haven't noticed, all the photos here are like hell shiny and sparkly and practically GLEAMS on my camera display :)
And we all know food tastes better when it sparkles =p

Self explanatory. This is served because we ordered Pho. Some mint leaves, fresh bean sprouts, lemon, cut chilli and some Hoisin and chilli sauce.

Pho Tai Bo Vien - $13.50

I didn't really want to order this at first because I thought, man, I can probably get better pho at an actual Vietnamese restaurant and for a cheaper price too AND I can get the dac biet which includes all the awesome scraps of animals like tripe and beef tendon and cow tail and wow that just sounds like we are from the wild. But no, they are delicious scraps, really!

Tao Cafe's version includes rice noodles in a traditional beef soup with green onions, sliced raw beef, beef balls and coriander. You pay an extra $2 for those few beef balls, which they probably profit a heap from.

Verdict? Not too bad! Because there was something that probably made it so much more interesting to eat. Or eat out of.

Wow?

Bonus points for the bowl that this pho is served in. Its circumference was comparable to that of a normal bowl this dish is typically served in, but this is so so much deeper. This is one of the angles you can see cyclone shaped that bowl is. And damn, cyclones can hold so much at their core.

                                           So how often do you eat out of a flower vase?

...

Tao Cafe is *relatively* new but based on my personal judgement I think they will go a long way. Their decor is fresh and modern and offers a variety of seating options - conventional tables and chairs, booths as well as seating around the sushi train. Which I have yet to try!

Meal prices are decent, but if you really want to compare, then there ARE plenty of other cheaper options. Especially nearby. Decent, but you can probably get the same dish elsewhere for less. Staff are friendly and service is pretty efficient, which is always good, and should be a benchmark for restaurants anyways.

So anyway, I was a bit skeptical about the whole 3-cuisines-mashed-together idea. And contradictory to what I said before but I thought...too much of a good thing can't be a good thing. Like too good to be true sorta thing. But turns out pretty goooooooood! Just gotta have faith, peeps. Give everything a shot. And THEN only give it crap, if it's actually genuinely crap.

So anyway. Why did I have good impressions of this place?
One magic word: discount!
Like, free discount! Like, good-hearted no reason discount! Like, walked outside afterwards with a puzzled look and a thought bubble rising above my head saying "why did I just get that discount?"
I will never know.

That happened the first time I was there. The waitress charged the full prices of all meals and drinks (as expected) and the extra 50c/$1 or whatever it was for the extra takeaway container for my curry sauce (yes, I did the same thing last time...). No problemo.
Another guy came to the counter while we were paying and took over, presumably of a higher position, or maybe even the owner. He looked at our bill, put it aside, and did up a new bill for us. A nicer looking bill.

Mysteriously, a few dollars had disappeared. I'm not complaining. Noticably he had taken off some dollars off the meals or he didn't charge the drink or something.
Must be my charm.
Like...must be right? Ho ho ho what can I say =p
Maybe thank you to Tao, for their generosity :)