Some weeks ago, I asked AS if she might not want to go to another fancier-than-average restaurant during the winter Restaurant Week madness. She expressed interest, so it was on. We decided to go big and try out
Buddakan, which wasn't too far away from Union Trust,
which is where we went in the fall. I walked the three + miles, which wasn't too much of a thing since winter isn't really doing its thing this year...except that about a mile in to the walk it began to spit rain and I hadn't thought to bring an umbrella. Thank goodness it didn't really get worse. We both decided to get specialty cocktails. I chose "Solid," which was a mixture of bourbon, jasmine, honey and cherry. AS went with a drink that I recall being named "Strength," which I don't see on their downloadable cocktail list. I think it was gin based with cilantro perhaps? I enjoyed my beverage very much and appreciated the slightly fancier version of cherries - no neon red, but a subdued burgundy that packed a sweetness and a bit of tartness into each little bite.
Because it was restaurant week, we were given a few different options for our three courses. We were both intrigued by the satay and dumplings, so ordered both and split them. The satay was certainly above average in terms of the cut of meat or its preparation. Far more tender and rare than the satay you might get in a high turnover thai place. You'll note that the lighting posed a considerable challenge to me. In fact none of the dumpling photographs are worth any of our collective time, but they were delicious and I could have eaten far more than the two allotted to me.
Our server was pretty cool considering the shit show of people in the place. When I asked him if I should go with the fried sea bream or the shortribs with chow fun, he suggested the bream as it better displayed what the chefs could do. I'm not sure I 100% understand that argument, as the bream was fried and I've always thought that it takes less talent to fry something than it does to slowly make something tender as hell...but if I am not anything, I'm most certainly not an expert. The bream came with a mandarin miso sauce and gingered cucumbers and a few peppers. The citrus note of the sauce was a little weird for me, but the fish was really delightful. The light batter was nice and crisp and had a saltiness to it that worked, and the fish inside was nice and moist and flaky and delicious. AS also ordered the wasabi mashed potatoes, which were an interesting combo. I think I would have liked them even a little spicier.
For dessert I chose the 'dip sum' donuts. These five spice sugar suckers were fresh from the fryer and came with a chocolate sauce, blackberry jam and gingered cream cheese. These were quite tasty but filling at the end of the meal. I wasn't able to actually finish them all and AS' chocolate lava dessert was so filling for her, she couldn't give it a shot either.
It was certainly crowded. And we were given a table by a column, which blocked the view of the larger dining space/giant buddha on display...but the server wasn't grumpy and the food was really tasty. I'd go back again and try a few different things. Though probably not all at once; place is pricey.
Because it was restaurant week, we were given a few different options for our three courses. We were both intrigued by the satay and dumplings, so ordered both and split them. The satay was certainly above average in terms of the cut of meat or its preparation. Far more tender and rare than the satay you might get in a high turnover thai place. You'll note that the lighting posed a considerable challenge to me. In fact none of the dumpling photographs are worth any of our collective time, but they were delicious and I could have eaten far more than the two allotted to me.
Our server was pretty cool considering the shit show of people in the place. When I asked him if I should go with the fried sea bream or the shortribs with chow fun, he suggested the bream as it better displayed what the chefs could do. I'm not sure I 100% understand that argument, as the bream was fried and I've always thought that it takes less talent to fry something than it does to slowly make something tender as hell...but if I am not anything, I'm most certainly not an expert. The bream came with a mandarin miso sauce and gingered cucumbers and a few peppers. The citrus note of the sauce was a little weird for me, but the fish was really delightful. The light batter was nice and crisp and had a saltiness to it that worked, and the fish inside was nice and moist and flaky and delicious. AS also ordered the wasabi mashed potatoes, which were an interesting combo. I think I would have liked them even a little spicier.
For dessert I chose the 'dip sum' donuts. These five spice sugar suckers were fresh from the fryer and came with a chocolate sauce, blackberry jam and gingered cream cheese. These were quite tasty but filling at the end of the meal. I wasn't able to actually finish them all and AS' chocolate lava dessert was so filling for her, she couldn't give it a shot either.
It was certainly crowded. And we were given a table by a column, which blocked the view of the larger dining space/giant buddha on display...but the server wasn't grumpy and the food was really tasty. I'd go back again and try a few different things. Though probably not all at once; place is pricey.
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