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Jasmine Thai Cuisine – Restaurant Review – Winnetka, CA

June 17, 2014 / / 0 Comments

What is it with LA Thai restaurants? Why is it that seemingly every  strip-mall hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant serves spectacular cuisine, while many Thai restaurants in the Bay Area struggle to rise above mediocrity?  Whatever it is in the southern California area that inspires Thai cooks, it’s alive and kicking at Jasmine Thai Cuisine.  We went there for dinner last Saturday night (June 2014), and had a simply delicious meal.

Jasmine Thai is a 2-restaurant chain in the west San Fernando Valley.  We visited the Winnetka branch because it got better slightly better Yelp reviews.  The restaurant is cute and well decorated, but it can’t quite escape its strip-mall architecture.  Fortunately, the prices match the casual surroundings with most entrees priced at a downright cheap (at least by Bay Area standards) $8.

jasminesatay

We started by sharing an order of beef satay ($8).  The order came with six sticks, which was great as there were three of us.  The beef was very nicely marinated, and had a very strong flavor.  The peanut sauce was standard, which is nothing to complain about.  The dish was beautifully presented in a plate that came with a small iron heater of some kind with a pretty significant flame. I’m not sure if it was there just for decoration, but we did enjoy putting our meat in the flame.  I hadn’t seen this before, and enjoyed it. I know my girls would have loved it.

Cashew Nut Chicken

Cashew Nut Chicken

We followed this with the cashew nut chicken ($8), panang curry with beef ($8) and curry duck ($11).  The cashew nut chicken was fine, though perhaps not as interesting as one might have liked.  Kathy did like the sauce quite a bit, though.  The two curries, however, were outstanding.  the panang was perfect, flavorful, deep, complex, and yet very much a panang curry. The sliced beef had probably been sauteed separately and then added to it, so it wasn’t the star of the dish, but it was good enough. It was the sauce, however, what really shined.

Panang Beef

Panang Beef

The duck curry was similar, albeit a bit fruitier and sweeter, probably from the pineapple chunks it came with.  It was also delicious.  The duck, a hard meat to get right, was well cooked, not too fatty (but it’s duck), and went very well with the sauce.   Both curries are noted in the menu as being spicy.  We asked for them as mild as possible, and our tongues still burned a little bit.

Duck Curry

Duck Curry

The portions were all quite generous. We had leftover of both curries to bring home (which my husband got to enjoy fully).  Where they did skimp was in the rice ($1.50 per person).  We probably could have used more at the table and had none to take home. Next time, I’ll order an extra portion.

Both my dad and I had strawberry smoothies ($3.25) with our dinner, and they were OK. They basically tasted like strawberry daiquiris without the rum. I don’t think I’d order them again.

Despite how good the food was, there are a few minuses to Jasmine.  First, the menu doesn’t include some Thai favorites like pra ram chicken and massaman beef.  Second, they don’t serve alcohol – not even beers to wash down the spice.  Finally, the service could have been more attentive.  We were done for a while before anyone noticed we needed the bill.  The dinner for three came to close to $60 after tax and tip.

Jasmine Thai Cuisine
20156 Roscoe Blvd.
Winnetka, CA
(818) 718-7000
http://www.jasminethaicuisinegroup.com/
M-Su 11am – 10:30pm

Los Angeles Restaurant Reviews

Bangkok@12 Thai Restaurant Review – Sacramento

June 7, 2011 / / 0 Comments

Mike and I were in Sacramento for the California Democratic Convention. On our second night there, a Saturday night in early May, we wanted to get some really good food, at a reasonable price somewhere near the Convention Center. Bangkok@12 got pretty good reviews on Yelp and it ended up fitting the bill perfectly.

Bangkok@12 is a small restaurant, reasonably well decorated and with a little bit more care it could even become a little stylish. The table we were offered, though, near the kitchen with a view of the bathroom door, would not have made our dining experience that pleasant, however – but they did move us to a table by the window when I asked them to. Service was good and unintrusive throughout the evening. But in this restaurant it’s the food, and in particular the sauces, which really star.

Mike and I shared the golden bags (fried wonton skins stuffed with ground chicken, shrimp, mushroom, onion, and cilantro, $6). They were good, though not outstanding, and I’d order them again.

As my entree I ordered my standard at Thai restaurants, mussamun curry. At Bangkok@12 you can order this and other curries with either beef, chicken or pork ($9), shrimp or calamari ($10) or a “seafood combo” ($12). This is because they cook the meats separately, and then mix them with the curry. I had the beef, and it consisted of very thin strips, probably seared. They were OK, but predictably tough, and they lacked the sumptuousness of thick chunks of beef slowly cooked in the sauce. They were redeemed, however, by the sheer beauty of the mussaman curry. It had your typical mussamun flavor, but it was even more intense and layered. It was absolutely delicious. The same can be said about Mike’s panang curry, which he head with the chicken. The chicken was unremarkable, but the curry was well balanced, deep and wonderful. So much so that we were willing to forgive the careless cooked meats.

Beef in Mussamun curry

Chicken in panang curry

In all, it was a very pleasant meal and we’d go back if we were in the area.

Bangkok @12 Thai Restaurant
900 12th st (@ I)
Sacramento, CA
(916) 443-5588
http://www.bangkok12restaurant.com/

Marga’s Restaurant Reviews – Outside the Bay Area

Mai Thai restaurant – San Leandro – Review

July 11, 2010 / / 0 Comments

October 2013 Update

Mike and I have returned to Mai Thai many times.  It continues to offer great food at a reasonable price. It’s really a jewel.

July 2011 Update

Mike and I went back to Mai Thai for dinner last night with our friends Auguste and Cecily and I had another wonderful meal.  If anything, I would say the food has improved and flavors seem even better balanced and intense.  We had six dishes last night, and the five I tasted were simply excellent.

We started with the pork imperial rolls, which were a bit underseasoned by themselves and contained too much cabbage and too little pork, but which were redeemed by the wonderful accompanying sauce.  Next we shared the wontons, a dish I don’t usually like, but these were bursting with filling and flavor and were absolutely delicious.  It would have been my favorite dish of the evening if the other ones were not also so good.

Mike ordered the chicken panang and I had my usual musaman beef.  They were both wonderfully balanced and intense and oh, so good.  The panang was a bit spicy – too much for Cecily – but the musaman was not (and it shouldn’t be).  The large chunks of beef in the musaman were perfectly cooked, tender and not dry.  Auguste ordered the chicken with eggplant, and it had also a wonderful, intense, slightly sweet sauce. It could make you a fan of eggplant even if you’ve never liked it before.  Cecily had the shrimp, which I didn’t taste but they seemed to like.

I didn’t take pictures this time, but dishes continue to be as beautifully arranged as in our first visit.  Service was also quite good, but then again, we got there early and there we no other parties in the restaurant.

In all, I’d say that despite my loyalties to Zen’s (where I’ve never gone for dinner fearing having to encounter loud music), I’m ready to declare Mai Thai the best restaurant in San Leandro.

December 2010

I have since returned to Mai Thai several times, and every time I have been very pleased. The food is very good and beautifully presented, the restaurant is very cute and the service very attentive. Mika loves the sticky rice dessert (it’s really good) and she was quite fond of the shrimp appetizer. The pad thai is not very spicy, making it a good choice for little kids. In all, it’s where we go when we want Thai food in San Leandro.

July 2010 review

Mai Thai has been open for about two months, but I only heard about it when Mike rode by it a few days ago. It seemed like a logical place for an affordable Friday-night date, and it proved to be a very nice one as well. It may not be saying much, but I’d consider Mai Thai one of the best restaurants in San Leandro right off the bat.

Mai Thai is located at Marina Faire in San Leandro, in the space briefly previously occupied by the Brazilian restaurant Biggies BBQ Restaurant. But if you’ve been to Biggies you are not likely to recognize the space, Mai Thai has painted the walls, decorated it with elegant Asian-inspired art and created an atmosphere that is both stylish and comfortable. In other words, it has followed the winning formula of a number of what I call “Asian Bistros” throughout the Bay Area (restaurants that offer good food in stylish surroundings at surprisingly affordable prices).
Mai Thai goes a little bit beyond some of these by also serving beautifully arranged food – they must have a food stylist on staff (or at least they must have used a consultant). The results are really unbelievable for the prices (entrees are $9-12) and add an element of “specialness” that makes this a perfect place for an affordable date or business meeting.

But of course, the the real question is “how is the food”? Here I’m a bit less impressed. We ordered the pork imperial rolls (6 rolls for $7) and I found them to taste mostly of cabbage and to be in need of some spicing. The accompanying sweet & sour sauce was delicious, however, and Mike was very pleased with the resulting dish. The sauce was also great with the little mixed green salad that came with the dish.

I was not in the least original by ordering the Massaman beef for dinner – it’s my favorite Thai dish. Mai Thai’s version was very conventional, and yet very good and satisfying. The sauce had a great balance and just the right amount of spiciness. The beef was fork-tender and delicious. I’d definitely order it again (and again and again).
I was less happy with Mike’s chicken panang. It had a strong basil flavor and was quite spicy, but I felt it otherwise lacked depth. I wouldn’t order it myself, but Mike would have it again. The portions were nicely sized – we both had leftovers to take home.

We finished our meal by sharing the fried banana with ice cream ($4). The two bananas were perfectly and freshly fried, they came steaming hot, and went wonderfully with the ice cream. That said, I think the batter needed some more sweetness or something to make it less plain.

Service was fine but not stellar – the main problem being that our cokes ($2 each) were not refilled. Still, there were not major glitches and they were nice enough to pack our leftovers in the kitchen.

In all it was a very nice meal – it came to about $36 after tax and before tip, a very affordable price for a meal of this caliber.

Mai Thai also offers lunch specials for $8 – though it’s a little bit further ride, I think I’ll definitely go here (rather than Thai Satay) when I’m in the mood for Thai.

Mai Thai
137000 Doolittle Dr. #110
San Leandro, CA
510-351-9898
Open M – Su 11 AM – 3 PM and 5 PM – 9:30 PM

San Leandro Restaurant Reviews

Thai Satay

July 11, 2008 / / 1 Comment

UPDATE: THIS RESTAURANT HAS CLOSED

Update: We’ve been to Thai Satay many times since it opened, though less frequently since Mai Thai came to town.  While the restaurant was inconsistent at the beginning, it greatly improved in later years. Mike still orders their chicken penang to go quite often.

—

Thai Satay is San Leandro’s only Thai restaurant, and as such we visit it from time to time. Mike often gets pad thai from there to take to his School Board meetings, and we go there for lunch once in a while. Yesterday, my friend Lola was visiting, and we decided that Thai sounded good.
I had the roasted duck, which comes in a bed of spinach and rice, accompanied by a strong, somewhat sweet sauce. The duck was nicely salted and tasted great, but it was very, very fatty. There seemed to be more fat than duck. I sort of enjoyed it, but I wouldn’t order it again. The sauce was pretty good with the rice, however.
Lola had a combination of masaman curry and basil chicken. The curry was good, though a bit heavy on the potatoes, but the chicken was unbelievably dry. The flavor, mild and inviting, was very good, but Lola couldn’t stand eating it. She did like the soup and salad which came with lunch.
At $9 each, the dishes were a bit pricy for lunch, but from time to time you can get “buy one, get one free” coupons at the SL Times.
In all, while Thai Satay doesn’t have the best Thai food in the world, it does have the best and only Thai food in San Leandro.
Thai Satay
1376 E. 14th Street
San Leandro, Ca
(510) 351-2345
http://www.thaisatay.com/
Original Review
San Leandro Restaurant Reviews

Trader Joe’s Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce

March 10, 2005 / / 1 Comment

Last night I made chicken simmered in Trader Joe’s Green Curry sauce. It was yummy. The sauce is a little bit too spicy for my taste, but it had a very light and yet full flavor, with a strong hint of cilantro. Its high fat content made the chicken feel wonderfully buttery and in all it was very enjoyable. I added some orange bell pepper to the chicken and served it with rice. In all, a thumbs up.

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