So, I'm pretty much ALWAYS in the neighborhood/general vicinity of this place, it's also been there for close to four years and yet as a lover a Thai food I STILL haven't tried this place? I hit up Buldogi's, Jollibee and Pyaar (R.I.P.) long before I even bothered to check this place out. Could it be living across the street from Basil n' Lime? I really don't know.\n\nSo I finally did check the place out. What a wise decision. :)\n\nThis may seem a little underwhelming to some because I had Pad Thai. I know, I know, too \"Americanized,\" but that's the very dish that eased me into trying and loving Thai food, and to this day I feel the only way l I can trust a Thai restaurant is if they do Pad Thai right. Anyways, on to how I felt about the Pad Thai. It came out in a HUGE plate, and they don't skimp on the meat (a very good thing since Basil n' Lime is starting to get skimpy with the meat in their Pad Thai). It was fresh, and of course it would be ridiculous to expect Pad Thai to not be greasy at all, but the grease was at a minimum, which was great. No groggy, increased blood pressure feeling afterward. The only issue I had with the pad thai was a few too many glass noodles, they really could have cut back on that (and looking at other plates around the restaurant it seems like they smother EVERYTHING in glass noodles) In addition to the Pad Thai, I also had the Thai spring rolls. These definitely could have used a little more seasoning, but they were fine when dipped in the sweet chili sauce on the side.\n\nThe service wasn't very attentive unfortunately, I had to flag people down for pretty much everything, and the fact that the restaurant wasn't even that crowded made it even weirder. The dining floor is very nice though. Small but cozy feeling, not cramped. The ambiance is also in a sort of middle ground between casual and formal. The decor was also very in character (with the exception of the small Budda (not Buddha) statue on the front table....wtf?). The chairs were uncomfortable though, just saying. \n\nMy bill came out to be about $13. At B n' L, it would be almost $16 or $17 for a similar meal, so that's one pro Archi's has over them.\n\nTHE FINAL VERDICT:\n\nPros:\nFresh food.\nReasonably priced.\nThey didn't screw up the pad thai, a good enough pro in of itself.\n\nCons:\nIffy service.\nToo many glass noodles in everything.\nUncomfortable chairs, so it's probably better to do take-out.\n\nThe wtf?:\nIs the fat Buddha (appropriately known as Budai) apart of Thai culture at all?\n\nSuggestions:\nBe more conservative with the glass noodles. You only need a little bit of them for some crunch in the food, since they don't have much of a flavor on their own. \n\nWill I return? I'm really not sure.
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