Curated Goodness

My biggest challenge when traveling alone is convincing restaurants that my reservation for one is legit. Just because I'm on my own doesn't mean I shouldn't enjoy good cuisine, right? And sure enough, that was the case here. After an initial flub and a switch from a table to the bar, things started to look up.

It turns out the move to the bar was a plus... particularly due to the great bartender who took care of me throughout the evening. (And having the amazing Chef Sunae serving and prepping some of my dishes didn't hurt either.)

Sunae is a fine cuisine pan-Asian restaurant in the heart of parilla (steak) country. I counted 10 parilla restaurants on my walk to the Sunae. Sitting at the bar afforded me a great view of the kitchen as the various chefs prepped dishes from various south Asian countries. 

I had a ginger vodka drink to start with accompanied by Chinese pork wontons. At first I thought I would get the standard pre-crimped dough. But these were definitely not that. The quality of the preparation was truly evident... and the fact that they disappeared in moments tells you how yummy they were. Delish!

I ordered a Filipino pad thai for my main... but got surprised with an accidental delivery of Sotanghon Pancit. The preparation was amazing, the noodles tasty. But I realized that even if this was fine cuisine, there is no way this was a pad thai interpretation. My awesome bartender realized the snafu quickly. She brought my correct dish in minutes and apologized. Although the Sotanghon was good, my pad thai was even better, especially the grilled shrimp. I'm a sucker for nuts and noodles!

I thought I was done, but my bartender convinced me to try their newest dessert... an amazing, lucious apple cobbler. And man was I glad I did. It was ooey-gooey, and tasty. A small scoop of vanilla made it perfect too. And it was accompanied by a decadent Vietnamese coffee (which is made with condensed milk.) 

All in all, a great meal, in a spot that is obviously popular (the line rarely went down of people waiting to sit down), and an amazingly friendly staff and chef. Congrats Chef Christina!