Romantic, dimly-lit, and beautifully decorated

My birthday was on Saturday, so Nic and I Yelp-searched for a new restaurant to try out. We both love Thai food, so we decided to give Lotus Thai in Hillcrest a shot. We got there at around 6:30p and Hillcrest was packed, as always. BUT, here’s a parking tip for anyone who wants to try out this place: park in the lot on 6th Avenue and Robinson St! It’s free! All you have to do is park, go into the restaurant just a block away to get a validation ticket, and place it on your dashboard. This is a huge perk because (free) parking is always so hard to find in this area.

One more thing: I apologize in advance for the dark pictures. The restaurant was dimly-lit, and I’ve been taking photos from my iPhone. I’ll start bringing my real camera to these things from now on.

Atmosphere – 5

We were very impressed with the atmosphere. I really wanted something a bit romantic, a good date spot for my birthday. I was not disappointed. Dinner by candlelight, comfortable booths, and a very ornate decor. Even the ceiling was beautifully decorated. It wasn’t over the top, either. I’d highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a place to take a date, though  I did also notice larger parties there.

Food – 3.5

I ordered their Meing Salmon off of their Specials Menu:

Bits of salmon with spinach, tomato, cilantro, and vermicelli noodles topped with lemon grass sauce

I gave this dish a 3.5 and Nic gave it a 4 because we were both hoping for a little more salmon. To be honest, the vague entree description made me assume that this dish would consist of a whole piece of salmon with a side of vermicelli noodles topped with tomatoes, cilantro, and spinach. But as you can see in the picture, the dish was more of a salad with salmon. I love spinach, but I really wished the dish had more salmon and noodles and less of the giant leaves of spinach. However, the taste was impeccable. I think the cilantro really added a nice touch to it, too.

Nic ordered the Pra-Ram Steamer with Squid from the Stir Fried menu:

Squid with broccoli, carrots, and spinach in a savory peanut sauce

Again, while the taste definitely gets a 5, we overall gave this dish a 4.5 because of the lack of squid. The peanut sauce was simply amazing, but they also really poured it on thick, which was quite overpowering. Nic loved it otherwise, though. He gobbled it up before I got to finish my meal, and you know that’s a pretty amazing feat for those of you who know me because I eat crazy fast.

Since it was my birthday, Nic asked the server if the restaurant gives some kind of birthday freebie. Once our food was finished, our server brought in Green Tea Ice Cream topped with honey:

Green tea ice cream with honey and sesame seeds, served in a martini glass

Honestly, it’s not the best birthday freebie I’ve ever gotten, and the ice cream had lots of ice chunks in it. Plus, I noticed this restaurant doesn’t have a dessert menu, so I think this is something they don’t normally do. It was tasty and a nice gesture nonetheless, and I went to Extraordinary Desserts afterward anyway to get my sweet tooth fix. I give this ice cream a 3.

Service – 4

We were seated quickly, although the hostess had me zigzagging between narrow rows of tables to get to our table despite me being on crutches. One of my biggest pet peeves about a restaurant is when they don’t keep our water glasses filled, but this place had no problem with that at all. Our server was good, though when he brought the ice cream over, he awkwardly and hesitantly sang “Happy Birthday” quietly, with my boyfriend chiming in. Again, this isn’t the same kind of atmosphere you’d see in a typical family restaurant, so no boisterous “Happy Birthday” songs from the entire restaurant staff (thank God).

Price – $$

Curry and stir fry entrees come out to around $9, while the seafood dishes are anywhere between $11-$15. Not too bad at all for what looks like a fancy restaurant.

Overall – 4

Nic and I definitely want to come back here and try other dishes. I wasn’t particularly blown away by the food, and I want to try some standard Thai dishes to compare with other restaurants (e.g. panang curry). For now, it’s nowhere near my favorite Thai restaurant in San Diego (that dubious distinction goes to Amarin Thai in Mira Mesa).