We went to Bua Thai on a Thursday with a reservation and it seemed everyone else had also made a reservation for seats that were not available. Everyones understaffed right now so I take it into account, but it was a rough start. We were first in line for our 7 pm reservation but we still waited 20 minutes. Groups behind us waited longer.
I'm not sure I understand this place. Their price point is just high enough to not be worth delivery but just low enough that it didn't feel we were completely being taken advantage of.
ITINERARY
Ambiance is great, location is great, head to the Penrose after or stop at one of the numerous dessert spots in the surrounding areas (Van Leeuwen, Gelato, Insomnia Cookies,) the fabulous location and outdoor aesthetics were all I could attribute the heavy traffic to. (& Tik Tok).
We tried all the good looking Bao Buns - I wouldn't recommend any. The calamari was hard. I never typically get the calamari due to my strong belief that the ratio of bad calamari is significantly higher than the likelihood of receiving good calamari. Never worth the risk. My theory proved true here.
The Pineapple Fried Rice with pork belly was actually really good and sweet, loved the presentation of the dish inside a giant pineapple. The Pad See-Ew was medium-good on the scale of Pad-See-Ew I've tried and tested. Forgettable.
THE BUNS
Pork Belly Bun - Please do not order. We should've known by the description which described it as having a "brown sauce." Runny gravy. It had runny gravy.
Crispy Chicken Bun - A spicy garlic sauce sounded very enticing, but it was meat and an unambiguous sauce on a bun.
Shrimp Bun - At this point we were extremely curious as to where any of the flavors or toppings were. This was spicy mayo and a little fried shrimp but they even managed to make spicy mayo boring- which I had once thought impossible.
Fried Duck Bun- The best of the bunch, duck and duck sauce. Potentially the best because it tasted like a meat.
Lobster Bun- We were by far the most excited for this one and it was extremely disappointing. A lot of lobster but still dry. Like a stale imitation crab.
They failed to add toppings that work well together, the bun was slightly dried out. They were the opposite of BaoBurg in their unadventurous flavors, fresh bao & quality meat.
The Pineapple Fried Rice with Pork Belly was served beautifully in a giant pineapple and it was definitely the highlight of the feast, my Pad-See-Ew was alright, big bowl small portion. If you're intent on going, I would delve into an entree, that seems to be their strength.
The drink came with the unpoured shooter, which is good and bad. Means there's at least a shot, but also not more. So you're getting exactly what you think you're getting.
Book a reservation and get there at least 5 minutes early or you will wait for 40 minutes.
The experience could've been better, I'm headed to THEP Thai next time.
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