Saturday, Jan 29th - Asian Breeze - Seattle Center - so-so Pre Opera Dinner

Coconut Prawn Pad Thai - too sweet

I bought tickets for D's birthday to Barber of Seville at the Seattle Opera.  We like the drive and visiting a bit of a bigger city vibe.  As well, the Seattle Opera has a much better venue, acoustically, than QE.  It is pricey though but luckily we were saving loads flying from there to our trip to San Fran.  It's really shocking how much cheaper those flights were actually.  That said, I will NEVER fly Alaska Airlines again.  We had a really questionable security experience, but that's for another post but ask if you like.

We had planned on going to Bizzaro Cafe for scratch made pasta but we were running late and thought it would be easier to check in and walk around the Queen Anne neighbourhood for dinner.  I was nearly turned off by over conceptualised decor but D was done walking and didn't look keen on going back to the first place I stopped in front of. :^)  Wish we had.

We were alone in the restaurant except for a single gentleman and yet, the server tried to seat us right next to him.  Other diners trickled in, all pre-opera diners.  Service was slow given the emptiness and rather inattentive.  The table next to us, seated a good spell after us, had their order taken and drinks served well before us.

Coconut Tempura Prawn - Greasy and not Coconutty

We started with the Coconut Tempura Prawn with Wasabi Mayo.  They looked and tasted like the types of prawn you might find in the frozen food section of Costco.  Butterflied and perfectly breaded but too manufactured in appearance.  Then there was the Coconut, or rather, there wasn't.  We had to concentrate like we were reading computer manuals to find the Coconut flavour.  We even called the server over to ask if there had been a mistake.  She claimed that the prawn had been marinated in coconut milk before breading and frying.  There was a very very slight perfume of Coconut, not worthy of marquee billing.  I still suspect, the prawn were store bought.  They were very greasy as well.

For a main, I ordered the Coconut Prawn Pad Thai.  The way the dish was described, I had thought the coconut milk and prawn would have been incorporated into the dish.  I was mistaken.  It was a standard Pad Thai with Coconut Tempura Prawn sat on top.  The server did not even have the courtesy to tell me that they were duplicate to the appetiser.  Very very unhappy about that.  The Pad Thai itself was far too sweet, and cloying.

7 Spice Pork Chop

D ordered the Seven Spice Pork Chop with Veg and Mash.  The Chop was rather dry and over cooked.  The mash was good.  Next time we go down, I think we may look up the road.

Cost: $$$-$$$$
Ambiance: Slick Asian, slightly too many visits to Pier 1
Service: not informative nor helpful

Asian Breeze
Queen Anne
366 Roy St
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 285-6713

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