Mandalay Lounge & Steakhouse
Mandalay Lounge & Steakhouse is located right behind the Hog Shack on the lovely seaside of Steveston. We had a pretty good view from our table, but the sunlight was a bit hard on the eyes even on such a cloudy day.
We started with a spicy tuna sashimi salad ($15). I knew it wouldn't be that great considering I was in a non-Japanese restaurant, but I didn't expect it to be so bland. There was almost no sauce, so the spiciness (or any other taste actually) was minimal. Both the veggies and tuna were not very fresh, and I especially did not appreciate the mushy texture of the fish.
For my entree I went for the Bombay butter chicken rice bowl ($10.95). As expected, warm pita bread was used to imitate naan. The butter chicken wasn't authentic and the meat wasn't very tender, but there was a LOT of it. There must have been around 20 pieces of chicken and I'm not exaggerating. I also thought there was too much sauce. I rarely complain about that, but the rice was drowning in so much sauce that it had the consistency of risotto.
The Thai chili chicken noodle bowl ($10.95) was the mildest in flavour. I would expect Thai chili to be somewhat spicy, but it was more sweet than anything. I actually found it a bit weird that the noodles tasted as though they had been cooked in syrup.
The spicy chicken and peanut rice bowl ($10.95) had the worst presentation. Just like the butter chicken, there was a lot of meat and sauce, but the quality wasn't that great. The peanut sauce was thick and starchy, yet somehow the chicken still tasted kind of dry.
The dessert was truly the highlight of the meal and more than made up for the mediocre entrees. The chocolate lava cake ($7) took 15 minutes to prepare, but it was well worth the wait. The presentation was beautiful and the cake was served hot and moist. I loved the subtle sweetness and the rich chocolate flavour that wasn't too overbearing.
I was a bit worried at first that the chocolate inside wouldn't be melted as that is the usual problem with lava cakes. But the consistency was perfect and the chocolate lava poured out beautifully.
I was disappointed with the entrees, but I would come back just for the chocolate lava cake. I think it was a mistake that we ordered from the express lunch menu featuring rice and noodle bowls based on Asian cuisine. I would suggest staying away from the Asian dishes.
We started with a spicy tuna sashimi salad ($15). I knew it wouldn't be that great considering I was in a non-Japanese restaurant, but I didn't expect it to be so bland. There was almost no sauce, so the spiciness (or any other taste actually) was minimal. Both the veggies and tuna were not very fresh, and I especially did not appreciate the mushy texture of the fish.
For my entree I went for the Bombay butter chicken rice bowl ($10.95). As expected, warm pita bread was used to imitate naan. The butter chicken wasn't authentic and the meat wasn't very tender, but there was a LOT of it. There must have been around 20 pieces of chicken and I'm not exaggerating. I also thought there was too much sauce. I rarely complain about that, but the rice was drowning in so much sauce that it had the consistency of risotto.
The Thai chili chicken noodle bowl ($10.95) was the mildest in flavour. I would expect Thai chili to be somewhat spicy, but it was more sweet than anything. I actually found it a bit weird that the noodles tasted as though they had been cooked in syrup.
The spicy chicken and peanut rice bowl ($10.95) had the worst presentation. Just like the butter chicken, there was a lot of meat and sauce, but the quality wasn't that great. The peanut sauce was thick and starchy, yet somehow the chicken still tasted kind of dry.
The dessert was truly the highlight of the meal and more than made up for the mediocre entrees. The chocolate lava cake ($7) took 15 minutes to prepare, but it was well worth the wait. The presentation was beautiful and the cake was served hot and moist. I loved the subtle sweetness and the rich chocolate flavour that wasn't too overbearing.
I was a bit worried at first that the chocolate inside wouldn't be melted as that is the usual problem with lava cakes. But the consistency was perfect and the chocolate lava poured out beautifully.
I was disappointed with the entrees, but I would come back just for the chocolate lava cake. I think it was a mistake that we ordered from the express lunch menu featuring rice and noodle bowls based on Asian cuisine. I would suggest staying away from the Asian dishes.
No comments: