First I looked at the restaurant's menu and reviews online. Overall I saw positive reviews with a few outliers, which are to be expected. The menu showed a wide variety and a balance between Japanese and Thai menus. I had an appointment immediately following lunch, so I decided to grab a quick lunch and run.
It was clear before walking in to the building that the restaurant would be small. Tradition Square is full of tiny restaurants and office buildings due to the higher rent prices. Sake Too occupies the end cap of a long line of stores, next to a frozen yogurt shop.
So I was unsurprised to see a small dining room with tables set close together. A sushi bar dominates the room, and I must have come in at a slow point in the day because the two men occupying the bar were mostly focused on the television playing a news show above them. Well, at least I wouldn't have to put up with a sports show or its fans. Also in the dining room were a mother with two sons and one young couple. Both parties kept to themselves and there was no problem of screaming kids as one review complained.
The decor is made up of clean lines and a black/white/bright green color scheme, apparently going for a more "modern" Asian style than the typical Chinese take-out restaurant. This worked well with the small place and left me, as an uncultured American girl, feeling less intimidated.
I noticed a discrepancy between the website and the printed menu: while the site listed red and green curry as lunch options, no mention was made of green curry in the printed menu. This was nothing vital, and I ordered red curry, which came with miso soup, and a glass of plum wine. The waitress warned me that the dish was fairly spicy, and I assured her that was not only fine but preferable.
I will say that I had no problems whatsoever with the service. My food came out in a timely manner and the waitress was friendly.
The miso soup came out first. It was acceptable as an appetizer, but I thought the taste was weak. Perhaps this batch was diluted? Or was this the house recipe?
As someone who typically prefers sweeter wines, the plum wine was much too sweet, detracting from the flavor of the wine and hurting my teeth. It tasted more like mead than anything else. The wine did help to calm the fire from the red curry, but ultimately the sweetness was too much for me and I did not finish.
Out next was the red curry, with a scoop of sticky rise on the side and a spring roll with a hot and sweet dipping sauce. The menu described the curry as a mix of "Thai curry paste, bamboo shoots, red bell pepper, pineapple, basil leaves and coconut milk." That was exactly what I got and it was fantastic. It struck a great balance between the spice of the curry paste and the flavor of the overall dish, and the pineapples lent their sweetness without being overpowering. Mixing the sticky rice in with the bowl of curry, it was also a very filling lunch.
My apologies to the server for being in such a rush - I had to ask for my check when I was halfway through with the lunch. But I would definitely return once given another chance.
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