Quote:

Definitely post of the year...I think Ox and Skinner's Loft are taking so long to open because they are afraid of the scathing reviews they are destined to receive on jclist.

I like both Sawadee and Wild Fusion and will patronize both.

Sawadee has good Thai food - well better than the food at most combo Asian take-out places. The ambiance is nice, the service is pretty good and the Duck Pad Thai is great...My only gripe is that the prices have dramatically increased in the 2 months they have been opened! I first went there the night of the steam pipe explosion - so the end of July? And then went again a week ago to pick up take out. I ordered the exact same things, and my total bill was $11 more than the first time we went there for only 3 items! Each item on the menu went up at least $2-3! I understand that when restaurants open they don't quite have things figured out menu/pricing-wise, but a price hike like that is bad enough to turn customers away before they come back for a second time!

Took friends to Sawadee who are massive Thai food hounds. They loved it! I can recommend the green papaya salad among other things. I'm also a fan of Fusion. I don't see it as "one or the other." Enjoy both!

Click for Link

Sawadee Thai cuisine in JC
Aromatic food, elegant dining

By: Diana Schwaeble
Managing Editor
Hudson Current
11/14/2007

ESCAPE ? Sawadee, a new Thai restaurant, located in downtown Jersey City offers elegant dining at affordable prices. The basil fried rice and the pineapple duck are two dishes that are bound to please. Both are rich with flavors and spices. The rich mousse cake has layers of chocolate flavors and textures. It is a delicious finish to any meal.

Locals in downtown Jersey City now have one more option with the new restaurant Sawadee at 137 Newark Ave.

This Thai restaurant brings the flavors of the Orient to the table with inspired cuisine that looks as good as it tastes.

Open for lunch and dinner, the elegant room is decorated in soothing shades of amber with dark wood accents.

Eye appeal

Walking into the restaurant is to step into quiet, with the subdued lighting and low music playing in the background. The eye immediately is drawn to the original and colorful artwork and a wall of different shaped vases that provide decoration. Large leafy plants and Asian inspired art complete the look of this place, which is perfect for a date or for long conversations with friends.

The service goes a long way towards this goal by efficiently refilling water glasses and clearing away plates in an unobtrusive manner - all without making one feel rushed.

On a recent Thursday evening, my companion and I stopped in to savor the food and sample the menu. We started with a taste of one of their signature cocktails, which includes everything from their house fruit punch and fresh strawberry-colada smoothie (both served with or without rum) to one of their specialty Martinis like the Lychee Martini.

Many of their drinks are infused with fresh fruits and ingredients and include popular favorites.

Our favorite was the Mango Martini, which tasted like the fruit yet wasn't overwhelmingly sweet.

We partnered the Martinis with the papaya salad, which had a base of the fruit cut into slivers topped with peanuts, peppers, carrots, and tomatoes. It's a lovely presentation of colors and flavors that don't overwhelm the palate.

The salad is big enough to split, but light enough for one person to finish. Other appetizers include: grilled beef or chicken satay, Thai dumplings, curry puffs, spring rolls, fried wonton, mussels, calamari, and much more. The appetizers are priced from $4 to $7.

Other starters include a selection of soups and salads.

Entrees

For dinner we opted to try the holy basil fried rice and the pineapple duck curry.

The rice was a heavenly blend of fluffy rice, chicken, chili peppers served in a steaming pile and topped with fresh basil. This dish was absolutely terrific and lost none of its taste when reheated the next day for lunch!

Although I'm not usually a fan of the sweet taste of pineapple mixed with any sort of meat, I couldn't resist the tangy mix of sweet fruit with the rich duck. While some might say that duck tastes like the dark meat of a chicken - the meat on this duck dish is loaded with flavor and melts in the mouth.

We loved this dish and stuffed ourselves even though we were full.

Other entrees include: Tilapia flavored with curry and coconut milk, grilled pork chops, Pad Thai (shrimp, egg, and rice noodles), vegetable pasta flavored with coconut milk, garlic shrimp, and much more. Entrees are priced from $10 to $18.

There is also a wide selection of rice, noodles, and vegetarian dishes (priced from $9 to $12).

And...

To cap off out meal we ended with their bold coffee and the decadent cappuccino mousse cake. The mousse cake had a layer of chocolate mousse that was topped with a layer of cream and swirls of chocolate sauce. It is a luscious chocolate lover's dream.

Other desserts include: seasonal pumpkin custard, fried banana topped with ground peanuts, ice cream, mango sticky rice, tiramisu, and others.

Coffee, espresso or cappuccino is available.

The restaurant is open for lunch Monday to Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m. On Friday lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and dinner is served until 10:30 p.m. On Saturday lunch is served from 12:30 to 3 p.m. and dinner is served from 5 to 10:30 p.m.

All major credit cards are accepted and reservations are recommended for large parties.

Sawadee is located at 137 Newark Ave. in Jersey City. For more information, call (201) 433-0888.

Hey, I like Sawadee very much myself, but that's one awfully written review. It's like the restaurant equivalent of a real estate tout.

"Many of their drinks are infused with fresh fruits and ingredients"

Yeah, I hate those ingredient-less drinks.

My boyfriend and I went here the other night and loved it. The food was great, the service was excellent and the atmosphere was very nice. I highly recommend it!

Say hello to tangy Thai cuisine at Sawadee
Attractive Thai eatery delivers satisfying blast of heat in Jersey City

Friday, February 08, 2008
BY PETE GENOVESE
Star-Ledger Staff

What is it with Thai food in this country? The red chilis used as spicy-food menu indicators might as well be red herrings. Two chilis? You'll barely feel it. Three chilis? Not to worry.

But Sawadee, open since last June, brings the heat. The tom yum hot pot, a terrific blend of shrimp, squid, mussels, and scallops in a lemongrass broth ($16), is hot enough to get your attention but not so hot you'll scream in pain.

Late last year, I spent 10 days in Thailand, where chilis on the menu mean business. A mere two-alarm chicken and herb soup at a Chiang Mai restaurant was not only one of the best soups ever but so fiery I thought about ordering a bucket of water and dunking my head in it.

Nothing on Sawadee's menu approaches the Big Heat produced by Thai food in Thailand, but at least this gorgeously appointed restaurant doesn't automatically assume non-Thais can't take it.

"Some people ask us, not too spicy; others say make it spicier," said manager Yennie Shim.

On my second visit, what the waiter described as "four alarm" jungle curry was significantly milder than the "three-alarm" tom yum hot pot. How could that be?

Two cooks in the kitchen with their own ideas of hot, the waiter explained.

Sawadee (which means "hello" in Thai), is one of Jersey City's more striking spaces, with muted lighting, fresh orchids at every table, Buddhas in backlit niches and local artwork on display (kind of Cubist-Surrealist one week, Monet-ish the next).

That this was formerly a shoe store makes you think this was a makeover worthy of a TV show.

There were no real downers on either visit. The papaya salad ($7), with papaya, ground peanut, chili and lime, is a fresh, not-filling starter. The seafood spring rolls, with shrimp and crab meat ($6), are a crispy, golden delight.

Steamed Thai dumplings ($5) were squishy-good, and the coconut shrimp ($7) perfectly crispy. Spicy lemongrass with onions, bamboo shoots, string beans, bell peppers and choice of meat or fish (we chose squid, $14) was a sizzling stunner. My dining companion and I practically fought over who would take the tom yum hot pot home. I settled for the jungle curry with chicken ($12), she ended up with the soup.

The only dish that didn't delight, interestingly, was tom yum gai, the traditional Thai soup of chicken, mushroom, lime juice and lemongrass ($4 small, $8 large). It was perfectly fine, but nowhere on the level of the jungle curry, tom yum hot pot or the Crying Tiger, a spicy beef salad enlivened with sesame, onions, bamboo shoot, tomatoes and scallions. I kept picking at it well past the point of stuffed.

Other dishes include the Sawadee Trio (chicken, beef and shrimp saut?ed with Thai spicy sweet soy sauce, $15); Pla Muk or spicy chili squid (saut?ed with chili, bell pepper, onion and Thai chili paste, $13); and chicken lad prig (deep-fried chicken topped with spicy chili lime sauce, $13).

There are lunch and nightly specials. Add a bottle of Singha beer from the bar, and you have all the ingredients for a memorable Thai night out.

Where should Pete eat next? Call him at (973) 392-1765 or e-mail to pgenovese@starledger.com

this is one of the better restaurants in jersey city.
it is clean,has good service,good food and nice decor.

we had a party of 4 and had a great time.

Just have to pose my rave review of Sawadee:

Had lunch with my wife, and the Crispy Duck Tamarind lunch special was awesome. The skin was crisp, meat was tender and sauce was perfect. Presentation was excellent, and great service. She had the shrimp lunch special, also very good (forgot what it's called).

Seems the cooking and presentation has improved over time.

we ordered delivery from there the other night, it took one hour and 10 minutes to get here, and the delivery person was really curt (maybe it was a bad night...)

food was just OK (i.e. not horrid like Wild Fusion)

The duck dinner special they were running for a while was amazing. Is that the same as the lunch special?

Quote:

Yes !!! It's the exact same thing, only cheaper by $6 !!! maybe the portion is smaller?

I love this place....some of the best Thai around, a great addition to downtown.

My addictions are the spicy chicken wings and the fried flounder with ginger sauce....just sublime.

The first time I went the service was ok....but since I've been back a few times and they "know me' they are a bit friendlier.

The wine list could be better. over all this one is a winner!