My diet went out the window today since I had a pretty good week in terms of eating. Last night my friends came over and we all headed out to dinner at Sawadee in Downtown Jersey City. Sawadee is a Thai restaurant... I know, I've been on a Thai food craze lately, but it's just so damn flavorful. After dinner we enjoyed a nice walk near the New York City waterfront. It was a great night and so rare for all of us to get together at such short notice.
LOCATION
137 Newark Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07302
201.433.0888
(Grove Street PATH)
AMBIENCE
Sawadee has beautiful decor, very romantic, and a great date spot. As you walk in there is a Buddha statue near the bar area. There is a cute waiting area off to the right.
The entire restaurant has these colorful ball-like lanterns hanging from the ceiling.
Towards the back there is a gorgeous water fountain flowing over a statue.
RECOMMENDED TO
Bar Scene, Casual Dining, Couples, Groups, Romantic Dining.
CUISINE
Thai, Chinese.
MENU - $$
Sawadee Menu. The dinner entrees range anywhere from $10 - $19. They have a great selection of Vegetarian entrees, including Vegetarian Chicken. Sawadee also offers some Classic Chinese Dishes, but in my opinion, why would you opt for Chinese food when you can have Thai food. Lastly, check out Happy Hour on Monday-Friday between 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Martinis are half off!
Dinner for 7 people:
1 Thai Iced Tea + 2 drinks + 5 appetizers + 6 entrees = $137 (including 18% tip)
RECOMMENDED HEALTHY EATS... choices below are based on my knowledge of food and nutrition. If you are looking to eat healthier, avoid coconut curries, avoid anything fried, avoid fried rice, and avoid noodles. Choose Brown Rice over White Rice. Asian soups tend to be high in sodium, so I would avoid soup. Opt for sautes with Vegetables, Chicken, Shrimp, and Tofu (not fried). There is no online nutritional information available for Sawadee. Please use your own discretion when making a decision.
| HEALTHY EATS |
|---|
| APPETIZERS |
| Steamed Thai Dumplings (vegetable, chicken, shrimp) |
| Papaya Salad w/dressing on side |
| Steamed Vegetable Dumplings |
| Edamane (Steamed Soy Bean) |
| Siu Mai (Steamed Shrimp Dumpling) |
| SALADS |
| Sawadee Salad w/dressing on side (vegetable/chicken) |
| Thai Spicy Salad w/dressing on side (chicken or shrimp) |
| Mango Avocado Salad w/dressing on side |
| Grilled Shrimp Avocado Salad w/dressing on side |
| Avocaod Salad w/dressing on side |
| Traditions - opt Vegetable Chicken, Chicken, Vegetable, Shrimp, Tofu (no fried Tofu); opt Brown Rice |
| Ginger |
| Broccoli |
| Cashew Nuts |
| Assorted Vegetable |
| Vegetable Dishes (avoid fried rice/noodles), opt Brown Rice |
| Assorted Vegetarian |
| Broccoli |
| Thai Tofu (not fried) |
| Vegetarian Chicken (w.mixed vegetables) |
| SIDES |
| Steamed Broccoli, Zucchini, String Beans |
| Steamed Sliced Chicken |
MY REVIEW
For Appetizers we had 4 orders of Roti which is a pancake served with coconut curry sauce. This is one of my favorite Thai appetizers and it was awesome.
One of my favorite Thai dishes is Pad Thai. My friend, Jhiane, and I got the Shrimp Pad Thai which was good, but not as amazing as the last time I dined at Sawadee. I'm not sure if the management has changed because there was an apparent difference in taste. In addition, they skimped on the shrimp and served us only 4 pieces of jumbo shrimp. The portions were smaller this time around.
My husband joined us as well and ordered a Classic Mojito. He thought it was a tad bit sweet... I had a sip and thought it was really good.
He also ordered his favorite Holy Basil Fried Rice with Chicken. We both thought it was really good, but we both have had better.
My friends, Sheetal and Kinjal, ordered the famous Pad Kee Mow (Drunken Noodles). The noodles were very good.
My friend, Marian, loves her appetizer as her entree; it's probably the best way to control your portions. She ordered the Curry Puff with Chicken and Potato, however she couldn't taste the chicken. Marian thought the Curry Puff was just okay.
VERDICT - 3.5 / 5
Overall, Sawadee is pretty good with very good service. They offer good food, but you'll soon realize that you've had a better version of the same dish. Don't run off just yet! They offer a full bar with good drinks. The decor is beautiful, ethnic, and romantic... this is a great restaurant for a first date with affordable prices.
In the past I have had Ginger Chicken and Cashew Nuts Chicken which were both good, however the chicken tasted a bit chickeny, almost like it lacked flavor. I also tried the Vegetarian Duck Basil which was out of this world! I recommend this place as a good alternative for the locals instead of hopping over to New York City just for Thai food.
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