Marnee Thai: Small Space, Big Flavors.

Girl-bonding Dinner: September 6, 2010 at 6:45 PM








It is such a struggle for hard-working professional gals to find a couple of hours at the end of the day to share a meal with one another. However, my girlfriends and I have made a commitment that no matter what, we will find time for each other.

That special time might not be as frequent as we like but every couple of months, one reminds the other that "we're on for another catching up!"

And my girlfriend, Rebecca and I finally made it after one cancellation (me) and confusing the date of our dinner (probably me again). Finally we agreed on the day and this time, Rebecca chose the dinner venue after watching "Marnee Thai" on "Check, Please! Bay Area."

I got there 15 minutes early because I was stressing over parking. Parking in the Sunset is a nightmare but at 6:25 PM, I found plenty of parking inside Golden Gate Park and Lincoln. I just decided to go straight to Marnee Thai for our 6:45 PM dinner reservation. The staff seated me right away.






Marnee Thai is teeny-tiny. The dining area was cramped. The place was equally loud that despite the packed seatings, Rebecca and I were able to catch up. (I heard from a couple of friends that Marnee Thai on Irving is much bigger and nicer.)

She was right on the dot and arrived at exactly 6:45 PM but I went ahead and ordered a starter before she got to the restaurant. The servers kept on coming to the table to see if I was okay. I did not feel pressured but appreciated their attention. They were very nice but I just decided to order hoping the Rebecca will like the food. I opted for Prawn Salad with chili sauce, lemongrass, mint and cilantro. This is when Rebecca walked in, tried it and she liked it.  The flavors of this salad was good which are typically sweet and made savory by the fish sauce. However, the prawns were not plump enough.

We also shared the Pad Kee Mow: Stir-fried flat noodles with basil, mint, chilis and tomatoes with beef. The beef was on the sweet side.  However, the sweetness of this dish did not turn me off unlike most Thai-American dishes.  The beef was very well-seasoned and flavorful.

Pad Kee Mow


Rebecca and I wanted Sticky Rice with Mango for dessert but they were out of mango. Oh, well.... next time! Which I would not have a problem driving back to Sunset for a next round of great Thai food and great girl-bonding dinner with Rebecca.

Dinner was short and sweet. Rebecca and I wanted stay longer and linger. However, the long lines of diners waiting for a table made us feel guilty for not giving up our space. The staff never pressured us but we decided to just have a girl-bonding "part 2" which is hopefully sooner than two months!

Tab was $23 including a hot Thai tea for me and Iced Thai Tea for Rebecca before tip.

FOODIE GIRL'S RATINGS: 4 Thai Food packed with big flavors.
Service:      5  No-pressure, accomodating and genuinely friendly.
Decor:        4   Beautiful  artwork for Thailand
Ambiance:  3  Loud and lively. Do not expect privacy.
Key:

0 Star: Never again!!! These people should not be in business.
1 Star: Chalk it to bad experience. Live and learn.
2 Stars: Very disappointing but there it has some good things to offer.
3 Stars: It is okay but do not expect much. I will still return.
4 Stars: I like it! I will be singing your praises!
5 Stars: I will be dreaming of you at night!
6 Stars: Perfection (or close to!)