A very impressive sign. There are free on-street parking and much to my surprise, free parking after the metered parking lot on the other side of the street. I wish I had known about this before since parking can be scarce on the street with a popular dim sum place next door.
The main dining room was nice and bright. The place looks way better now after the redecoration.
The other dining area.
The menu said that their feature dish would take 15-20 minutes to prepare, so I started with the Honey Ribs ($8.95). "Honey and spices glazed roasted spare ribs, cilantro, scallion, pickled garlic, honey". For 9 dollars I got four small skinny ribs that didn't look roasted at all. They where tender and sweet and sticky, so they got that part right.
Their signature dish is the Crying Tiger ($13.95). "Signature marinated, grilled beef brisket sprinkled with ground toasted rice. Served with Crying Thaiger's signature Jaew sauce (Dry chili toasted rice, lime juice, numpla, tamarind juice, shallot, cilantro) and seasoned vegetables". Prep time 15-20 minutes said the menu. There is no way you can get brisket tender in 20 minutes unless it's precooked and then it wouldn't take 20 minutes, so something is off here. This arrived in about 10 minutes and guess what? No brisket, instead I got two N.Y. Strip steaks partially sprinkled with the toasted rice. They were cooked medium well and had never seen a marinade. The veggies were OK but there was no trace of any seasoning. The big star was the Jaew sauce that was really delicious with a bit of heat and a really complex taste. I also got some jasmine rice ($1.95) that was nice and fluffy. The dish comes in about four variants, and I think the pork version should be even better. I also have to go back and try a lunch curry.
Address 114 Ferry St Malden, MA 02148
Phone 781-480-1243
Hmmm... seems like you got the old "bait and switch" two times. Once with the "roasted spare ribs" and once with the "brisket" which was actually strip steak. A menu that lies is not a good thing to me. One time I went to a place that had a board on the sidewalk saying 'Hot Freshly Baked Cookies at 2 PM'. I waited alllll day - was there at 2:20 PM - and was told there were no cookies yet. I don't patronize 'em. - - I haven't read your reviews in a few months and it is a pleasure to come back to. Very honest and clear writing. And you review restaurants I would otherwise miss.
ReplyDeleteWell, the strip steak was actually an upgrade over brisket.
DeleteI visited Crying Thaiger few times prior to trying the signature dish -- and had I ordered it on my first visit I probably would never have returned. The curries and noodle dishes are excellent, and the clay pot rice dishes are superlative. The signature Crying Tiger is a total pass. I don't understand how this place manages to hit pretty much all the right notes EXCEPT when it comes to the most important namesake dish on the menu. In any case, try the other stuff next time. I've been really impressed so far.
ReplyDeleteI had their Red Curry for lunch and it was outstanding.
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