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3TA - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Asian Fusion Restaurants Thai Asian Fusion, Thai [Edit]
156 Castro StMountain View, CA 94043
(650) 988-1382
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Garage, Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Alisha T. said: "5 stars for the spicy basil chicken and clear noodle salad. The make their chicken dishes with minced chicken, so the meat absorbs the flavor really well. My friend swears by the tom kha soup (coconut soup), though I haven't tried…" read more »
66 reviews for 3TA
Review Highlights
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"I recommend the firecracker balls." In 5 reviews -
"Duck Curry - Smokey and very good with their curry sauce." In 5 reviews -
"...item of the meal and the cowboy rolls were a hit too." In 4 reviews
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66 reviews in English
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Review from Pete C.
San Francisco, CA
1/29/2009
It appears that this place is now CLOSED.
It shouldn't be a total surprise. The total rating here was less than stellar and I've had friends complain about dinner service. I loved coming here for lunch because it was a hidden gem for me and my coworkers. Prices were decent and we had dishes we loved. Service wasn't always the best but we simply enjoyed the the sun with their outdoor seating.
It's a real shame. With some better run operations and maybe more competitive dinner pricing, they could've done really well on Castro. I'm sad to see them leave.
I'm just hoping it's not really closed. I came back here after the new year and they had a sign saying there were to come back the following week. I went there yesterday and they were just closed with no sign. Yelp says they're closed. Tell me it's not true! Where else am I going to get my salmon with chef's sauce? -
Review from Brian T.
San Jose, CA
4/5/2008
My jaw is still sore from lunchtime. I thought I came into a restaurant, not a mouth gym.
Mouth gym? I'll leave that up to your own interpretation.
I had never heard of this restaurant before today. I didn't know it existed. I was better off not knowing it existed rather than knowing it did exist and having to endure such a disappointing time here. Plainly put, it wasn't my choice to go here to eat.
The service lacked a je ne sais quoi. The waitresses didn't remember who ordered what so they just yelled out each dish and basically handed it over to whoever raised their hand first. I could've taken someone else's food if I wanted to be a total ass. But luckily, I'm just a semi-ass.
The grilled honey beef with pineapple fried rice sounded appetizing, so I ordered it. Words on a menu can be so deceiving. The beef was so incredibly chewy. I literally had to chew each piece of beef at least 25 times before it was good enough to swallow. Wooo! What a workout for your mouth! It was definitely not my kind of workout, especially when it involved eating food. Please avoid ordering this dish. Instead, I highly recommend...eh, I don't know and I don't care.
The only reason this place doesn't get 1 star is that they have what seems like a fully stocked bar. Alcohol is always a positive for me...ALWAYS!Listed in: FOOD Yourself in Mountain View
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Review from Jill N.
Mountain View, CA
2/23/2007
Okay, finally someone understands!!!! This was one of the best times out ever. I'm a hard worker and I barely ever get to go out, get dinner, hang out with girlfriends, and search for boys. My girlfriend and I deciede to go out and have a girls night out, which as I said I barely get to do. We had heard from other friends about this place and wanted to try it out. 3ta had everything, great food, great drinks, and great looking people working but I'll get to that part later.
Let's start with food. The food was amazing. We had the roti, scallop, tart, the cod and the chocolate java. All were exellent. The roti was so good I wish we would have gotten two. Scallop tart was amazing I've never had anything like it. The cod was prepared in this paper thing and melted in my mouth. And the perfect ending was the chocolate java. Now the drinks. They had a great wine menu and a full bar. Everything a girl my age likes to drink they had. Now for my favorite part. The staff was hot!!!! The hostest at the door was beautiful. The servers were all good looking and even the owner was a hottie. Our server was super nice and it wasn't a fake nice, like most servers but I could totally hang with these people and maybe date someone ;)
This place had everything. I can't wait to go back -
Review from David D.
San Francisco, CA
1/27/2007
new places are always popping up on castro and most usually don't make it since there is just so much competition. I'm not sure how this place is doing but it should be sticking around for a while. it is surprisingly nice on the inside - super classy and clean. and the food is damn good. a tad expensive for a castro lunch, but overall this place is great.
nice full bar too.Listed in: Have you seen my red stapler?
-
Review from kim n.
12/18/2006
A new restaurant opening on the highly renovated part of Castro near the train tracks. My friend and I had walked by it a few weeks ago and today noticed that it was open. It occupies a fairly narrow space with a very modern eclectic decor. Multicolored and textured tiles occupy the walls and there is a nice central bar with a big screen TV overhead.
As we perused the menu we noticed a Thai influenced base with various fusion touches across it. So my friend and I mixed our choices between some traditional and new. We started with the roti appetizer which was denser than some I've had before and came with a peanut sauce instead of the traditional curry one. It was pretty tasty and I think we could have made a meal out a few orders of that alone. For the main course, we got a filet mignon in musman curry with gnocchi, seared seaboat scallops with fried brussel sprouts and a pepper salsa, and a traditional plate of pad Thai with prawns.
The scallops came with a good sear, very tender and fairly large. The brussel sprouts were pretty tasty but I felt the pepper salsa was a bit too cold for an other wise hot (temperature wise) dish. The filet mignon was cooked perfectly medium rare, well flavored with the curry and the gnocchi being the alternative to normally potato chunks. The pad thai was also well cooked with the noodles being firm and not mushy like I often see. The prawns that were in the dish were huge. I'm used to seeing small shrimp and I was impressed with the size and perfect texture/doneness. Amongst all the boring Thai food elsewhere in the neighborhood, it's nice to see a twist on the usual fare.
The service was a bit uneven and I think because they are new, they'll be trying to iron that out. The crew checked on us often but there seemed to be a nervousness throughout. With time I think this is easily remedied. Overall 3TA had a fairly smooth premiere and I look forward to trying some of the other things on the menu. -
Review from Cynthia C.
Alameda, CA
2/5/2007
Cruised down Castro St. before a night at the movies to find something new and yummy.
'Grand Opening' instantly caught my attention. 3TA it is!!!
Swung around the block to find parking in the structure and decided to try our luck at the back door of the restaurant. Unlocked!!! We were in luck. Loved the danger and intrigue of our entrance. I felt like the paparazzi were following us.
So the evening started off a little backwards. We walked past 3 other parties, the empty bar and approached a group of people huddled near the front of the restaurant. The host stand was not evident so we had to ask. They were friendly, offered us any seat in the house and the menus.
For the vegetarians out there: they have a SEPARATE menu here.
Don't order the pinot grigio here. Go with the $12 riesling.
Food:
Crispy crab and caviar rolls.
Four pieces wrapped in rice paper and lightly fried. I liked the crab, but there really was no flavor. There was some aioli on the side, but tiny dots of it. Side of mixed greens with some light citrus dressing.
Scallops with brussel sprouts.
FOUR large pieces of scallops, seared, but not enough in my opinion. They were also not seared consistently, as if the chef placed them on the pan at different times. The cleaning of the scallops was not thorough, snap, crackle, pop!!! Sand. Ick. Flavor was lacking and again, the aioli was sparse.
Filet mignon cubes.
Four pieces of tough, overcooked and under-seasoned meat. The seasoning was pepper I guess, but it was all wrong, because it tasted like something out of a bottle at the Asian grocery store. Way too much cornstarch. The sauce was actually cloudy. The asparagus and bok choy were an odd combination and tasteless.
Hey I think I see a pattern here. FOUR. In China, four is an unlucky number, meaning death, maybe they should switch up the number, preferably to a higher number, so their patrons are satiated.
Food is for the senses. 3TA does not have the taste, color, and texture to stimulate mine.
They are trying a little too hard too be too many different things, they need to hunker down, tweak their recipes and try to be GOOD. Dammit I just got my sense of taste back, I want FLAVOR!!!
Maybe I'll try 3TA again, entering in through the FRONT door, and maybe the experience will be more enjoyable. As we stand right now, $25 a plate for less than titillating food, won't bring me back for a while.
1 star is a little harsh, but they have been open for almost 2 months now. Honesty is valued right?!? -
Review from Wendy K.
11/23/2008
I was here Wed. night for a group event. I was impressed that they closed the entire restaurant for our group, but I guess that's what you have to do if you have a small space and a group that wants it and pays you enough for it.
Since it was a large group, we each paid $10 for all-you-can eat of three different appetizers: samosas, firecracker balls, and some fried spring rolls that I can't find on the menu. While all were crispy and flavorful, I wish that the vegetarian/tuna options at our gathering were not all fried. It would have been nice to have a healthier option for the more health-conscious attendees.
That said, the staff was warm and friendly, and they kept smiling even when I only asked for water.
Maybe it would be worth returning to try their entrees another time? -
Review from Mario P.
San Jose, CA
12/22/2006
The Amarin group pulls off a good spin. Try the 3 Ta (I think it reads better as "Beta" - perfect for Mountain View geek-dom) appetizer rolls. One is this very intriguing "bag" with veggies inside. I swing the meat way, but this thing was good. Ditto for the dining mate, and it made her slightly giddy.
Major new help jitters, but that will pass.
The bar which is very prominent, looks great. Good place for a drink and tidbits.
We ordered what seems like half the menu. Everything done very well. Nice job Amarin-ites! -
Review from A K.
Sunnyvale, CA
3/4/2008
The Wave brought this restaurant to my attention. We thought we would give it a try. We regretted it.
First, the acoustics in the place were terrible, through most of our dinner we had to listen to the shrill laughs of some girls on the opposite side of the floor. And the 70s/80s rock on the speakers only encouraged the guys sitting at the bar to sing along in their best falsettos. Very annoying after the second and third song.
Also, the service was very unprofessional. The hostess/server seated us and brought us our menus. After asking us "you didn't want to see a cocktail list or a wine list, did you?" (How encouraging!) We ordered a couple of cocktails from her. I had a martini and my man had a mojito. I watched in awe how the clearly untrained bartender had to be shown by a patron at the bar on how to "muddle" the mint for the drink because neither she or our server had any idea. And wouldn't you know, the appetizers came up before both of us had our drinks. That burns me.
I was not that impressed by the food, either. It wasn't bad, just not that great. We started with the roti, which I am pretty sure was an elaborately folded sheet of puff pastry, as opposed to "griddled flat bread" like the menu says, and the peanut sauce just tasted like thinned peanut butter.
For my entree, I had the yellow curry with vegetables. This was kind of a disappointment. It was just simple vegetables with a very thin sauce over it. Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Zucchini, Potatoes. With Sauce. And the cost was $12. I really resent paying this much for food that I could easily have prepared for my self.
After leaving with a wallet $60 lighter, I knew I would not come back again. The only reasons for the second star: They have a full bar, and the vegetables on my entree were perfectly cooked. And I don't have anything bad to say about their plate presentation, either. Plates of food were very attractive. -
Review from Christine K.
San Jose, CA
6/6/2008
I came here with 2 other people on a weekday night during a time that I thought was normal peak dinner hours (7pm), but the place was empty. Maybe people dine later than 7 in Silicon Valley, but I think 7 is already pretty late. Anyway, we ordered the Seared Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna for starters, then got the Drunken Lemongrass Chicken, the Wild King Salmon, and the Creamy Yellow Curry to share family-style. Here's what I thought of the dishes:
Seared Ahi Tuna - this was my favorite dish out of the 4 we ordered. The salad was very refreshing and had slices of fruit (tangerines and strawberries?) along with it. Very refreshing.
Drunken Lemongrass Chicken - pretty good, but where was the wine and lemongrass flavor?? All I tasted was soy sauce...but traditional drunken chicken doesn't even have soy sauce. And some parts of the dish were extremely spicy, while other parts lacked flavor.
Wild King Salmon - smelled and tasted like a sock, and didn't look like salmon either. What was I eating??
Creamy Yellow Curry - why does it come on a plate? Isn't that counter-intuitive to how something liquidy-in-nature should be served (i.e., in a bowl with a spoon...)? Other than that, it was pretty good. But it's hard to mess up curry.
Rice also costs extra, and they bring them out small individual bowls. But they have the option of brown or white rice, which is nice. While their food didn't really impress me, I really liked the decor inside - modern and trendy with a touch of elegance. And they have outdoor seating. Probably a good place for a date, but don't bring a date that knows food. -
Review from Tom W.
Palo Alto, CA
12/18/2006
While I've really liked the items I've had at this newly opened Thai-Asian Fusion restaurant, the prices make coming back a hard sell. Except for a few, most entrees are around $25 and are not very large. My small meal with a friend (entree and appetizer to share with a glass of wine each totaled $70) I had the gnocci and filet mignon which had a terrific cinnamony peanut curry with pretty good meat, though not terrific. The roti was wonderfully doughy with a very good peanut sauce, though again two little roti for $10. The duck salad was very good and reasonably priced ($9). I also had a wonderful glass of zin which hopefully speaks to the rest of their wine menu. But since they are priced like Tamarin, I'd have a hard time going back since their food just doesn't live up to what everyone says about Tamarin (I was underwhelmed for the price there as well).
Both times I went there, I also saw one other couple, so you'll get plenty of attention from the wait staff.
For the swanky barhopper and clubber, this might be a good place to go on a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. -
Review from Andrew H.
San Francisco, CA
12/22/2006
We visited on opening day (about an hour after they opened). Their food is pretty decent. We had fried oysters as an appetizer, and they were good, with a particularly delicious cilantro dipping sauce. In noodle soup with duck, duck was slightly overcooked, but tasty, swimming in a dark, ultra savory broth. Duck breast with spicy sauce, with crispy dried beef on the side, was good. The dish I ordered (honey barbecued beef with pineapple fried rice) was probably the best of the bunch: nicely charred meat, a spicy dipping sauce, and some fried rice.
The service definitely had first-day problems. We were there for almost two hours! But, our server made a valiant effort; they comped the most egregiously late entree (served when the rest of us were almost done!) and gave us a free dessert, which was a slightly gooey, but yummy, coconut creme brulee. This was a good way of making the best of a difficult situation.
So, service needs work, but they seem to be on the right track. Prices are a little expensive, but food is pretty good. I definitely liked it better than Xanh.
P.S. We asked about the weird name and it's just a meaningless play on one of the owners' names. :) -
Review from Will K.
San Francisco, CA
1/27/2007
It's a new restaurant that randomly popped up on ever changing Castro Street in Downtown Mountain View. It's Thai-French fusion (although it's called 'New World Fusion' on the outside) restaurant.
I have to agree with most of the yelpers... the service was a bit un-even. Not sure why our Jasmine rice came out 7 minutes after our entree. The presentation was nice though. I got the Mango Chicken dish... grilled chicken, mango, snap peas, etc. The entree came out a bit cold and took a while to arrive at my table.
The decor of the place was really nice. The music they were playing was super cool (bloc party, john mayer, the fray, etc). The bar area was also cool. The staff felt a little pushy but I'm sure this will all be worked out... since it's a new restaurant and all. For the prices, I would only go if I was in the mood. The superior 'real thai' restaurant next door, Amarin, is more of a place I would crave more.
Maybe I'll just go for drinks next time. Those were cheap.
The Upside: The Hip Urban Feel.
The Downside: The Service.
What's Unique? The Music. -
Review from Margaret W.
Mountain View, CA
1/16/2007
This place is way overpriced. We had the cowboy roll appetizer, which was fine and reasonably priced. For main courses, we had filet mignon with gnocchi ($25), and smoked duck breast ($22). The only positive was the meat was cooked well. However, the portions were small, and the food was not visually appealing, not that tasty, nor inventive. Both dishes were drowned in the same generic curry sauce.
If you're looking for asian fusion go to Xanh across the street. I will not be going to 3TA again. -
Review from Lily R.
9/26/2007
Very good! I was very biased when I read the reviews but knowing me, I have to try for myself. I am rating based on lunch and selection. Prices were not bad at all considering some ppl go to Applebee's and pay $13+ for crap food.
For $15, I would definatley come back for lunch. Fortunatley I was able to sample various dishes my friends ordered and ironically mine was the worst! I am going to come back for:
Honey Beef - they give you nice big chunks of meat that have great flavor.
Duck Curry - Smokey and very good with their curry sauce
Tamarind Salmon - Wow! Very tasty!
Pad Thai - Yes..it was yummy!
Don't try the spice beef..it wasn't what I imagined. It was just too ordinary. -
Review from Laura B.
San Jose, CA
5/7/2008
I love the mix of flavors at this restaurant! All the ingredients are really fresh. There are so many great things to choose from. Enough choices for both picky eaters and vegetarians. There's actually a whole separate vegetarian menu. A lot of seafood options, but there are ribs (friend ordered and enjoyed them) and steaks (pricey!) for red meat people.
I give this place 4.5 stars, but I'm rounding up b/c I like it here so much. It's only minus .5 stars because when you're sitting on the bar side of the restaurant you can hear the LOUD Mexican music through the wall and it even vibrates if you lean against it. So don't sit on that side!
Tons of different appetizers, so it's tempting to just order a bunch of those to split as a meal. I recommend the firecracker balls.
Wide variety of mixed drinks too, especially girly ones. My personal favorite is the white gummi bear martini! Mmmm....tastes just like one!
I've had a bunch of the entrees and they're all good. They got rid of my favorite calamari (not fried) one, though.
Save room for dessert and make sure you try the banana macadamia nut rolls! Sorbets are good also and presentation of everything is beautiful! -
Review from Lynsey C.
San Francisco, CA
12/10/2008
I was just introduced to 3Ta about 2 weeks ago and decided this is where I will always grab lunch from now on when I'm sent to our Mountain View office.
It was a gorgoeus sunny day, my girlfriend and I scored a table outside and immediately grabbed an ice cold beer. I love the quaintness of Castro Street, and what's better than adding some delicious Thai food into that mix? We ordered up some chicken curry with coconut rice, pad thai and another delicious noodle dish that the name escapes me. All you need to know is it rocked. I love spicy food and it was perfectly spiced to the point where I hardly needed to add any sriracha.
The only downer was we could not choose our table even though it was 2pm and there was only one other couple dining. Not a big deal, just odd. Also, the staff was a little pushy with us finishing and paying the bill. Maybe they were just bored by the late afternoon lull in customers. Oh well, it was cheap and tasty so I didn't mind the rush.
I will definately mark lunch on my calendar for next week when I travel to the south bay again. You should do the same. -
Review from Angela W.
New York, NY
12/29/2006 2 photos
Pronounced "THREE-tah". Why eat here when there are so many other delicious, efficient, and affordable places on Castro?
We made the mistake of going in on Grand Opening day, where we waited for our entrees so long that we ended up having a two-hour lunch. Unfortunately, unlike Andrew H.'s experience, our server didn't acknowledge the tardiness until we flagged her down after waiting about 30 minutes after ordering and asked where our food was. Plus, after waiting another 15-20 minutes, they didn't have the sense to comp us anything. And it looks like they still haven't figured it out, according to later reviews.
I posted photos of our honey-pineapple ribs and five-spice beef noodle soup. Nicely plated, but it shows how little you get for their expensive prices. My friend ordered the honey-pineapple ribs because he was in Hawaii withdrawal after his vacation there, and these ribs definitely disappointed. I got five-spice beef noodle soup at Chef Liu's down the street the next day and it was tastier and cheaper.
Surprised that this place came from the Amarin owners. It's obvious they want to be the after-work drinks hotspot, since the bar dominates the place...consider it for drinks, but go elsewhere for your food. -
Review from Aaron M.
8/31/2007
Damn good Asian fusion tapas-style-if-you-want-it yumminess. I came here in a group of four including the gf, bff and his gf, and we asked our server to pick some of the best things on the menu. She did.
We got the cowboy rolls and the firecracker balls, which were both served served maki sushi style, the firecracker balls crunchily deep fried and with a bit of kick. These were perhaps my favorite item of the meal and the cowboy rolls were a hit too.
Thiey also brought us honey-glazed baby back ribs and a salad with seared ahi tuna. Both tasted as good as they sound, though I managed not to wet my pants. There was also chicken served in a pineapple that looked cool but was just OK. The check wasn't too bad (about $100+tip for the four of us) and we enjoyed the modernist decor. Definitely want to go back.
Oh yeah, I couldn't help but notice that this place has the best looking staff - male and female - that I've seen on the peninsula. I know it's a bold claim so let's start a flame war or something.
_________________________________________________
Update:
- Went again recently and asked for staff recommendations from the local cuties again. That led to an order for firecracker balls, the roti, coconut prawns, and the honey glaze baby back ribs.
- Holy crap, the roti was magical. It included some super rich super nutty sauce that worked perfectly with the slightly flaky bread.
- The coconut prawns were also a real winner... they were presented as you might expect from a "tasting menu" type place - which this isn't otherwise... three small pieces that each included a large prawn, some peanuts, and a special sauce on a leaf of lettuce. We made the mistake of keeping one for later (it didn't) but they were great at the table.
- Again we had the baby back ribs which were rich and fatty like they are supposed to be, and the firecracker balls, which looked cool and had some nice variety. Both decent. -
Review from Susan L.
1/20/2008
This is one of my favorite places to eat lunch on castro but for some reason we always forget it's there. It's always empty but I think that's because the service is a bit slow. Everything I've tried has been really good... plus the soup they give before hand is pretty good.
I wish i could remember to eat here more often -
Review from Mabelle A.
Pacifica, CA
2/6/2008
OK so I'm torn on how to truly review this place because we went for a friend's birthday party and basically took over the place. It was clear that they didn't know how to serve such a large party - the drinks took a super long time, the food came out sporadically and the servers had no system for identifying who ordered what and where to put things so they just yelled out what it was.
The appetizers came out in spurts, but it worked, but what didn't work was when 2 or 3 main dishes came out and then another 15 minutes later a few more came and another 15-20 minutes a few more came out and finally 20 minutes later the last few dishes came out. They never brought the huge bowl of rice they recommended and it wasn't until after the first round of dishes came that they realized that they were out of ingredients to make one of the dishes. I enjoyed the appetizers but overall wasn't impressed with the main courses. I would normally give less stars, but I'll give them the benefit that they didn't know how to handle what was in front of them.
My recommendation to 3TA - for parties over 20 require a pre fixe menu - it'll make your staff happier and your guests happier.
Aside from the inexperience in handling large groups, our main server and another person were trying pretty hard (I wouldn't say the same for a couple other people helping out - very unfriendly), the bartenders were making drinks as fast as they could, but had trouble keeping up and the manager/owner bought a round of barbie shots for the group. And who wears 4 inch heels working in a restaurant?!? Sorry got sidetracked.
Be forewarned their drinks taste like there is no alcohol in them, but there really is and their shots fill a lo-ball glass.
Overall it was a bit on the spendier side and I'd probably just go to Amarin instead if I was in the area. The birthday girl had a great time and that's what matters most. -
Review from Elaine T.
2/16/2008
I've only been here for happy hour and absolutely love their drinks and appetizer specials. $2 well drinks and $2 beer. HH Appetizers are $1! Amazing isn't it? However, I tried the 3 Horsemans and was not a fan. Being that the prices are so great--sometimes the cocktails are a hit or miss. I've been there when it's been extremely good and I've also been when the drinks were incredibly off. But you can't beat the price. I think I paid $20 for 4 drinks and appetizers. Talk about a steal!
The place is cozy and chic in decor. The staff is incredibly nice and attractive! Based on my copacetic experiences, I'd recommend this place to anyone looking for a low-key time in downtown Mt. View. -
Review from Matt H.
12/19/2008
I was here for lunch today. Not bad! My wife's posse ends up here a lot of drinks and food. Drinks are good, food is good. I recommend coming in with a group so you can order more dishes.
Pricing is decent for castro street. -
Review from Melanie D.
Mountain View, CA
1/13/2008
Came here for an impromptu happy hour with a girlfriend and was pleased with what I found. Comfy bar seats, friendly bartender, yummy bar food. I could go on bar none.
For reals, this place was pretty tasty and at very reasonable prices. I felt like a dork for being (probably) the only person to order a Cola, but what can you do when you're the one that has to drive and cannot hold liquor for anything.
I was impressed the with the food - loved the chicken pad thai and the calamari had a crispy seasoned crust. Yummy! I've been wanting to go here for awhile and am glad I've finally gotten around to it. -
Review from Juli F.
Palo Alto, CA
11/29/2007
I thought this place was pretty good. I sort of wanted to give it a four, but when restaurants aren't open on Sunday, that really irks me. Sunday is the day I find myself desiring a nice restaurant experience out of all others. It's the end of the week, I've probably been cleaning and running errands all day, and what happens when I get the bright idea of visiting 3TA for a second time, to enjoy a lovely Sunday Supper? They're CLOSED! Bah.
Anyway, I went a couple weekends ago with two girlfriends. The previous reviewers are dead-on, the roti is great. I had a dish of smoked duck with curry, including cherry tomatoes and pineapple. An odd medley of ingredients, but for the most part, it worked. The duck was cooked perfectly. Unfortunately, I don't think the smokiness and curry complemented each other terribly well. The dish was still good, but the duck was just too smokey. Probably liquid smoke.
My friend's vegetarian dish was jaw-droppingly good, though. It was tempura baby corns (what the hell are those things called?) in panang curry with mixed vegetables. When I mentioned I wanted to hit 3TA up on a Sunday night? THAT'S what I had in mind. She let me take her leftovers home because she was embarking on a weekend of adventure and mischief. I fell asleep on my couch after dinner, then woke up at 1am and zombie-walked straight into my kitchen to devour my friend's leftovers.
Our waitress was a sight to behold. She was very attractive, in a fitted shirt, pencil skirt, and at least 3+ inch heels. She took all our orders, complete with substitutions and variations, without writing a thing down. I'd bet money that this is behavior mandated by management. When we ordered our roti, she advised that the appetizer comes with two pieces, and since we were a party of three, would she like us to alter the amount? I thought this was observant and thoughtful on her part, it's the little things like that which really make a dining experience.
My third friend had something good, but I don't remember what it was. Take that for what you will.
Verdict: I'll be back, probably with a bit of frequency. And chances are, I'll only ever order that panang curry. -
Review from Bill C.
Houston, TX
8/15/2007
This place is probably a 3.5 but I've been generous lately with the stars so am rounding down on this one.
I went here with three other people, one of whom no doubt will also be writing a review. We had a bunch of appetizers/tapas/small plates and shared a couple of main courses.
The appetizers we had included cowboy rolls (maki with beef on the inside), firecracker rolls (deep fried maki with spicy tuna inside), soft-shell crab, and a salad with seared tuna. The cowboy rolls and firecracker rolls were both good, the crab was alright, and the salad was OK. The funny thing is that most of the dishes had the same wasabi-cream sauce on top, so a lot of things unfortunately tasted very similar. Good, but similar.
After that came the main courses, pineapple-fried rice served in a hollowed-out half pineapple and then some ribs. The ribs were very tender, but the sauce (that was good) didn't really permeate the meat, leaving the inner part of the meat less flavorful than it could have been. The pineapple-fried rice was pretty good, with lots of chicken but no obvious chunks of pineapple.
Regarding prices, they were not particularly cheap. Service was decent. That's about it. I'd try some other places before rushing back here, but it's not a bad choice for dinner. -
Review from Mai T.
San Jose, CA
3/28/2007
This place is great. I went during a grand opening week and was one of 2 other tables there, on a Friday night where other places were packed. A little weary when we walked into an empty place, but the food was fantastic!! My friends are vegetarian and they offer a separate Veggie menu. I had a cod steamed with mushrooms, sooooo rich and flavorful. Good wine selection, nice wait staff.
I was a little disappointed that the owner didn't give us "special" attention, esp. since it was spankin' new, and we were virtually the only customers. However, she probably didn't need to because I'd come back and she's pretty successful (owns the Thai place a few doors down).
Sorta pricey, so I couldn't eat there every week. Good place for special occasions. -
Review from Px C.
Mountain View, CA
8/14/2007
If there was an option for half stars, this would probably be a 2.5, but I'll round up for now since I've only eaten there once. This place is owned by Amarin so I figured it had to be decent.
I went for lunch with a couple of co-workers. We all were served a wonderful lemon grass soup as a starter, very yummy. I ordered the Smoky Duck Curry ($12). It was tasty though a bit sweeter than I expected probably due to the amount of pineapple juice in the curry sauce. One of my co-workers ordered the wok spicy beef. She even requested it be extra spicy. While the beef was tasty, I find it hard to believe they remembered to make it extra spicy.
Overall, I'd say we were all pleased with our meals. The food's not bad, but I don't see yet where the "fusion" part comes in. The style of the food is definitely like Amarin except that the decor is more modern and the prices are higher. -
Review from Ken N.
San Jose, CA
11/18/2007
Best fusion spot, hands down!
I used to work down the street and ate here a lot. Had a show with The Pharcyde and took them here for dinner. They absolutely loved it.
The owner, Matt, is a fantastic guy.
Nice spot. Good food. Hot employees =) -
Review from Yuan W.
Santa Clara, CA
5/14/2008
I went online and checked out the menu before agreeing to dinner at this place.
We started out with the tofu / mango salad which was good. Tofu was deep fried; it was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Mango was cut into thin slices and marinated in this tangy and sweet clear sauce. There was also a little bit of green chili in it which made the flavor quite nice.
Since the appetizer turned out nice, I expected the main entrees to be nice as well but was somewhat disappointed. We had the ginger tofu with pineapples. The dish was accompanied by shittake mushrooms. Everything was deep fried (except for the pineapples). Although the flavor was nice, I am just not that into deep fried food to enjoy it. We also had the pad thai with prawns which was all right. The tofu was also deep fried and then cut up into chunks. I was pleasantly surprised by the size and the number of prawns but I suppose for $12, that was about right. Presentation for both dishes were just okay.
Even though the menu looked promising, the delivery of the main entrees came up short on all fronts. -
Review from Penny P.
San Diego, CA
6/26/2008
The wait at Cascals was way too long and Doc was getting hungry. So we headed down the Castro for a new adventure in food. Boy did we find a gem. 3TA gave us a fusion of bold flavors that weren't pretentious. The staff was friendly and helpful as well as leaving us alone to enjoy our food. We ordered a couple of appetizers and shared an entree. Plenty of food for two people. We started with the calamari which was fried to perfection served with a spicy cocktail sauce. The Duck and papaya salad was light and refreshing. The crab cake was moist and crispy at the same time!
and finally the dancing prawns were sweet and tender. Only complaint was the hoisin sauce used was over powering the fresh veggies on the entree plate. Other than that, Doc is willing to come back and sample the other dishes. hooray for 3TA! -
Review from H Y.
Sunnyvale, CA
7/15/2008 2 photos
I had dinner at 3ta on a recent Saturday evening at 6:30. Besides my companion, there was nobody else eating at this restaurant.
The restaurant has a decent menu and caters towards vegetarians with a special vegetarian menu as well. That said, the structure of the menu itself is odd. With titles such as starters, entrees, etc. the execution of the dishes themselves feel like a traditional multi-course meal, yet the nature of the dishes themselves seem to lend itself more towards the tapas format or family style. For myself, I tried their duck which came in a healthy portion that included at least a duck thigh's worth of meat and then some.
The drinks come in healthy sizes - I was served a mojito in what seemed like a beer glass. In fact, the drinks menu seemed to almost cater to the college drinking crowd with such fine selections as "Home Run Challenge" and other binge drinking offerings.
After we left, I couldn't help feeling a bit conflicted. Here we have a generally good restaurant with good service that seems to lack an identity. It attempts to cater to the vegetarians through a separate menu, to the tapas people with an eclectic entree and inconsistently themed selection, to the family style people with large portions, and to the college drinking crowd with a sampling of binge drinking options. The execution just doesn't seem right. When you're trying to be everything, you're essentially nothing... and I think the lack of other patrons seemed to support this thesis.
Oh, and for an establishment that seems to be striving for the high end, the bathroom is an astonishingly poor condition; uploaded pictures to illustrate. Perhaps, this is just another example of 3ta's identity crisis - a restaurant that tries to be both high end and middle end at the same time. -
Review from Gabrielle T.
San Jose, CA
12/15/2007
I've eaten here twice. The first time I ordered an entree with duck and papaya salad on the side. While the duck was good, it was mixed in a sauce that came with slices of pineapple, which gave the dish a salty AND fruity taste. I did not like the fruity taste with the duck. A small cup of sweet and sour soup is served before the entree. It's pretty good.
The second time, I ordered the spicy eggplant with chicken. The eggplant was not spicy or flavorful at all, but the chicken and basil made up for the taste. The dish, overall, was alright.
Some good things about the restaurant was service was exceptionally good. Our waiter got us what we needed even before we had to ask. Her attentiveness might have been because the restaurant was still pretty empty at noon. And I got a free refill on thai iced tea. Most places usually charge for refills.
And dessert: sticky black rice with mango. The black rice has a different consistency than the white sticky rice that is usually served, and is mixed in a coconut sauce served with a ripe mango. It's good. Thumbs up on this dessert. -
Review from Rachel N.
Menlo Park, CA
9/5/2008
The food was yummy, so was the wine. The waitress was new and a little inexperienced but very cute and attentive.
The place gets a little loud, but not a bad environment. -
Review from Scott C.
Mountain View, CA
11/8/2008
Laaaaame!
Slow service & bad food. We waited for what seemed like an eternity for our food and when I got my curry it was cold...like refrigerator cold. I had the duck curry...interesting flavors, but too salty and the knife work on the vegetables could use a lot of work. tried my buddies garlic chicken dish and had to drink a glass of water. The tempura vegetable appetizer had baby carrots from the walmart veggie value pack. I'd put in a dinner bet that this is a canidate for Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares.
Our servers were less than knowledgable about the menu and could not get the food to the right people. Glasses were constantly empty and the restarunt wasn't full.
I think I've said just the facts...my opinion is this place blows. If you have the money and time to spend on less than ok food this is a place you should check out, otherwise try a real thai restaurant. -
Review from Jill B.
San Mateo, CA
7/1/2007
Tried 3TA for the first time last night - we had the ahi salad appetizer, which was tasty and just the right size, the eggplant and tofu (heads up - the tofu is fried, but nonetheless delicious), and the seafood curry - which was full of fresh veggies, huge prawns, clams, and a just-right sweetness green curry sauce.
I only give it 4 stars because the servers seemed a little confused - we had multiple people coming by our table, and the seating is a bit close for comfort (we ended up with earful of a nearby couple's dinner argument).
Overall though, a nice new addition to Castro St. -
Review from Paul K.
Santa Clara, CA
8/31/2007
Update: ....
I see the restaurant is closed ... I stand validated!
Service was dreadful. Not one plate was removed from our table ... EVEN after we requested clean plates to use for our main courses. We'd used the starter plates for some samosas ( not too bad ), and some cowboy rolls ( ick! ). No one ever came by to refill our water glasses.
We sat directly beneath a speaker and the volume made it impossible to hold dinner conversation. ( Why do people like loud restaurants anyway? ) Aside from the volume, and the location of the ceiling public address system, the music selections blowing through the airspace could induce panic attacks.
Now the food. Wife ordered a "Creamy Peanut Sauce Dressing Salad". I guess she expected a salad. What she was presented was a snack plate covered with curly fries, fried onions, shredded carrots and beets, over a creamy peanut sauce dressing. So I can only assume that the intent of this dish was to exhibit that it doesn't matter what you toss onto a salad plate ... as long as there's a piece of lettuce somewhere, and something resembling liquid, you can call it a salad.
Kids had Pad Thai with Prawns. It was very mushy, and the Prawns were not properly cleaned. ( ick! ick! ) ( sounds like Mars Attacks! )
We shared some Pineapple Rice. It wasn't very good. Nice touch on the crinkle cut carrots. Made me think of school cafeteria food. ( which I would have preferred this night )
Me. I ordered the Drunken Lemongrass Chicken. Ok kids ... turn your heads away, cuz this is where it gets a little rough. This was the most unbelievably disgusting looking presentations of, um, food?, I've ever been served. It looked as if the Jolly Green Giant defecated on a plate. (gee, does anyone really eat those mini corn cob things anyway? ) No wonder the chicken was drunk. Maybe it should have been called: "Drunken Lemongrass Chicken Pile"
Bottom line. If you want cutting edge Thai Food. Cupertino isn't too far away from Mountain View, and Blue Mango *is* very good. -
Review from Nicole T.
San Jose, CA
3/20/2008
I think this place is still going through its growing pains. The decor looks like it's not all put in place yet and the lighting for dinner is really harsh right now.
I was surprised how empty the place was on a Thursday night. Only two other tables were occupied. The food itself was really good on the whole. The appetizers (roti, seared beef) were very good, loved the flavor of the beef. All our dishes were good EXCEPT the braised lamb in curry sauce. Turns out they thaw out a frozen shank instead of cooking a fresh one. The center of the lamb was still frozen. Fortunately, the dish that we replaced it with was much better and very spicy.
The other thing I noticed while we were there was that at least 3 different sets of people walked by, looked at the restaurant and menu, then kept walking. I can't help but think that if the place looked more inviting, warmer, that people might have actually walked in.
This place has a lot of potential but one huge tip if someone from 3 TA is reading this: Use fresh meat! Don't use a frozen lamb shank... -
Review from Rob V.
San Francisco, CA
1/8/2009
Great venue, good drinks.
They have one that had 3 different shots side by side and it was a great way to start the night.
Very casual relaxed environment. I felt very comfortable here.
-Rob -
Review from GreenThumb L.
San Francisco, CA
9/12/2007
3Ta is one of my favorite restaurants. Since I work in downtown Mountain View, I come her often for lunch and dinner. I haven't order a dish that I didn't like. If you ever get "D" as your server, you will see why I'm a regular customer...she is the best server hands down.
For appetizers...I like the Roti. They serve it with a peanut sauce but I always ask for the curry sauce. The ribs are so tender and tasty =)...the curry chicken, wow I'm getting hungry already.
All in all I gave 3TA 5 stars bc the decor is very classy, the people is sweet and the food is excellent...what else can I say...they are good!
