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Categories: Thai, Asian Fusion [Edit]
Neighborhood: SOMAHappy Hour from 3-6pm. $1 oyster served with traditional Thai spicy sauce. $2 off cocktail and beers. Cheer!
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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yea,yea,yea!!!!!! I love this place, I bit hard to find, as we were searching the hostess called to confirm my reservation and helped us find the place. We arrived early ant sat at the bar for happy hour....glad we did, outstanding, fresh fruit, organic vodka, I LOVE THE BARTENDA, HAHA SAID HE COULD MAKE ANYTHING I WANTED. I LIKE THAT. When we were seated for dinner, the hot and sour soup was good and the service was great. Nice atmosphere, clean bathroom, I like this place.
Definition of the Grand Poobah (from Wikipedia):
Grand Poobah is a term first introduced on the television show The Flintstones. Fred Flintstone and his friend Barney Rubble were members of the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes Lodge No. 26. The lodge is a spoof of men's clubs like the Freemasons, the Shriners, the Elks Club and the Moose Lodge. A high ranking elected position within this organization is Grand Poobah or Grand Imperial Poobah.
The term is derived from the name of the haughty character Pooh-Bah in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado (1885). In this comic opera, Pooh-Bah holds numerous exalted offices, including Lord Chief Justice, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Master of the Buckhounds, Lord High Auditor, Coroner, Archbishop of Titipu, Groom of the Back Stairs, and Lord High Everything Else. The name has come to be used as a mocking title for someone self-important or high-ranking and who either exhibits an inflated self-regard or who has limited authority while taking impressive titles.
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My Yelp Review....
I'm still not certain why this restaurant has such a distinctive name. I was under the impression that I would walk into a group of beer drinking fools under a strict brotherhood or secrecy. HA! Sounds like something I started in the South Bay! Instead I entered a sleek modernization of an Asian inspired establishment that fuses exquisite meats with the orient. Thailand to be exact. Our large group of 30 people gathered for a birthday celebration with a pre-fixed menu (dual selection from each category). Since this my first visit I chose the following to tantalize my taste buds.
Appetizer - Pu Bah Beef Burner
Succulent and roasted medium well with fresh greens, red cabbage, and an awesome orchid craving of carrot. This was a great opening dish and somewhat generous. Some can consider this a meal already because of the lean large cuts.
Salad - Salmon Sashimi Salad
It's rare that a salad would out shine the entrée. This was my favorite of the night, especially when salmon is one of my favorite fish. Marinated with soy sauce and chef's secret blend of spices, this was enjoyed in its raw form (meaning the fish was served freshly uncooked). If you're a big sushi lover, this would be a must try. I really had to slow down and not inhale this dish. I kept reminding myself that this must by indulged slowly. Sorry no wasabi here. Bonus points: the organic greens did not have one drop of water. This is a great sign that they spin dry their salads well.
Entrée - Free Range Rack of Lamb
I love lamb because of its gamey taste. Sheared then oven baked to perfection, Grand Pu Bah ensured that the meat fell off the bone collecting all its natural juices once it hits your taste buds. Dayam that was good. For you hefty eaters, this is not a monstrous plate. It came with two large cuts which is more than enough to capture your gamey experience.
Great for Group Parties
Serbelle and I attended Jean N's 30th Birthday celebration here. Jean had already made special arrangements with the restaurant by asking the owners if they could remain open until midnight. This was a great call because we had the place to ourselves for more cocktails and music. Since the theme of the party was "Totally 80's", it was so cool to see what people would "Bring Back". Most of the girls brought back: Fame, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper. See attached pic.
Deserves another visit: Definitely, there's a Singha Crazy Crab on my hit list. I'll be saving that one Yelpy star!
Great for UYE's: For sure! Hopeful the current SBC Grand Poobah John Michael would host one.
Parking - Luckily I found street parking next to the restaurant (I got to the event early). I'd avoid parking across the street (Rhode Island St). Locals had mentioned that the building owners are known to nark cars with the cops. Unlike most places in SF, this has a pretty good neighborhood. There were a lot of nighttime dog walkers here as well as clean forefronts.
A few friends took me here to celebrate my birthday.
This place is warm and modern looking. The location of the restaurant is a tad unexpected though among the surrounding area.
We got there are were seated right away without reservations. It wasn't busy nor was empty. It was nice.
There menu had a nice variety of options.
We started off with some calamari which was on the chewy side, but still good. I got their summer breeze drink and it was really yummy and refreshing. Mmm. For the rest of the meal, for the four of us, we ordered pad thai, pineapple fried rice, yellow curry, sizzling peppered steak dish(?), and an order of jasine rice and brown rice. Everything was very appetizing, and the portions were plentiful too! Prices were friendly as well.
Something I have to mention though was the music. It was soo off that it was funny. We kept talking about how out of place it was, but I guess it made for good stories? They had "live music" which was this old Asian man on the mic with a guitar and this Caucasion women with an.. eclectic look with her keyboard and tambourine. The music was a mix of Greek sounding music and cruise ship. Hahah, they did birthday songs too.. It was kind of hilarious.
At the end of the meal, they also gave me this pretty strawberry sorbet in a martini glass with a candle which was pretty nice and delicious too! They also gave me a shot of Sambuca for "luck" and wow it was the hardest shot I've ever had to drink. Blechh! But thanks!
All the people who worked here were very nice and provided great service. Overall a good place in my book.
Came here for an 80s them Bday party. I didn't get a chance to eat here but came after for drinks and dancing. The place is very nice and the bartender was nice too. Drinks are not bad but it was nice to see everyone in 80s clothing. Certain things needs to stay in the 80s I say. I hope to try the food one of these days, since peeps said dinner was good.
HAPPY BDAY JEAN!!
Where was this place when I lived in Potrero Hill??? This would've been my weekly happy hour & dinner spot. What an awesome Thai restaurant, and they have the best spicy cocktails. I'm not sure what it is about spice & alcohol, but it warms my tummy REAL fast.
The decor is inviting, modern, and cool. Definitely a fun spot.
Everything I've tried has been delicious! The appetizer I'll always order is the spicy prawns.
2 hour metered parking on Townsend. Waaaayyy easier to just use the metered parking than to look around Potrero Hill during the day.
Not bad at all. I ordered the duck noodle soup and it was really delicious. The flavours were rich and the duck was tender. Recently I've ordered duck noodle soups from Chinese restaurants and they chop up everything and dump it in. I am so not a fan of bones in my food. My friend had the yellow curry with chicken and it was super tasty.
The apps were hit or miss. The pork riblets are great. The duck spring rolls could have been better. The calamri was good, but we didn't get the schiraca sauce that it was suppose to be served with. The wings were good and were nicely spicy. Will go back and try again.
I was there on Friday night with a couple of gym buddies of mine, they wanted to stop in for cocktail that then became dinner.
The dining room was well laid out & it was not crowded, pleasant & trendy decor that will be of date in about 2 more years or less.
The drinks were well made both of the signature drinks were yummy, good blends & very very taste.
Dinner was equally good & well made the only complaint I had was of the 3 main dishes ordered only ONE came with a serving utensil....that is something that NEEDS TO BE FIXED , sharing forks to serve each other was just not fun.
I would go back to this place , it would be nice if they could lower the prices just a bit or else I would be there more often.
Um, I forget the name of the drink I had here, it was that good, and I had that many, but it's not on the menu you have to ask the staff about it, it's really just a mixture of champagne and a strawberry puree, and it is light, refreshing and amazing! Perfect for an afternoon lunch drink!
So you have your delicious, yummy light cocktail, but is the food good?
YES, amazing. Everything we had was great. And the menu items were traditional enough that you knew what to order, but with enough of a twist to make it even better and so that you remember this place!
In addition, the atmosphere in here is really sleek, modern and SOMAish. Definitely a great place to go for a date, lunch with a girlfriend, or with a group.
This restaurant was one of my favorites but another one bites the dust
For the third time in a row we brought people there only to find out after we ordered that their signature dishes weren't available (golden carrot, fresh spring rolls, half chickens and so on...). This happened three times in a row. Very annoying, especially when the waiter is just standing there without giving you the heads up. Speaking of which, did I just said waiter? well, waiters...we were served by 4 different waiters, the service was very confusing. I had to reminder "them" my brown rice at least twice. We ordered a bottle of Australian wine (which my friend produces). They came back to the table apologizing that they were out of the white Californian wine and to just go ahead and try the bottle of wine that the waiter had in his hands and was about to open. Wait a minute. We ordered a particular Australian wine not a random California wine. We sent the waiter back with his bottle and didn't order wine. Food used to be very good, now it's OK. Too many variations don't make this Thai restaurant a Thai restaurant anymore. You have to guess what's in your plate and try to avoid eating those sharp pieces of lemongrass. Please do not put anything in my dish that can potentially kill me (or at least announc it please). For dessert we ordered the fired banana with beer ice cream (not a good combination) and the Thai panna cotta, pretty good except that they brought us forks instead of spoons. Go figure ! the restaurant was basically empty, the service was a mess, they should remove all those items that they are always unable to serve from their menu etc.etc I will not go back. I am afraid this place won't survive another year.
The strawberry cocktail is superb!
Service was outstanding, very friendly, informative and took their time!
The food was okay. We had some pretty decent calamari that had great sauces but could have been a little fresher.
The veggie fried spring rolls were okay too. They seemed like they were a little stale, same as calamari breading.
Our basil chicken was great. Rice was perfect.
Will be back for more cocktails and to try more food. Close to home and cannot beat the people who work here, they are gems!
Super yummy food and great service! We ate dinner there and had a great experience. I had Rack of lamb and my girlfriend and flank steak. Both were to die for and the cocktails were good too.
Wow, I was surprised and please by this terrific find!
My boyfriend works close by and one night mid-week I wanted to take him out to dinner to just let him relax a little bit in the middle of a very busy time. We had fabulous service and a really remarkable meal. We expect to return, soon and often, so that we can try the less traditional foods on the menu.
I have to mention the foie gras appetizer, though. So often I've seen that listed on a menu and had it turn out to be a pate or a terrine, so I asked and they said, indeed, it was foie gras, sauteed in buerre blanc and lemongrass, with grapes. This was just wonderful and completely unexpected.
Everything else that we had was in the more traditional Thai style, but we expect to try everything on the menu eventually.
The food here is great. The ambiance is great. The bar itself is pretty cool. It's convenient, the service is fast and efficient. The only downfall is that its a little pricey, but you get what you pay for, right?
I've been here a couple times for a quick bite and a few glasses of wine. Their oysters are pretty good, along side a nice glass of wine to compliment its flavor. I did like the atmosphere inside due to the large bar that it has and the illumination. It gave a good effect to the ambiance of the restaurant. The service that I experienced was pretty good as well. Kept my water glasses filled and constantly asked if everything was fine. That's called taking care of customers. yididi.
So I've been to this place at least four or five times now and I believe they've earned a solid 4 stars. Their food is consistently good in and the inside of the restaurant is very stylish. Their menu has a great selection of appetizers, entrees, and "Thai street food" noodle/stir fry dishes. They've also got a cool looking bar and a nice cocktail menu. Last time I went I ended up sharing the shared the vegetarian "fresh rolls" which were accompanied by a delicious spicy garlic sauce, a spicy seafood soup on the specials menu, green beans, and the whole fried tai snapper. Everything was perfectly fresh, spicy, and flavorful.
The only complaint I have is that the timing/coordination with which they bring out the dishes always seems to be a little off. For example, bringing the side dishes out a good 5-10 minutes before the main course, or an extremely long wait for one dessert. Perhaps I'm being too picky for mentioning it, but it's something I've consistently noticed and it disrupts the flow of an otherwise excellent experience. But at least the servers are always genuinely nice so that can be forgiven.
I was quite impressed with this restaurant. As soon as I entered the restaurant, the first thing I noticed was the impressive selection of alcohol at their well lit bar (that's the alcoholic in me talking). When we sat down with the rest of our party who had already been waiting for us, I was bummed to see everyone was drinking a tall glass of Thai Iced Tea. How can I feel comfortable being the only drinker at the table? My heart sank a little...... at least until I ordered a Thai Iced Tea myself! That had to have been the BEST Thai Iced Tea I had ever tasted. They serve it in a tall 24 oz. beer glass with crushed ice. The meal was off to a good start so far.
I ordered the Rack of Lamb dressed with a little bit of green curry. It came with brown rice but I requested for the Mushroom Risotto instead. This had to have been the first time I ordered a Rack of Lamb w/ Mushroom Risotto at a Thai restaurant. The lamb was of good quality and the risotto was pretty good considering it was from a Thai restaurant. I only wish they gave bigger portions as I was not stuffed by the end of this meal.
Overall this place was pretty good and would recommend it for a possible date or if you're just in the mood to eat at a nice restaurant. Personally I've got other places I'd rather go for much cheaper, but there were several things about this place that I would come back for.
Good food, but too expensive for what you get. Even for lunch, it was a little too high, especially for the off-the-beaten-path location.
They were so busy today that we waited for our food for something like 40 minutes. I was also served a Thai ice tea in a glass the yielded less volume than the other Thai Iced Teas served in a wider cup around me. For a while, that really got my goat, because I was being served less oz.'s of the same drink than what the table next to me got.....for the same price. I guess I shouldn't still be upset about it, but yeah, I think about this stuff and I couldn't understand how they thought that service would be acceptable.
I ordered the Chicken Noodle Soup, which I have a huge soft spot for at Thai food places. The food was really good, I loved the light, crispy broth with tender pieces of chicken and bean sprouts. I also enjoyed the duck spring rolls as my appetizer. I would definitely go here again for their food was probably worth 5 stars. They just need to hire more staff to better serve their customers during their lunch rush, hence the deduction of 2 stars. I took 2 co-workers here for lunch and because our food took so long to come out of the kitchen, when we did get back to work - we got yelled at by the Boss Man. Uncomfortable.
I really don't mean to criticize. They were busy because they do a great job in the kitchen and all of our food was really yummy. It's obvious that the delay happened because Grand Pu Bah was understaffed to handle the volume of diners. It's a great thing for them $$$ wise in the economy, but not so good for the customers who are in a rush. Next time I come here for lunch, I'll just order to go and pick it up. Less complicated that way.
Grand Pu Bah is not your typical Thai restaurant. They have a more modern flair to traditional cuisine.
I absolutely love, love, love their beef and duck noodles soups! It's the perfect remedy to warm the soul on a cool San Francisco day. Their sizzling pepper beef and sizzling prawns are also EXCELLENT.
Drinks are very creative as well! This is the place that introduced me to Muscato d'Asti as their evening bartender is very knowledgeable and quite friendly.
This is a solid restaurant. You'll enjoy it!
Me loves loves loves the oysters here mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
I have had most things on the menu, and they are all good, definitely my favorite Thai spot. It's a tiny bit pricier, but totally worth it for the ambience and decor and cleanliness.
The mango coconut rice is delicioussssssssssss mmmmmm. Too bad they ran out last time I was there.
I ate here last year for my birthday too, we ordered so many things, and everything tasted great! I don't usually like pad-thai but I like it here, it's nice and sticky mmmmmmm.
The singha crab is pretty interesting, although too messy for me to want to order it again anytime soon.
One time I had an annoying family w/loud kids running around, that kinda ruined my meal.....
but as far as Thai food goes, this place is my favorite!
Trendy Thai places to me is like wearing a lot of make up. It's kind of unnecessary and it's all for show. Luckily Grand Pu Bah knew how to scale back so there's no dramatic waterfall, no Eames mesh knockoff chairs, no giant Thai gods and reflecting pools. Just streamlined contemporary decor that's a little swank that's tolerable. I really just had a quick networking meet up that was meant to be at Patisserie Philippe, but since that was closed and it was dinner time, we came here instead.
I was going to go easy and the Pomelo Salad and Duck Rolls caught my eye also because the entrees were a bit steep. Who wants to pay $$$ for Thai food?? Then my contact went ahead and ordered crab ($38). In Spicy. Garlic. Sauce. and insisted that I eat it too. Fine.
Now remember where we are, Grand Pu Bah is still a dim lit fancy kinda place suitable for a date. Then came The Crab, covered in garlic. We got the works for utensils because NONE OF THE CRAB SHELLS were precracked! And the knuckles weren't even dismantled! So I rolled up my sleeves and ate crab as I should with my hands. The shells were hard, and the crab meat was super piecey. I was crackalackin' under romantic lighting and everyone was looking at us like, wtf?
The real wtf is why would you serve crab that way in a trendy restaurant where most people are in their Sunday's best? We devoured the crab and my hands smelled like I choked a garlic bitch. I kept washing my hands and it just wouldn't go away. Good thing I wasn't on a date cuz hey take a whiff of this!!!
Oh yeah, the Pomelo salad was delicious. But you also have to eat that with your hands. You have to manage to pile coconut-pomelo with nuts on a tiny piece of romain and also top it with crunchy noodles. Good luck.
Halibut was seared to perfection! My foodie gf was disappointed with the five spice pork shop. The chop was an inch thick and impervious to cutting with the provided butter knife. Pineapple fried rice was not rememerable. As for desserts, mango slices and sticky rice was the winner.
Try the Oyster shooter! Definitely requires an adventurous palate
If you insist that you want your food spicy (even after your friend Lisa tries to warn you that when they say "spicy" they mean it), get ready to feel the burn, my friend. They do not mess around with spicy at Grand Pu Bah.
Also, get ready to pay about $5 more per entree than you would at a lot of good Thai places in the city. And get ready to laugh at the fact they sell "street food" for $10- $15 a plate.
The food is really good though, so you probably won't be too bitter when you pay the check. They manage to pull off some of the most perfectly cooked eggplant ever, and the Thai iced coffee is great. (Which is good if you need to douse the flames on your tongue.)
Got some pad thai, some kinda coconut-tasting soup, and some spicy curried noodles with my man for delivery. It came in about 30-40 minutes and was pretty darn good. The soup (Tom Kha, I think?) had a really good flavor, but my man complained it would have been better with meat in it. The veggies were fresh and well steamed though. The pad thai had really thin noodles, which I wasn't expecting, but a really good flavor and not too greasy. Overall, 3.5 stars and we'll order again when we're in the mood for thai.
I started out with a nice fresh cocktail and some oyster shooters that were awesome! I also had the Singha crab which required me to get my hands a little dirty but was well worth it. Then I ended with various desserts, one of them being a SINGHA ice cream!!! Delicious!!!
I had a wonderful dinner here with some girl friends recently as a beleted birthday night out. The interior is modern and beautiful, This is definitly a place for a nice dinner out, not ur choice for thai food in a box in front of the t.v. And a welcome change from osha which is overrated.
we started with the spring rolls which were awesome, had a nice bite of of spice to it. The green curry and noodles with prawns were also perfectly spiced and presented. there is plenty of parking nearby which is a +++ overall would definitly go here again with a date or a nice dinner out
My buddies took me to the Grand Pu Bah to celebrate my birthday...This place seems to be more Thai fusion than traditional Thai. I had a great time.
Atmosphere: Very chill and comfortable seating, relaxing music (the volume of the music did not overpower the ability to have conversation).
Service: Wait staff very attentive and honest about the menu choices - I asked one of the waiters what he thought about one of the specials (brown rice clay pot), and he was blunt when he said he didn't like it, if he had to spend $13 on a dish it wouldn't be that...Freaking hilarious! I really appreciated that.
Food:
Hamachi Sashimi - I didn't try this, but my gf loved it, she ate the whole plate by herself.
Pork riblets - not too fatty or salty. Very tender, and moist yet slightly dry (weird description but it is exactly the way I Iike it).
Potato and Coconut Samosa - Crispy, light outer shell filled with delicate fluffy potato mash scented with a subtle coconut aroma. This sounds like a weird combo, but it really worked. It was accompanied by a creme fraiche dipping sauce, the sourness of the sauce really cut the oiliness of the samosa. This dish seemed more like fried wontons than samosa because they were completely lacking the density and curry flavor of a traditional samosa, but really tasty nonetheless.
Golden Carrot - When this came out we we shocked, this dish is bigger than my head. It is thinly shredded carrot which is battered and deep fried, it is served with a sweet and sour sauce with pickled cucumber and peanuts. We gobbled it up in no time.
Pomelo Salad - This was my absolute favorite of the night. It was served on a long rectangular plate, on one side of the plate there was a heap of pomelo marinated in some type of dressing which tasted like a 7Up vinagrette. In the middle there was a pile of puffed vermicelli, on the other end was romaine lettuce. All of the flavors and textures together were delicious. The pomelo was not bitter at all. I would come back to this restaurant just for this salad.
Spicy Fried Chicken Wings - This was the worst dish, the sauce was gross. Sour and hot, not enough sweet. Too bad, because chicken wings are my FAVORITE food :-(
Yellow Veggie Curry - Super thick and creamy curry, veggies cooked nicely al dente. We also ordered the coconut sticky rice to go along with the curry. It was pretty good.
Grilled New York Steak - I was least impressed with this dish. Farro is bleah. Not anything out of the ordinary special, this dish was aight....
Desserts:
Mango with Coconut Sticky Rice and Vanilla ice cream - This was yummy, the mango was perfectly ripe and in combination with the sticky rice and the ice cream, super good.
Pumpkin Creme Brulee - This was standard creme brulee with a pumpkin twist. The pumpkin did not overpower at all. Very good.
This place is kinda out of the way, but I think I'll be back...
Ack... I have to upgrade the folks at Bland Poo Blah.
In truth, the food is pretty good. And the service has improved quite a bit and is speedier.
If you're in a rush and have a party bigger than 5 phone in the order and save yourself some headaches. Also remember that tip is included in the bill for parties 6 or more.
3.5 * stars
Let's do a little restaurant math for "Bland Poo Blah," shall we?
Time is measured sequentially in…
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Grand Pu Bah was the highlight of my recent trip to the city. I made reservations through Open Table. We got there a little early but were seated immediately.
Drink orders took a little while to get, but everything was delicious and fairly reasonably priced. We all picked something off the menu and ordered it to share. We got the calamari and pork riblets for appetizers. Oh God...I'm seriously salivating as I type this. Then we shared the soup and some jasmine rice which was awesome. Then for the entrees we got pad thai, sizzling beef and green curry. Dear lord. Everything was so delicious. So, so, so good.
Overall, service was a little slow, but it was a Saturday night. Dress was more casual then I was expecting. Food was absolutely amazing and made any other little flaw quickly fade from my memory.
Apparently you need to put your drink order an hour ahead of arriving for dinner! Service here was a disaster! I would be a little more forgiving if it was packed and they were understaffed, however that was NOT the case.
On to the food. Eh, it was ok. Not the BEST I've had by far. The oysters were fresh and I enjoyed the various dipping sauces that came with them. You got to combine a bunch of different asian spices and sauces...it was entertaining.
The seared halibut was good but a little on the dry side. The curry was so spicy I couldn't really taste it! So be careful because ordered "medium" spice! Yowsa! The tuna tartar was good but I don't see how many places and go wrong with chopped tuna. Would I come back...eh probably not with all the other great places in the city to eat.
This is a lunch review.
Pu Bah is the go-to "client meeting/first day at your new job/birthday/anniversary/adios-a-bye-bye" lunch place at my office. In other words, it's a little fancier than Mars, not a deli, and sshhh...don't tell my boss, but we can get nice cocktails and good wine to fortify us for the remainder of the day.
I always get the duck soup - spicy style. It's flaming hot in all possible ways!!!!! I have burnt my esophagus many times trying to wolf down this stuff. They don't f-around with the spice or the boiling hot temp of this delicious hell broth. Lots of meaty chunks of duck and slippery noodles too. A cauldron of sultry soupyness. Lord help my coworkers when I come back to the office stinkin' of booze and garlic and trying to conduct meetings with a swelled up, burnt, lispy tongue. But I love the pain, oh the delicious pain. Yum...
I'm not big on Thai food. Thai food and Indian food. Totally impartial to both. So, whenever I'm at a Thai restaurant, I always get the default dish, the one that can never go wrong: Pad Thai. And to date, I have not had a plate of Pad Thai that I did not like.
Pad Thai at the Grand Pu Bah? Little to no complaints. Service? Pretty good. Decor? I dig it. Price? I have never had to worry about paying while at the Grand Pu Bah, so can't say. Appetizers? Pretty yummy. Drinks? You must get the cucumber limeade! It is the most refreshing drink ever! Worth every sugary calorie ingested, I promise.
Overall, I really like the Grand Pu Bah, but I'm not exactly a credible source, since I rarely eat Thai food and on those rare occasions when I do, it's always the same old Pad Thai. Can you screw up Pad Thai?
Went for lunch, food was nothing special, grumpy service.
Had the green curry.
Hot, real Thai "street food"
Hamachi spoons: Flavour burst
Fiery chili drinks
This is a lunch staple for everyone at my company (perhaps because it's the only Thai restaurant in walking distance). The staff is really nice, and the turn-around time for your order is pretty quick. I'm a fan of their Pad See Ewe, Duck Noodle Soup, and their Green Curry. If you do not like spicy food, make sure you tell your server. By default, they make their dishes really spicy.
Happy hour isn't too bad, either. They pour generously for the hard liquor. Gotta love it.
I SHOULD HAVE YELPED BEFORE HAND
i felt like if i was in Thailand this would be a "high-end" thai restaurant serving tourists and not the locals.
Since my car was parked right infront of Grand Pu Bah the ambiance from the window view was very attractive. Alot of people inside... not the crowd i'd expect but there's a crowd. VERY KIND WAIT STAFF seated us next to the window and i thought to myself "the bar is packed but the restaurant is empty, must be early." My theory stands true, many people started to come in and eat dinner. my second thoughts "we are the only asians besides that other table over there... but definately not a pan-asian cusine". the crowd didn't bother me, the decor and ambiance was very clean and really nice. we were handed the menu and the prices were not to my liking... i seriously kept comparing it to my favorite Thai restaurant "Osha Thai Noodle". with those prices I'm assuming the poritions are proportionate.
Order:
1) Tom Kha soup
2) Pineapple Fried Rice (w/ Chicken & Prawns)
3) Sweet Basil Leaf (Chicken)
4) Fried Banana with Singhan Beer Icecream
Tom Kha soup (vegtable) $8 - it was pretty tasty here. better then average yet i've had better. but the portion... oh wow, did i have wishful thinking, it wasn't enough.
Pineapple Fried Rice (w/| Chicken & Prawns) $14 - it, in a negative way. pineapples were the size of a corn kettle, maybe smaller. the taste was "eeeh are you serious?!" the raisins and chucks of potatoes were a bad choice. were the potatoes substitute of pineapples and were they trying to fool us? the carrots were... freezer carrots thrown in the pot for color. not cool.
Sweet Basil Leaf (Chicken) $11 - way too flavorful. had i know this was that flavorful, i would have ordered white rice and at least saved me an extra $12 dollars and not order the fried rice.
Fried Banana with Singhan Beer Ice-Cream $8 - very tasty. though the Singhan Beer Ice-cream had such an inquiring taste like garlic ice-cream. i didn't like it plain but when i ate the fried banana, very good together. the portion was super tiny and i was still hungry after this. I should have drove 5 minutes and landed my as$ at Mitchelle's Ice cream, yah-hear?!
Though I like the joint but came here to yelp and experience and will come back and instead hand out at the very beautiful bar with 85% of the people who were in the restaurant.
Until the next review...
Great date place based on looks and atmosphere. They have a live jazz band the Saturday we were there. I was surprised but parking was actually abundant. I hate driving into the city and having to circle around a restaurant for at least 30 minutes trying to find parking.
One dish we ordered was their crab cakes, it came out more like crab crumbs since there was either one or two tiny little pieces with a couple sprigs of microgreens. I wouldn't recommend this.
Another dish was this braised pork dish in this mashed potato with pupkin gravy. Really good, especially since it was around the fall and all where you want something a little bit hearty to fill you up and keep you warm.
If you like Lingba lounge in Potrero, you'll probably like Grand PB as well.
Between 3 and 4 stars. I pushed it up b/c I was recovering from the flu and my taste buds may have been slightly off. First, I like "modern Thai" cuisine. I love Thai flavors but get tired of the same dishes you find in traditional Thai restaurants. Tried the halibut in Tom Yum sauce; sauce was good but fish over cooked. Dry. Even soaked in sauce. Appetizers were very good--raw tuna on spoons and hamachi with spicy sauce. Service was pleasant although some miscues, entrees arrived in random order, waited a good 10 mins for the last person in our party of 7 to get her entree, which only arrived upon request. Desserts...hmm...mango stick rice. Yummy but it's hard to mess that one up. Overall I liked the dishes and the novel combinations. There were many items on the menu that I would return to try.
The best modern Thai restaurant in the bay area. Love the Pad Thai and the ground chicken wrapped in bacon! FABULOUS! Best part, owner Steven is the most gracious host ever.
Keep up the good work Pu Bah! :-)
Overall it was ok but if I see spaghetti on the menu of a Thai restaurant I find it very alarming. The food was a mixture of Thai, American, Italian, whatever comes to mind. Not crazy about it. I think they are trying too hard to please all palates out there. Unfortunately, my experience did not start off too well as I was sitting at the bar waiting to be served. It was only me and my friend at the bar and three bar tenders mixing drinks. I came in after my friend. None of them ever bothered to ask what I wanted to drink. So I had to interrupt one of them and ask if I could actually order a drink. The service at the table was excellent though. The decor is nice but the place is not really "clubby" as it appears on their website.
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Mediterranean
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Thai
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Delis
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