Soi Four Bangkok Eatery
5421 College Ave
(between Hudson St & Kales Ave)
Oakland, CA 94618 (510) 655-0889
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Mon-Fri 5:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sat-Sun 5:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
136 reviews
Neighborhood: East Oakland
"This place was FANTASTIC. Thanks to Jeff T for organizing the dinner. It would have taken me a lot longer to find out about this place if it…" read more »
169 Reviews for Soi Four Bangkok Eatery
My coworker had been raving about this place forever, and I'm glad she dragged me to finally try it. The Thai Pork and Shrimp Wontons with crab and bok choy is the perfect way to begin your meal. They were covered with the most flavorful sauce. i couldn't help but lick the sauce off the plate. jk.The crab fried rice is awesome. I was craving it so bad that I tried to make it today. I failed. The mangotini was a little strong, or maybe im just a pansy.
The waiter was apologetic for being a bit slow due to the lack of workers. We immediately forgave him.
What's not to like about this place?
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This restaurant is my good luck charm. Had my first date with someone here 4 months ago and am still dating him*. We went back here for drinks after dinner the other night, and I was reminded of what a great space they have. They also have really creative, deceptively innocent-tasting cocktails in the $6-$8 range and the bar is a calm but not too quiet place to have an after dinner drink - great alternative to the local pubs if you're not in a beer mood**. And if you come late enough, you can share your drinks and impending tipsiness with the fun staff who work here, just coming off their shift***.
*If you really knew me, you would understand this to be a grand and unlikely outcome. I have below average staying power. But when you read my original review, you can tell I was pretty into this person from the start. Creepy time capsule-y effect that is Yelp.
**Which is a shocking condition for me to be in and almost brings me to sadness, but I blame a foundation of sake that night.
***Or still working. We couldn't quite figure it out.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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03/31/2008
I had a great time here! Clean and swanky but not in the least pretentious or irritating. The wait… Read more »
another typical upscale trendy Thai-fusion type place. If you are expecting real Thai food, forget it. This is some kind of fusion, something or another like PF Changs is to Chinese food. If you are looking for a club/ lounge atmosphere, you've come to the right place. Don't expect much of the food.
We ordered some beef cubes. Undercooked and stringy, we couldn't chew through the beef due to the poor quality of the meat - it had a lot of tendons in it. We ordered a yellow curry chicken dish, and instead of small pieces of chicken, it was on the bone, covered in sauce. We spent a good while tearing the meat off the bone, and there was really very little food left....
After a few more disappointing dishes (well, you could tell from the menu this is how it was going to be) we gave up.
The prices were outrageous as well, with each dish about $13 - $19 for insufficient and poor quality food.
Very good Thai food
Warm and kind service
Beautiful space
We had a couple of different types of satay, the fish cakes, crab fried rice, braised short ribs in red curry, minced chicken with basil and fried bananas with coconut ice cream.
With the exception of the satays which were just okay, everything was great. The minced chicken was spicy and delicious and a definitely standout for me - it's the best of it's kind I've had.
The restaurant has a nice upscale feel making it appropriate for dates but also comfortable enough for families as well. For the quality of the food, the elegant atmosphere and the fun neighborhood, I thought the prices were reasonable. I could see this becoming a regular spot for us.
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The food was great, but the dishes were kinda small. If you're looking for something like King of Thai where the prices are cheap with big portions, then this is not the place for you.
Had a few dishes but I can't remember what they were. I do remember the crab fried rice which was yummy. Loved the cocktail that I ordered which was (if I remember correctly) called the Silky Sky, it was delicious. I suppose its another version of a lychee martini but so far I haven't tasted one as good as this.
How is it that thai food, no matter how excellent, is always so affordable? Soi Four falls into that excellent category, yet imposes no pains on my wallet. Their roti and their red/green curry dishes have always treated me right.
Their cocktails are too sweet, but affordable enough ($7 for a saketini) that I don't really care.
Got invited to a dinner party last Saturday night, never been here before but frequent the rest of College Ave. Quite frankly never notice the place before.
Nice interior and overall a very pretty restaurant. Nice for an evening out or date. Service was sufficient and never intrusive, although the timing could use some polish.
The preordered menu came at the suggestion of house with an array of their signature dishes. Beautiful presentation, however the taste could use some work. Perhaps my Thai food experiences in Berkeley (did you ever notice the number of Thai place in Bz?) left me a bit biased. The tastes of Soi Four seem a bit Westernized. Overall a nice evening but with the pricing the food, left a bit to be desired.
Maybe the Thai places in Berkeley could give them a few pointers in the kitchen, and vice versa, as the Berkeley places can use a bit more in presentation. Enough said, two stars only.
i ordered takeout from here. i got the Pan-fried dumplings fill with minced pork & shrimp served with Thai ginger soy (kieow tod) and the Pad Thai.
the dumplings were delicious. not too heavy, perfectly spiced, very tasty. i would defintely get them again. the pad thai was too salty and kind of bland.
the one thing that i really did not like was that in order to pick up the order, you have to go back to the bar and stand there while they bartender takes your money (or credit card) and gets your food. the only place to stand is the opening where the staff comes out from the kitchen, right between a two top with people dining and the person in the end seat at the bar. you have to keep moving out of the way of the busy wait staff, and it is uncomfortable, because you are basically on top of the people who are eating next to you. it would be a lot better if the hostess could take your credit card to the back and bring out your food and the charge slip.
other than that, it was pretty ok.
The food was good, but not enough to hurry back. We started with the flat bread, which was tasty, then the noodles and short ribs. Some nice flavors, but again, nothing too special. It left me with the same kind of feeling as maybe PF Chang's, americanized, tasty, and overpriced.
This was one of my first reviews from WAY back in November before I realized you immature little douchebags didn't actually want me to be useful. It's your fault I have become a FUC and Fan whore. I hope you're satisfied with yourselves.
Well you know what? I am feeling useful again.
Soi Four has become one of our favorite places to go. We went there last night all sweaty and grubby after playing some tennis. We sat at the bar, yucking it up with Jim, the bartender, who let us taste remnants of the drinks he was making.
I highly recommend the Turnip Cakes (seriously), the Beef Salad and the Tamarind Prawns.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/25/2007
One of my favorite spots in all the world! No, its not authentic Thai, but I promise you there are… Read more »
Try the steamed turnip appetizer. It is the most surprisingly wonderful thing on the menu. Even my 4-year old requests it for take-out. Great atmosphere - make a reservation though and ask to be seated upstairs. The entrees are a bit small, but the food is consistently VERY good. We especially love the catfish entree and the fish specials are always good. The eggplant and other satays are lovely. Nice bar, good service, great location - you can even hang out at the Diesel independent bookstore next door while you wait for your table. Only downside is that they haven't really changed their menu in 6 years and they took off our favorite dish.
We went for dinner, ate the flat bread that was very tasty, the noodles which was good and the short ribs that was spicy. Overall everything was good but a little overpriced and deserved its stars. I would go again to try something else and maybe it would get a better review.
My huband and I love this place. It's reasonably priced and every dish on the menu is delicious. The cocktails are good too. The fried bean cakes (tofu) are incredible as is the chicken with green beans - so much flavor!
I went there with my friends since we all love Thai food. We expected to have yummy food. But it turned out so bad. The food there couldn't reach Thai standard in any means. It seems like the restaurant try so hard to make everything hip and trendy. They even decorate the place modern which I give that 1 star. It doesn't go when your food suck. It's way too sweet in every dishes. the service itself was as bad as the food. Our waitress was so rude. I was wondering she may be a new staff who hasn't been trained. It was so unprofessional. It's also pricey for the quality and service that Soi Four provides.
Overall, I will not recommend Soi Four, if you crave for good Thai food. Go somewhere else.
What a delightful find.
I have been walking past this place for a while now, but have always been sort of dismissive of it because it seemed like an overpriced yuppie sort of place. But I finally gave the place a try after realizing that their menu *isn't* so pricey, and it's not one of those reservation-only sort of Rockridge places.
For the price, I thought the food quality was very nice. I had the turnip cakes (not fancy like I had imagined, but still very tasty), the short ribs (tender with a satisfying curry sauce), and the tofu/bok choy glass noodle clay pot (okay, nothing special).
The service was great and pretty fast, and I will definitely be coming back again to try their other menu options.
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I've eaten here more times than i can count now.
the menu is very thoughtful. a great balance of meat/veggies/seafood.
the pineapple fried rice is very hearty, just the way i like it.
the duck curry... so flavorful and rich, the duck is cooked perfectly.
the halibut.... a little overcooked and dry. (very surprising coming from this place honestly)
angus steak... very tender, well seasoned, has a nice light sauce.
panang curry... delicious.
basically all the curry dishes i've had are delicious. and almost everything i've had has been superb.
the service is always very friendly and attentive.
you can usually get a table fairly quickly even on busier nights.
i wish i could afford to eat here like once a week.
Recently went to Soi Four Bangkok Eatery upon the suggestion of friends -- new to the area and found this place to be nicely and simply decorated. Sat upstairs which -- because of the acoustics - was difficult to hold conversations. But the food definitely made up for it. It was tasty, just like Thai food should be!
Never, never again will I eat here....
What's with the Fresh roll of blue crab meat, tofu, sweet sausage & greens served with anise, plum sauce?
Fresh Spring Rolls??? The rolls were wrapped in a thick sheet of some nasty rice paper...
Minced chicken wok-fried with basil, garlic, & fresh chilies * (gai gra prow) A simple chicken dish, right? WRONG! looked like a dished that has diced chicken and deep fried basil leafs... And you have to ORDER white rice.. What Asian joint do you have to order (and pay) for white rice...
To top it off, server was bad and we had to wait to receive our check.
SAVE YOURSELF THE MONEY AND GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.
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I've been wanting to try this place ever since reading all the enthusiastic yelp reviews, and I finally had the chance to tonight. Sunday evening, so there wasn't a need for reservations.
My friend and I shared the Thai pork and shrimp wontons with crab meat and baby bok choy appetizer ($7), which I thought was really tasty. I thought the bok choy was done very well, and I liked the mild flavoring. I had the Angus steak cubes with snow peas for my entree ($11.50), and my friend had the crab fried rice ($9). Rice here costs extra, so I got a bowl of jasmine as well ($1.50).
I thought the food was a pretty good value for the price. My friend's fried rice was reminiscent of the very flavored fried rice I've had at good Chinese restaurants (though for considerably less than $9), and my steak was tender and yummy. Way too many snow peas though, and they weren't especially good.
Ambiance/decor was nice, although the all white-ness of the place was a little severe for me. My overall impression is that Soi 4 makes for a good place to go when you want somewhere nicer (quite a few steps above Thai Basil, for example), but don't want to pay much more. I'll be back soon, probably to try the lychee duck.
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I LOVE this place. The food is great. It's not really your neighborhood Thai restaurant. The dishes are a bit more fancy but they are so good. I had my birthday dinner here with about 13 friends. I had to make a reservation of course. They were very accommodating, the table was ready when we got there and the service is always friendly, even though a bit slow at times.
Excellent...Pan-fried dumplings
Excellent...Asparagus & bamboo shoots wok-fried
Excellent...Sauteed tiger prawns, Asian eggplant, & ground nuts
Great...Grilled Indian bread (ask for sauce on side)
Good...Honey roasted duck & pineapples & red curry
Ok...Thai pork and shrimp wontons with crab meat (too mildly flavored)
Ok...Crispy sliced chicken & string beans (spices great but chicken a little dry)
The menu has an incredible number of great choices. Four of us ate at the bar and the bartender took good care of us.
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I've been here twice and plan on coming back again and again. Why? Well, for one thing, the wait staff of both sexes are quite easy on the eyes. So while I'm scarfing , uh I mean daintily eating veggie dishes like Pad Tofu and the Snow pea shoots & shitake mushrooms, I'm also getting a visual treat. Dinner date, what dinner date?? just teasing, my date was pretty cute too:)
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Food: 3-4 stars. Tasty, light, and creative Thai.
Service: 1 star. Poor, rushed, thoughtless and forgetful.
I finally got a chance to eat at Soi Four a couple of weekends ago after hearing rave reviews from my boss for months now- who lives in the neighborhood. We chose one of the hottest evenings so far this year, to eat out which actually turned out to be a good thing as the cuisine at Soi Four for the most part is on the light and occasionally spicy side- perfect for a warm summer's night. We had reservations for 6:30 and were pleased to be seated right away. The space is rather tight, especially our table for two which was squeezed right between two other tables of couples so that we were practically one long table of six, but we rolled with it. Unfortunately that's pretty much where the pleasantries as far as service goes, ended.
It took a while for our server to come over, a while longer for our drinks-in fact not till after we were done with our appetizers. :/
To begin with, we shared the Thai spiced corn cakes served with cucumber vinaigrette and the Green papaya & cherry tomatoes tossed in garlic sweetened lime juice. The corn cakes were by far my favorite dish I tried. They are sweet, chewy and savory all at once, and the tangy vinaigrette is a perfect compliment. The green papaya salad was a disappointment. It tasted like a pile of white stringy cabbage like lettuce vs. papaya and I think I counted only 2 tomatoes on the entire plate. The dressing was fine, nothing to write home about, but the presentation was dreadful. Our corn cakes received lots of curious looks from those around us but not that salad, that salad was ignored.
As mentioned earlier, following our apps, came our drinks. I had a cocktail with pomegranate and ginger if I remember correctly and BF had a mojito. Both were delicious and we would have ordered a second round... had we been asked.
:(
For entrees, BF had the Thai pineapple fried rice with prawns and I ordered the Asparagus & bamboo shoots wok-fried with garlic, fresh chili & black bean sauce. I did check with our server to make sure my veggie dish was in fact veggie. I was surprised to find out in fact no, the veggie dishes for the most part are made with an oyster base (ewe!). She did assure me though that she would ask have it made vegetarian style. (Be sure to ask!) What she failed to ask/recommend, was if I would like any rice. I didn't realize the Asparagus & bamboo shoots dish really is just that, a bowl of Asparagus- thus, yes, rice would be very much a necessity, especially if you are partaking in any alcoholic bevy's! And also because a bowl of asparagus is nice and all, but it's a little sad, especially when sitting across from your BF's giant plate of rice, prawns, and other goodies. Speaking of BF's plate, he enjoyed the prawns but was turned off by the large quantity of golden raisins in his dish. I'm surprised raisins aren't listed in the dish's description as I imagine there are others out there who aren't the biggest raisin fans either. Oh well.
Last but not least, came dessert. Of course are server who never did check on our meal, our waters, our drinks, also did not ask if we would like dessert. Instead she asked "Do you guys need anything else?". I'm sorry, but that just isn't the nicest way of offering dessert if that's what she intended. It came across more clearly as, 'I need this table, you didn't want to get dessert, did you?' I asked if she had a dessert list and she said sure. She then came back with our check. BF at this point was super annoyed and irritatedly explained we had asked for the dessert list, not the check. She did not apologize but did bring us the dessert list. Finally.
At this point BF was very ready to take off, but I insisted on ordering dessert and I'm glad we did. We had the young Thai coconut panna cotta and it was fantastic. The second best thing following the corn cakes. BF agreed it was fab. It really was how a perfect panna cotta should taste- light, creamy, not tough at all, and finally, it should melt in your mouth. It was sweet and very reminiscent of creme brulee minus the sugary coating of course, and with actual pieces of coconut through out. YUM.
All in all, I'd give it a few months and might try it again. I'd definitely avoid weekends though and would hope to catch them on a slower night where I didn't feel rushed to allow the next couple waiting to take our seats. And all veggies out there- you have been warned- request veggie prep as well as rice! Remember rice!
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I always sit in for dessert, and they are to DIE for. The top tim (?) rubies drink is REALLY good on a hot day (make sure you ask for a side of ice, so you can make it cold if you need.) The vanilla ice cream w/their champagne berry sauce is really great as well. Definitely something you can't make at home, so I think it's totally worth it go here.
GREAT food & service with a smile. Kinda reminds me of a sexy, minimalist, NY-esque loft. You can also eat upstairs in the loft area. Awesome Pad Thai, love the Thai pork & shrimp wontons with crab meat & baby bok choy, and the scallop skewers appetizer. ALWAYS get the Lemongrass grilled Angus sirloin served with mint sauce (YUM), and Charcoal-grilled assorted vegetables topped with green curry with the steamed rice. Yummmmmmmmmm.... Me LIKEY.
Shi-shi thai restaurant offering small plates of slighty elevated thai fare. Food tastes good enough, as it appears like they are trying to do something more upscale with thai food, which I can appreciate, but the amount of food is small for what you are paying. Personally I would rather patron a "normal" thai restaurant in order to get more food for the money.
None the less - if you find yourself walking by, I would stop in for a bite. Just don't think I would drive to Rockridge just to eat here, since parking is a nightmare, and all in all, wasn't necessarily worth the trip.
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The times I've been here i love it, the crab fried rice is to die for thats all I have to say.
What a find. A classic, smallish restaurant that looks upscale (white tablecloth) but prices for the budget conscious. The wait staff was friendly and attentive, probably refilled my water glass six times. The fact that I took about 25 minutes to figure out what to order caused nary an eyebrow to raise. And the good was... scrumptious. It's tough to find a nice place that won't break the bank, I will definitely be back!
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Really delicious. I'm allergic to seafood so I didn't have too many options but what I had was great. Love the decor as well. Great place, will definitely be returning.
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Sure it's more unique than other Thai restaurants, but the flavors were only ok. There was one salad dish that I really enjoyed, the Shiang Hai noodles, which made me go back for seconds. But then decided that it's just not worth it to go back for one dish. It was a little too salty the second time. I do enjoy the atmosphere though, very nice superficial restaurant.
I have been to hundreds of Thai places over the years, and Soi 4 stands out as something unique.
There are of course, the standard Thai joint, then there's what I call Rock n Roll Thai (think Osha,) there are Thai diners (King of Thai Noodle,) Thaibrid joints (I'm drawing a blank, because I don't go to those places aka Thaipa-- small plate--Joints.)
Anyway, Soi 4 was just different. The dishes had the same names, but they were made in such a way that made me rethink everything I thought I knew about Thai food.
An example: the Pik Khing--you know the one, green beans with a curry sauce-- was made with little pieces of fried chicken...I'd never seen that before.
They make a little Thai omelette, which was probably the fluffiest egg concoction I've ever tasted.
Sticky Rice: perfect.
I can't say enough for this place.
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My therapist wants me to speak on the topic of dating at a conference on gender identity issues. I suppose that I can take this as a compliment. Maybe I will, and maybe I will speak at this conference. Or, hey, hell, maybe I'll write an actual restaurant review! It's been a while ...
The pork bellies were delicious. Thick, crisp, fatty slices of fried pig in a dark, salty sauce with Chinese broccoli. The duck came with celery and lychee, which is way weirder to the teeth, tongue, and taste buds than any animal organ that I've ever eaten. I speared another square of almost pure fat and, chewing on it, both literally and figuratively, reckoned that hmm, maybe I did. Plus there's the soccer ... sometimes two or three games in one day, ooga.
Really, I don't know a lot of people who like duck. "When I was a kid," I said, "my brothers and sisters used to pass me all their pork fat and chicken skin." I actually said that -- about pork fat and chicken skin -- on a date, and knew almost immediately that I wouldn't be seeing this guy again.
It's one thing to eat pork bellies with a pretty woman, I'm guessing, and something else entirely to envision them engulfing a pile of table-scrapped fat or three chickens' worth of chicken skin. I can understand their problem with the image. Honestly, I get it, only not quickly enough to not hand them the picture.
My new favorite restaurant is Soi 4. It's just a couple of bucks more than other Thai restaurants, but definitely worth it. Especially if someone else is paying. The short ribs are fantastic. Perfectly tender and juicy and then, as if they needed any help, the most amazingly smooth-tasting peanut curry by way of a smother. So good it's kind of terrifying. I can't stop thinking about it and have been having nightmares.
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i live in the neighborhood and this is a great place for a meal. on certain nights it is really crowded and a reservation might help. the chicken satay is excellent. the blue crab roll is excellent. the turnip cakes are amazing, and if you don't like turnips don't worry. it tastes like pure goodness, not the bitterness a turnip usually has. the duck and grapefruit salad is great. my only concern is that the duck still has the skin on and is a little fatty, and all together it is a great dish. the pad thai is excellent. when it is crowded it can be kind of loud.
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I waited too too long my friends to come here. When Noodle Theory booted us out for the long wait thanks to the longest traffic light in Claremont's history, we opted for Soi Four.
It was pretty happenin' for a rainy Saturday night but we got seated right away upstairs. Despite the fact we were banished to the 2nd level, service was impeccable and timely.
The apps we had were delicious: portobello skewers in a tantalizing peanut sauce (I couldn't get enough) and the veggie rolls...so tasty...so tasty for you.
My man ordered a veggie plate and I had the pad kee mao. I refuse to get suckered into trying another pad thai, but you just can't go wrong with spicy thai basil goodness. We were both satisfied with our meal.
We weren't in the mood for cocktails, but their menu did have some interesting options. I'd go back to test them out. It's a nice spot in the middle of Rockridge with an extensive menu and classy, yet minimalist setting.
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I really enjoyed this place. That is, until my mother in law had a few too many and started hitting on our waitress.
The food was great, ambience was relaxing. I mean, go into it knowing that you're going to a Thai restaurant that isn't a hole in the wall. It's still part of Rockridge. That should say enough.
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The food is consistent and tasty and well-priced. It's better than your run of the mill Thai but even though it leans toward gourmet, they still put a pile of food on your plate. Seems like we can always squeeze in at the last minute too. It doesn't get 5 stars because, well, I've eaten better places in the world and sometimes the staff doesn't listen.
My friend Lee and I went there for lunch and we had a great experience. The food was wonderful...I had the chicken and pumpkin curry which I still had on my mind later that evening. The portion was perfect...not too little not too much. I would definitely suggest this restaurant to anyone who enjoys Asian fusion food. I would also recommend it to my dad who happens to be a chef and knows what a good place is supposed to taste like.
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Soi Four gets a Soi Five from me. That was pretty bad, now wasn't it? We started out trying to go to Noodle Theory, which remains a theory, mainly conjecture, since it's tiny and the Saturday night line was long.
Portobello mushroom skewers and veggie rolls were our apps, and the mushrooms were just spicy enough, the veggie rolls just about perfect for being an old standby.
I went for the grilled assorted vegetables with coconut curry sauce as the main dish, and was rewarded with a couple of different kinds of mushrooms, so I could say I had a plethora of mushrooms. And yes, jefe, I know what a plethora is.
To tell you the truth, College Ave. is usually a big yawner for me, but Soi Four is worth going there. Great service, great food, reasonable price, even though the decor is blah in a modern kind of way, it's a 5-star.
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Went to Soi Four (groan) the first time today. Mmm mmm good. The minced chicken was flavorful and delicious. The mixed seafood curry was also decent. The service was very attentive and friendly, literally providing ten refills to my dining companion's glass of water. Will definitely return.
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