Hip Atmosphere. Strong Drinks. Dim Lighting. Standard Thai Fare.
Words that describe my visit to Joya in the Cobble Hill area of Brooklyn, NY. Within walking distance to Pier 6, this Asian cuisine hub is a great dining option for dates, girls night out or a bar crawl. Our table of two dined on fried spring rolls, drunken noodles and coconut curry shrimp with vegetables – accompanied by a pomegranate mojito.
Vegetable Spring Rolls…
Flaky & fried goodness with the perfect amount of veggie filling; served with a ginger honey like sauce. Priced around $2 it was filling and Americanly authentic.
Spicy Noodle with Shrimp & Vegetable aka Drunken Noodles…
Very yummy and smooth in texture, it coated my mouth with soy, lime and salt – very close to umami; inducing a tongue smacking sensation while it matched the plates aroma. It was what I have come to expect from Thai cooking. The noodles were were thin & wide and complemented the brown sauce and crisp vegetables perfectly. I would highly recommend this dish.
Fried Shrimp with Coconut Curry…
Thank goodness for the shrimp because this was the worse curry sauce I have ever had – it shouldn’t even be called curry of any kind. They should call it shrimp and coconut water. This dish is not a standard on the menu and appeared on a handwritten “specials” menu; which was a wise move on the managements part because it was extremely bland. The 8 shrimp were fried & coated with crispy panko but had nothing to bathe in because the “coconut water” sauce was too thin and lacked the yummy rich flavor Asian condiments generally have. On the up side, the veggies were perfectly cooked and the side of white rice was chopstick sticky ;o) The plate was priced at $12 but should be priced at zero and returned to the kitchen because it’s like a mirage – looks good but nothing is there lol
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