Coming here for a co-worker's birthday lunch was a good choice. Until it turned into a two-hour lunch of mostly waiting around while the sparsely populated restaurant was sluggishly attended to by the curiously ample waitstaff. Â The food was good, and the portions were actually perfectly ideal: plentiful without lulling us into kung pao-coma.
I would return for the food, but perhaps on a Friday-Slide day or more realistically for after-work drinks.
Pros: Delicious. Â They have a chocolate lava cake dessert I can't wait to try. Â Outdoor seating is nice; romantic. Small plates - Sashimi Tuna Avocado Salad=A+, Good roll combos. Servers are friendly and helpful. House wine A-.
Con: Small plates really are small, and you really want to have way more because they taste so good.
Good for lunches. Been here twice, both times happy with the quality of the food. I suppose it took a little longer than we would have liked to be served, but I can hopefully attest that to the rolls being made fresh, as the waitstaff was attentive and I don't think it was anything wrong there.
Review Source:I have been to Rattan a few times now and I have enjoyed it each time. They have a slightly more pretentious air to their food than most Asian places I've been, but they do it for a fairly good price. they might be about $2 more expensive that your regular quality Asian restaurant and you get some great presentation and a few unique dishes as well. I have typically come by for lunch, and also dinner a couple times. I love the set lunch they offer, it comes with a salad, main, and desert for about 12 to 13 dollars.
It would be a great place for a date. It looks fancy, but won't necessarily bleed you dry just from dinner.
First time here. Just moved to area and used Yelp to decide on dinner. Saw they were rated at 4 stars by reviewers and that says a lot. (I am telling them they need to merge the two listings as the one shows three stars but only 4 reviews. Also noticed a couple of 3 stars that are recent, so...
I have the Turley juvenile zin and start with the Scallop Robata, the server, Amanda, is a pro and has recommended the scallop dish. Please note that a server who is a pro, knows the menu and understands it. She could explain every fish dish with equal aplomb. Also, they follow up, they bring your food, they do not flitter around you, but seem to check just at the right moment. Please understand that the actual pay of restaurant waitstaff has not changed in 30 years. Make sure you tip well as it is actually their pay. Someone like this should be paid at least a 25% tip.
The scallops are skewered, come to the table fresh from the grill and are cooked, well, perfectly. The tastes on the skewer (veggies and pepper) are excellent and you are impressed if you have eaten many scallops that were prepared wrong and usually over cooked. There is a chutney that is cold, a little sweet and a nice juxtaposition to the scallops.
My next dish is coconut shrimp and, while very good, is a bit sweet at first when following the scallops. That tames for the second one and the tastes work. The long beans come with the shrimp are perfect and crispy, hot, and nice portion. The beans do complement the dish perfectly. They are good in taste and provide a change in texture.
The verdict is they have a nice sized wine list with drinks by the bottle. A Turley Zin (this is the one they produced in larger quantities) in a restaurant is a rarity and nice given the type of food - a bit more spicy.
So, if you want a good meal that has variety for anyone at the table, great service, and great ambiance, give Rattan Pan-Asian Bistro a try. I think you will be pleased.
The food was ok, the service was ok too, nothing spectacular. The waitress didnt know alot about the menu nor the wines they had. The happy hour menu didnt match the regular menu, everything we asked about would get a "we dont have that anymore" Then why is it still on this menu? I liked the ambiance most of all. I mite go back again.
Review Source:I ordered to go and only one item so this review may be inaccurate to base the whole restaurant/menu on.
I got the thai beef salad, which is really good in flavor. I however, think it's over priced for being what it is...the ingredients (cilantro, lettuce, onion, few slices of beef). They are good quality and good in taste so I can't complain there. Service wasn't as friendly as I expected to be once I picked up the item from the bar. Would love to give this place another try and obviously other items.
Went on a Friday ~6:30 and were promptly seated. Â The place was filled but not so packed that we felt claustrophobic. Â
Since happy hour went until 7:00 we nabbed a sensei roll (awesome), tempura tuna (good), ninja roll (very good), satay sampler (very good, liked the chicken the most), edamame, pot stickers (wife loved these), a glass of wine and a spicy ginger margarita (awesome, got another). Â It should be noted that the regular prices for these plates are significantly more after happy hour ends. Â
The waiter did a great job of giving us the low down on the menu and his recommendations made our meal even better. Â
Would definitely go back and hit up the happy hour menu again
Even though this restaurant is extremely close to work, I never come here. Why? I honestly don't know. Well, maybe I do. It's the fact that their cuisine is Asian Fusion. It's hard to crave their food when it's not exactly what you want... I don't think anyone ever craves "salmon with chipotle sauce" or "sushi drizzled with raspberry sauce". Â We either want seafood or sushi. Simple as that, cut and dry. Â
Since my team made reservations here for lunch, I had no choice but to come. Some ordered pad thai, some ordered sushi, some ordered rice dishes, and some ordered seafood. Â
Pad thai? This is Asian Fusion not a Thai restaurant; thus, their pad thai may not really be pad thai. Pass!
Sushi? Nah. Who knows how fresh it is since its specialty isn't sushi? Next!
Rice dishes? Nah. The options were mostly fried shrimp or chicken. Pass!
Thus, from this process of elimination, I went with the grilled salmon with vegetables and sweet potatoes.
After my first bite, I was utterly surprised. The salmon was fresh and the sauce it came with was quite tasty. Â I loved the sweet potatoes as well and wished they had given me more. Â All the other dishes looked quite tasty as well. Definitely made me want to consider this place next time I leave work for lunch.
The only negative feedback I have was the wait time but I guess it's OK given that they were pretty busy...
My husband and I eat at Rattan almost every weekend. Â The happy hour prices are fantastic, though the dinner prices are pretty reasonable as well. Â I have tried a wide variety of items from the menu and never had a bad meal. Â Their Rocket Roll is the best!! Â The waitstaff is always attentive and have a great knowledge of the menu- always ask about dessert!
Review Source:Happy Hour is the name of the game! I'm not much for Happy Hour drinks, but I am for Happy Hour food!! A friend of mine and I came here and went cray cray over the Happy Hour menu! Â
We ordered two seaweed salads, Thai Basil Steamed Clams, Sesame Crusted Tempura Tuna, Satay Sampler, Crispy Tempura Chicken and the Shrimp, Special Fried Rice, and Vietnamese Vermicelli! We also ordered the Spider roll. All this for cheap! and it tasted excellent!! Loved, loved, LOVED the Sesame Crusted Tempura Tuna!
The service was fantastic and my friend said her pomegranate martini was tasty!
My order was messed up when it came out and included onions after I specifically discussed with the waiter that I had an allergy.
After going through the conversation and getting onions anyway, their response was, "we can pick the onions out." Â Try ordering an anchovie pizza and picking the fish off ... the smell, taste & allergens are still there.
The service was absolutely stellar! Ask for Pat (patrick?) and you're sure to have a great experience. Went there for happy hour and enjoyed quite a few things on the hh menu. The edamame was perfectly steamed and salted, the salmon sushi was super fresh, tempura shrimp was delish and such a bargain- $4 for about 9 pieces! The special fried rice was ok, only because it was mostly rice and less "special"... Little protein or veggies, mostly just rice. But what it lacked in variety of ingredients it made up for in flavor! The decor is lovely and the place is super clean. Overall a great experience!
Review Source:MMMMMM is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of this place. Â We have been here about three times now. Â And for living in a city that has 4 restaurants on every corner, that's saying something.
This place has all the things I look for in a place: Â good atmosphere (and outdoor seating), good service, good food & wine. Â I love the look of the place and the outdoor patio is so enjoyable with the fans, all the wood, and the lovely plants. Â It's not too elegant, so makes it easy to come in even when I'm in a casual mood (ie. Yoga clothes)
I really like their sushi here. Â It is consistently fresh and the rice has been flawless every time I've been. Â We've tried other dishes too and they were also scrumptious!! Â I love that they have wine flights as well. Â You can sample many wines and make a list of your favorites for the next time you come back.
Last but not least (and a very important one to me) - good service. Â They have always been pleasant and knowledgeable. Â
Things I've had that were good here: Â
TOM KHA GAI chicken, mushroom, spicy Thai coconut soup (vegetarian version available).....7.50
LEMONGRASS JUMBO SHRIMP sauteed garlic spinach, sweet chili sauce.....13.95
BISTRO ROLL salmon, tuna, hamachi, mango, tempura jalapeno, soy paper, wasabi aioli.....10.50
TROPICAL FUSION ROLL shrimp, escolar, mango, w/ cucumber, wasabi aioli, raspberry puree.....10.50
SENSEI ROLL tempura shrimp, spicy tuna, cucumber, avocado, soy paper, ponzu sauce.....8.50
We took my boss here for his birthday and had a great experince. I order the Pad Thai which wasn't the best choice. I didn't care for the sauce that they use but our waitress offered me to get another dish. The Orange Beef is EXCELLENT. My coworker order the Chicken Sate with brown rice which was also Very good. The customer service is very good. We had Danielle and she was great. Even though we are there for lunch, I can see how this could be a intimate/romantic spot as well as a casual location.
Review Source:Have you ever really liked a place but were frustrated that they couldn't do better?
Rattan is a creative concept. Â Asian fusion done WELL. Â I've commented before how I would never eat sushi at a Thai place, for example, but Rattan defies the rules and hits the mark on all of it. Â They have a number of creative sushi rolls as well as the standards (rainbow, caterpillar). Â Funky Americanized sushi--for the purist sushi experience try elsewhere. Â And I really love their satay sampler--though an order is called an "appetizer" it's big enough for a meal. Â A medley of Asian main-course medlies round out the menu.
The decor is straight out of 1960's Japan--clean lines fused with a funky Western color palate. Â It reminded me of the vintage hotel I stayed at in Tokyo. Â It's a casual elegant vibe.
The wine list is pretty extensive, as well, and their selection of wines-by-the glass makes them worthy of being called a "wine bar".
But, oi! The service. Â The servers are nice and friendly. Â But I can't help but think that they are understaffed for lunch, because when the place fills up--watch out. Â This is in the Energy Corridor, but don't expect a "business lunch" standard--it can be up to 90 minutes even with a small party.
Food, awesome. Â Ambience, cool...if you've got the time, this is the place to go.
A little Asian fusion in Eldridge, excellent!
The ambiance is very nice, beautiful outdoor patio with swaying bamboo trees.
We tried sushi, pad thai, steamed clams off the happy hour menu, all were pretty good.
We then tried massaman salmon as an entree. The curry dip is great tasting, salmon is fresh, nice touch of asking us how rare we wanted the salmon (medium rare came out perfectly tender).
Our waiter was super friendly and very accomodating, excellent service!!
I selfishly wish though the taste of the dishes has a bit of an extra oomph (more fresh herbs; unexpected flavors like lavender, sichuan peppers, acidity etc.; more spiciness...)...
They say you shouldnt judge a book by its cover...but is it ok to judge a restaurant by its happy hour food? I think its safe to judge the quality of this place simply based on some of the items from the happy hour menu. A friend and I decided to  grab an quick snack here.
Happy hour from 3-7pm. We ordered a couple items from the happy hour menu, like the tempura shrimp, chicken, couple sushi samplers, and the Kobe burger (which is slider sized). I was pretty disappointed in the food because the tempura was borderline too greasy, the sushi was pretty much nothing but just plain rice and fish. The service was mediocre..pretty sad happy hour... Maybe I'll try the regular menu one day.
Located off of Eldridge, in between Enclave and Briar Forest, Rattan Bistro is a chic, business casual, inviting restaurant in the heart of the Energy Corridor food supply. It shares a lot with an upscale French restaurant and French gourmet bakery, but it's typically not hard to find parking at all. For a restaurant advertising pan-Asian food, it was surprisingly good and decently priced compared to its greater competitors (PF Chang's, for example). In the last year, I've been here a couple of times, but never really got around to Yelping it until now... so this review is really based off of my most recent visit last week.
I took my sister here for the first time and she wanted to try a little bit of everything that fancied her, so we ended up sharing:
1. Chicken Potstickers:
They were good, but I vaguely remember them because they're just fried dumplings. I mean, there's nothing really unique about the appetizer, anywhere... except maybe the grease on this one wasn't as bad as I know it could be.
2. Agedashi Tofu:
If you're a fan of tofu (and more importantly Agedashi tofu) you would love it here. This app is a bit pricier than what you can get at a normal sushi restaurant, but the serving size was huge. The tofu was lightly fried perfectly and the skin never came off. The sauce was not salty and complemented each piece very well.
3. Spicy Warm Thai Beef Salad:
This dish unexpectedly different and delicious. It was definitely a "warm" salad because the beef was served freshly cooked atop a bed of lettuce, dripped in a light vinaigrette-like dressing. The meat was tender, seasoned to the tee, and was in an excess amount (no complaints here). The only issue I had was that I personally thought the whole dish could've been spicier.
4. Spicy Tuna Roll and  Firecracker Jack Roll:
Normally, I wouldn't order sushi rolls from restaurants like Rattan, but I've had the Spicy Tuna Roll several times, and I just can't ever deny Spicy Tuna Rolls (unless they completely suck). To complete the idea of trying something new at an already tried restaurant, I threw in an order of the Firecracker Jack Roll. The slight problem was that the serving was small (only 5 pieces) compared to a high cost (around $10 I believe), but the pieces were a bit larger full of different types of raw fish and jalapenos. AND IT WAS DEEP FRIED. When I saw it, I thought to myself, "Damn it. I hate fried rolls." However, I popped one in my mouth and found out why I would come back and pay the same price for it again. It was goooood; just thinking about it, kind of makes me drool. The Firecracker Jack Roll also does come with its own special dipping sauce that my sister really liked. Oh, and back to the Spicy Tuna Roll. It's decent -decently priced for being after HH, decently sized, and decently rolled. It's a safe roll to order time and time because it'll always be the same, and like I said, I can't ever seem to deny Spicy Tuna Rolls unless they taste like crap, which here at Rattan, they clearly don't.
Overall, the food has always been amazing no matter what I've order. Word of advice: for a pan-Asian restaurant, they make one hell of a famous Vietnamese dish known as Com Bo Luc Lac (which essentially is rice and beef tips). Here they call it "Vietnamese Garlic Beef." I don't care for the garlic, but the fried rice and juicy beef was enough to keep reeling me in. It's traditional enough to even come with a plate of salt, pepper, and limes. SO DELICIOUS. In fact, I was mad that I forgot to order it on my last visit, but we'll save it for the next one.
Oh, and the service? Always up to par, even during the busy lunch hour or slower dinner hours.
Giving this place a 1 for a follow up.
Came here for dinner on a Friday night. Enjoyed the lunch so much I thought I'd stop by during happy hour to give it a shot and explore more of the menu, brought the gf along too for what I thought would be a great time.
Checked my phone as I got in as I had just got off work and was starving...6:45 pm; excellent news as we were still in time for happy hour.
Didn't have a server or waitress come by our table until 7:05 to ask us if we wanted something to drink...7:15pm came and still no water or server/waitress. Got up and left, and nobody even stopped to ask us why. Was a total disaster, and one of those incidents that make you never want to come back here...
Not spectacular, but spectacularly consistent. Once you know what you like, it will be the same every time you eat there. We like to split a Shaggy Roll to start things off. Sea bass is my favorite entree. The flavors are simple but spot-on. We also like the garlic beef, although it's a little chewy for me. The tomato-fried rice that comes with it is really good. I've tried other dishes here, but I don't remember them well because I've probably ordered the sea bass my last 10 times here.
The wine setup is intriguing but I rarely drink here for some reason.
A few months ago, we threw a company party for and they did an awesome job. I worked with Danny, the assistant manager, to establish a nice happy hour spread and he helped me stay within our stated budget. Danielle did an amazing job of leading the team and keeping our guests happy and satisfied. I highly recommend asking for her.
The chicken potstickers are extremely tasty and filled with juicy ground chicken and mushrooms and perfectly seared and steamed like a good potsticker should be.
The fried shrimp and sate sticks are definite crowd pleasers.
My favorite rolls continue to be the shaggy, rocket, tokyo and nacho sushi. Yes, they are all fusion rolls and usually have some fried component or cream cheese. I know, not authentic, but tasty and delish.
On Danny's suggestion, we had chocolate oreo mousses for dessert. Light and fluffy chocolate mousse is layered on top of our favorite childhood cookies all dressed up in a tall shot glass. What better way to end a wonderful evening than with some lovely chocolate and cookies.
I will definitely continue to plan our next company functions at Rattan and highly recommend them. Tell Danielle and Danny I sent you.
This could have easily been a 4 star review based on food and ambiance, but the service lacks each time I've been. I also must state that every time I visited has been during my lunch break however.
I'm not sure if they are short staffed or just don't bother, but my co-workers and I have dined here for lunch on several occasions and always experience quite a delay from taking our drink order, to getting our food out, etc. Definitely not the place to come for a large group lunch, unless you can take 2 hours at least.
The reason we come back every once in a while? Well, the food. Their menu is quite diverse and inventive. Some of the top contenders on mine and my co-workers rotating list are:
-the garlic beef
-lemon grass jumbo shrimp (one of my personal favorites)
-pad thai
-miso glazed Chilean seabass
- sushi rolls, and some sashimi ( can't think exact ones, but all pretty fresh and a good selection to choose from)
They have some good deals on lunch specials, such as this past week, for $12 you could get a house salad, your choice of pad thai or a Kobe burger, and a dessert. They also pride themselves on using natural high grade ingredients.
The ambiance is contemporary yet warm, it was architecturally well designed to catch the eye and give is a posh appeal.
Their wine list has caught my attention and is well priced, a few bottles under $50. Another reason it draws my attention, as taken from their website, "Rattan features a top of the line stainless and glass Enomatic system which efficiently preserves each open bottle, enabling the restaurant to feature a dynamic selection of 40 wines by the glass."
As far as I can remember, Rattan has been around since 2005, it survived and outlived many of its older and newer neighbors during the recession, so they must be doing something right, but for goodness sake, fix and focus on your service already! You're killing me.
Ambiance: Good lounge music, just enough light (and dark enough for a nice date), they have a small private room that's possible for a small party, Â cute decor, outside patio to enjoy this great weather we've been having
Food:
- Appetizers: Edamame was ok, not heated enough. :( That always turns me off when restaurants can't get it right microwaving edamame. Can't be that hard, right? Kobe beef appetizer was pretty good, but honestly I don't have that much experience with it. Tender enough which I always like.
- Main entree: I ordered two rolls, but I've forgotten the names. One had Fuji in the name..... I did like that the eel sauce wasn't too sweet on one of the rolls, which I prefer. Salmon sushi was very good - Tazmanian salmon. My boy ordered pad thai that was way too soggy/soupy.
Service: Really good service. Seems like the staff works well together. Five stars on that alone.
Extras: I know this seems weird, but I always love a restaurant that doesn't skimp when giving wasabi/ginger. They do it right here.
Price: Ok for the price we had to pay. Without alcohol the whole bill came out to around $65 without tip.
Overall: Nice place. I've been there for girls night out and happy hour which I've always enjoyed, and I think the prices are a little more reasonable. Honestly, I pushed the review to a four because of the stellar service.
I fear leaving the Loop. Â It was with no small measure of skepticism that I disembarked from the safety and creativity of the Montrose area. Â I arrived to find a nice if not a bit boring "modern Asian restaurant." Â The decor is pleasant but not terribly imaginative... which doesn't really matter.
The food was really quite good. Â The lunch special sounded like a good deal (3 course for $12). Â As an afterthought to ordering chicken with peanut satay sauce, I asked the waiter to assure me that my dish would contain no diary (I have a bad allergy). Â He confirmed that the satay sauce is made with heavy cream! Â This is a a bit surprising... but I guess that's the "fusion" aspect. Â I was very impressed with our waiter's deportment, knowledge of the menu (it took three attempts to find something that he was able to recommend -- ALONG WITH THE REQUISITE SUBSTITUTIONS -- that appealed to me). Â I wound-up getting some "Vietnamese beef with tomato rice dish." Â It was fantastic. Â It wasn't mind-numbingly good... nor was it "inventive" in any way... but it was of good quality and quite tasty.
It was a very good experience. Â I'm still impressed with the waiter's deep knowledge of the menu, his friendly but non-Chili's-style-full-o-flair demeanor, and his willingness to help me navigate the menu based on my preferences and dietary limitations. Â I'm not in a hurry to venture back out in the sticks, again... but if you happen to be out that way... well, it's worth the $12/plate [for lunch].
This place is worth checking out. Â Used to go there all the time when I worked at Sysco and the food is consistently very good - and, they have an amazing deal at lunch - 3 courses for $12 (unless this has changed recently).
They actually have a cool selection of wines and a good happy hour list where you can get sushi, sashimi, cooked apps, drinks, et al for v reasonable prices. Â Also, while it was v crowded when it first open, it has since been much easier to get into. Â I recommend it.
I enjoy the sushi (though I find the non-lunch non-happy hr prices a bit high on the rolls), the sake martinis, and have loved the stir-fried beef with tomato rice and the burger. Â Could pass on the wild rice or whatever that comes with the burger.
The food here is pretty good. I've been to a couple of birthday dinners here before. The setting is cute the service is great!
For appetizers, I would suggest the Thai Basil Garlic clams and the Nacho sushi! I really enjoy those two.
For main entress, I enjoyed the Crispy Tempura Chicken and the Basil Chicken Noodle. There's also sushi here and the rolls are awesome! Such a variety to choose from. Personal favorites: Volcano, Shaggy and the Sensei Roll!
I would really suggest this restaurant if you're craving Asian-fusion food or sushi.
I'm normally weary of places that serve fusion food, especially Asian food, as I'm a bit of a purist in that regard. Â But I came into this place because my friend and I were looking for something to do and her mom had suggested this place. Â
The first thing that struck me was its contemporary design. Â You have the option of sitting at a booth, table, patio, or bar. Â There's low lighting but at the booths the lighting is great, just perfect for a date. Â
The menu served a variety of dishes from across Asia as well as numerous sushi rolls.  There was also a wine list and a special set dinner menu that comes with choices for an appetizer, entrée, and dessert for $15.  My friend and I each opted for the set menu and ordered different things. Â
I had the sampler of chicken/beef/pork skewers, the salmon, and a creme brulee. I also tried some of my friend's sushi. Â I was quite impressed with the dinner overall. Â The flavors were excellent and the service was very attentive. Â My friend and I stayed there talking for some hours after our meal until closing in fact, and even then the staff never rushed us out of there. Â
I would definitely go again.
Their weekday lunch special menu (their "stimulus lunch special" is a great deal for $12: salad, main, and mini dessert. Â The sushi choice is a full sized roll (menu priced at around $12 all on its own) in Rattan's fusion roll style.
I definitely recommend just about anything on their sushi menu, and their fried rice is my favorite in the city: very flavorful, good cuts of chicken, beef, and shrimp, and not greasy at all.
The covered outdoor patio is great for those rare Houston days when its bearable to eat outdoors, and if you're siting inside, the main dining room is bright and cheery with a sky light and huge windows, and several more intimiate booths line the the wall near the entrance.
This is a place I've passed by many times. Â It looks appealing on the outside so I thought it may be somewhere I may want to dine. Â One of My Girlies asked me to go to lunch and to pick a spot. Â I told her about Rattan and she was game. Â She looked at the menu online and knew what she wanted when we arrived. Â We decided to meet there at 11. Â Good thing we did. Â The line was literally out the door at noon.
The place was so cool.  The wait staff was very friendly, informative, and attentive.  There were so many delicious things on the menu that we decided to each order something different to share.  My  Girlie ordered the honey glazed walnut shrimp (appetizer).  I ordered the lemongrass shrimp.  It was accompanied by jasmine rice and sauteed spinach with a chili pepper sauce.  The honey shrimp was perfectly crisp and the walnuts were huge and deliciously glazed.  I like spinach, but this was sooooooooo goooooood with that darn chili sauce.  I don't even like chili sauce.  Oh my!  I want to go back for more shrimp and spinach right now.
A friend of mine was really wanting to go here last night, so we did. Â The atmosphere was quite nice, and it was pretty quiet. Â Sadly we arrived about 2 seconds too late for the Happy Hour. Â Drat! Â
Regardless, we stayed for dinner. Â The food was good, the presentation was nice, but it was a little pricey for what it was I thought. Â There were a lot of other dishes I'm interested in trying, so I'll probably go back at some point, but I'm not in a rush. Â I would like to give this place another try during the Happy Hour... that might make it better.
Their Happy Hour starts at 12 noon on a Saturday which is pretty awesome. Â I made it there around 12:30 Â and promptly started off with a bottle of Kirin Light for 2 bucks. Â Another 2 bucks and I could have had a sake bottle but it was too bright outside for me to start "bombing" away. Â Next time though!
From their Happy Hour Menu our group ordered Edamame, Seaweed Salad, and the Satay Sampler. Â Edamame is pretty much the same everywhere and their seaweed salad tasted of nothing but sesame. Â Their Satay Sampler was a success though. Â Thoroughly marinated, slightly smokey, and very tender. Â My favorite was the beef. Â They had a curry peanut sauce but I didn't think it went well with meat so I left it alone after a taste.
Now on to the sushi rolls. Â We had the Wicker, Rocket, Ninja, Spicy Salmon, Spicy Yellowtail, Salmon Nigiri, and Escolar Nigiri. Â The Wicker was fried crunchy with chicken tempura and lots of spicy mayo and sirachi. Â It was so good, we ordered 2 of them. Â Along with the Rocket as well, that one had more cream cheese than I can tolerate though. Â The other rolls were okay. Â But the nigiri was disappointing. Â Very thin slices that had no taste at all.
My other complaint is their portion size. Â It's lower pricing but then again you are getting half size servings, so if you eat as you'd normally would you'll end up paying regular price for the rolls. Â The appetizer and drinks were a good deal though. Â
The service was a bit slow but then again there was only one waitress. The chef bought out our sushi personally and helped with any questions we had. Â The restaurant itself is lovely. Â Deep shades of warm colors with bold splashes of green, purple and red. Â They had giant paper lights that cast a warm glow over each table. Â I wouldn't mind going here for happy hour again.
One of my husbands and my favorite places to go eat! The price is right for the food quality and amount and the service is outstanding and the wine flights always have us trying something new!
Last time we went with some guest and started with the Bistro Roll(our first time getting this one and will get again!), Spider Roll and Crispy Tempura Shrimp, All Great!
My husbands favorite to get it the Miso Glazed Chilean Seabass and he got it this last time, I had the Seafood Don which was so rich and delicious I had about half to take home. Our Guest had the Crispy Tempura Shrimp and the Pork Shank (I tried some of this one and it was great, tender, and the sides were so inspired)
Anyways, we love it and will be back more and more, we actually were tempted to go there tonight, but another time I'm sure!
I spotted Rattan in route to a friend's house. It's rare to see a restaurant sign with the happy hours beneath it in permanent writing. Even more rare to see a happy hour that starts at 3pm.
I entered at exactly 3:00pm, a few days later. The exterior is a preview of the contemporary design. 3/4 of  the door is wood, the remaining1/4 is metal, I hadn't seen anything like it before, wish I would have taken a photo of it.
The Price. The happy hour could be a steal or equal to the regular menu, depending on what you order. After looking at the happy hour menu, I opted for the regular menu, since it'd cost about the same if I ordered what I wanted. My meal was reasonably priced.
The Decor. The cylinder shade lamps were my favorite lighting fixture, Â the shade is a fire-like red orange yellow color. See photo. The upholstery is unique (8 of the 9 squares are original).
The Food. Â Inside a white square bowl, tender chicken swam in the teriyaki sauce along with onions, mushrooms, and garlic. The teriyaki sauce was just right, not bitter not sweet. Rice was neatly formed into a dome shape inside a white almond shaped plate, simple presentation for both dishes.
Rattan: (n.) a climbing palm of Sri Lanka and southern India remarkable for the great length of the stems which are used for malacca canes  Indian? That's odd. The menu says they offer fresh pacific food. I am not sure of the connection, perhaps it just sounded cool to the owner.
The Service. My waiter was friendly when I asked for recommendation, very professional too. I wish he could have read my mind. He took a break just as I was finished with my meal, just when I wanted my check. No worries. I absorbed the scenery and listened to the calm etheral music.
The best thing about Rattan is the ambiance and decor.
I have not visited Rattan in a few months but we were frequenters last year.
The building is definitely modern and chic and the inside decor is about the same, with a flat-screen television in the middle of the dining room (this threw me off a little).
Happy hour at Rattan is a fantastic bargain with appetizers and sushi being affordable and tasty. The house red and white wines are also on sale during this time and are chosen on a day-to-day basis.
Now let's have a little chat about the food. If you come to Rattan with the expectation that you are going to get true Asian cuisine, you are going to be very disappointed. I would describe the menu as Asian with American and French influences. There are dishes on the menu that are very Japanese in style like the Teriyaki Beef right above a burger that has a mix of Asian and American flavors.
The key point here is that the food is well done. Occasionally a plate will make it in front of me that is a little too sweet or salty, but it's rare.
The satay is one of my favorite appetizers, with the smoky flavor that satay should have. We usually order the sampler and the only meat I have ever taken issue with is the lamb, which was overcooked once. The peanut sauce leaves a little to be desired, needing a little more heat behind it to complement the peanuts.
Sizzling Sweet Onion Beef and Red Curry Basil Beef are two of my favorite beef dishes at Rattan, both with lots of flavor and the sweet onion beef having just enough sweetness. Of the chicken dishes, I usually spring for the Thai Style Grilled Chicken or Buddha Chicken, both are palette pleasers.
Lastly, the sushi here is great if you are not expecting the most elegant presentation and freshest fish. Don't get me wrong, the fish is fresh, it just isn't straight out of the water and on to your plate. The flavors that they create are good and they can do the standard rolls just fine. The Wicker Roll and the the Kung-Fu Roll are great choices on the specialty roll menu, as is the Tiger Eye Roll. They deliver on flavor and a little heat.
I recommend Rattan to anyone wanting something different from their everyday General Tso's Chicken place.
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