Boom Noodle + Ballet Oriental Cuisine
Lunch Date Disaster
She Said:
Boom Noodle? Or Ballet. Maybe not an obvious decision, but an easy one.
I say it’s “not obvious” because the two are very different in terms of look and ambiance. Boom is a new[er], modern, sleek, trendy noodle-shop, while Ballet is a Thai/Vietnamese joint located in a hole in the wall that welcomes you with its old, faded, and unassuming awning.
Anyone would guess that Boom Noodle is the wiser choice when looking to take someone for a quick lunch date.
WRONG.
And how do I know this? Because Brett and I LIVED IT.
Let me start by saying Boom Noodle was an all-time-favorite of mine. I always enjoyed the food; the service was fine… love the look and feel of the interior.
This love affair abruptly ended when Brett and I decided to have a lunch date here last December.
Brett had the day off and came up to meet me for lunch at my office on Capitol Hill. Because I didn’t have a ton of time, I knew we’d have to be quick – I’m talking about LUNCH here people, get your minds out of the gutter.
Anyway, I suggested Boom. We’d been there before and both really enjoyed it, and we were both in the mood for some yummy Vietnamese comfort food. We arrived and waited a few minutes before we were greeted. The place was near-empty, so we weren’t sure why we weren’t attended to quicker.
The gentleman who greeted us led us to a small table in the bar where we sat down and waited.
FOR LITERALLY TWENTY MINUTES.
Not ONE person came up to us in those 20 minutes to help us. We kept making eye contact with the bartender, the various wait staff… they were too busy joking and laughing and teasing each other behind the bar to notice that we needed help.
Brett and I were both curious how long this blatant disregard for their customers would continue (out of sheer curiosity, being that we dine out a lot and were already drafting the blog entry for this lunch-date-disaster in our minds as we waited). And also, Brett was scared that if we got up and requested service, we’d wind up with God-knows-what put into our food (we’ve all seen ‘Waiting’, we know how these things work).
Finally, because we were actually on a time crunch, we gave up. We made an obvious display of our displeasure while putting our jackets on. The guy who helped us to our table looked at us and noticed, finally, that we didn’t even have waters yet. He made eye contact with me, then simply looked away. We left hungry and irritated… with only 30 minutes left to grab a bite.
I knew we were both craving noodles, so suggested Ballet just down the street. They serve almost an identical menu as Boom, for almost half the price. Sure, the ambiance isn’t as chic, but the food is BETTER and the service exceptional.
We were in and out in 30 minutes, full and satisfied (our meal was good, too… giggity).
The moral of the story? If you’re looking for a quick lunch date locale along the Pike/Pine corridor on Broadway… don’t judge a book by its cover, and head to Ballet. You won’t be sorry.
Boom Noodle? Or Ballet. Maybe not an obvious decision, but an easy one.
I say it’s “not obvious” because the two are very different in terms of look and ambiance. Boom is a new[er], modern, sleek, trendy noodle-shop, while Ballet is a Thai/Vietnamese joint located in a hole in the wall that welcomes you with its old, faded, and unassuming awning.
Anyone would guess that Boom Noodle is the wiser choice when looking to take someone for a quick lunch date.WRONG.
And how do I know this? Because Brett and I LIVED IT.
Let me start by saying Boom Noodle was an all-time-favorite of mine. I always enjoyed the food; the service was fine… love the look and feel of the interior.
This love affair abruptly ended when Brett and I decided to have a lunch date here last December.
Brett had the day off and came up to meet me for lunch at my office on Capitol Hill. Because I didn’t have a ton of time, I knew we’d have to be quick – I’m talking about LUNCH here people, get your minds out of the gutter.
Anyway, I suggested Boom. We’d been there before and both really enjoyed it, and we were both in the mood for some yummy Vietnamese comfort food. We arrived and waited a few minutes before we were greeted. The place was near-empty, so we weren’t sure why we weren’t attended to quicker.The gentleman who greeted us led us to a small table in the bar where we sat down and waited.
FOR LITERALLY TWENTY MINUTES.
Not ONE person came up to us in those 20 minutes to help us. We kept making eye contact with the bartender, the various wait staff… they were too busy joking and laughing and teasing each other behind the bar to notice that we needed help.
Brett and I were both curious how long this blatant disregard for their customers would continue (out of sheer curiosity, being that we dine out a lot and were already drafting the blog entry for this lunch-date-disaster in our minds as we waited). And also, Brett was scared that if we got up and requested service, we’d wind up with God-knows-what put into our food (we’ve all seen ‘Waiting’, we know how these things work).
Finally, because we were actually on a time crunch, we gave up. We made an obvious display of our displeasure while putting our jackets on. The guy who helped us to our table looked at us and noticed, finally, that we didn’t even have waters yet. He made eye contact with me, then simply looked away. We left hungry and irritated… with only 30 minutes left to grab a bite.
I knew we were both craving noodles, so suggested Ballet just down the street. They serve almost an identical menu as Boom, for almost half the price. Sure, the ambiance isn’t as chic, but the food is BETTER and the service exceptional.We were in and out in 30 minutes, full and satisfied (our meal was good, too… giggity).
The moral of the story? If you’re looking for a quick lunch date locale along the Pike/Pine corridor on Broadway… don’t judge a book by its cover, and head to Ballet. You won’t be sorry.
RATINGS:
Ballet Oriental Cuisine(206) 328-7983
914 E Pike St
Seattle, WA 98122
Romance: 1 - not romantic at all. Maybe at night, but not for lunch.
Cool Ambiance/Interior: 2 - nothing special, just your typical Thai/Vietnamese Joint
All Around Service: 5 - service is top-notch. Food arrives quickly and good portions, too!
Cost: $ = entrees from $0 - $7
Would we recommend it? 5: Yes! Probably not for a first date (won't impress the socks off her) but certainly if you want a quick meal that's delicious.
**Photo Credits**
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