Red Lotus Restaurant Review, Portola Valley

Red Lotus is a “Modern Authentic Southeast Asian Cuisine” restaurant in Portola Valley, just off Highway 280’s Alpine road exit. We were surprised to find this restaurant here in the local strip mall. A blog post indicates the chef has some serious experience.

Decor, Vibe – Nice clean looking albeit sparse interior with Asian accents. Handful of tables on the outside patio. Mostly middle aged locals and some VC’s were lunching when we were there.

Menu Pictures (Click to zoom into any picture)

Menu

Website Menu

Picks:

Apple Prawn Salad ($8.50) Poached tiger prawns julienne of fuji and granny smith apples, mango, jicama, carrots, cucumbers, cashews, crispy taro with mint dressing was a very good. A simple and refreshing salad, with lots apples slathered with a sweet dressing. There were only 3 sliced prawns in this salad.

Lobster and Tiger Prawn Curry ($25) with pineapple, bell peppers and asparagus in a red Malaysian curry sauce was excellent. A very good sweet curry that was not spicy, covered 2 small but tasty lobster tails and about 4 pieces of prawns. Complex flavors made this curry a must for ordering rice.

Roti ($2) was not on the menu, but apparently is complimentary during dinner. Well done, crunch, delightful with a robust peanut dipping sauce.

OK:

Thai Ice Tea ($3) was a huge drink but was on the sweet side.

Pans:

Honey Sesame Pork Lunch Special ($8) was a nice looking lunch but the pork failed to have much flavor. Value is definitely there though.

Red Lotus had decent service once our food started to arrive. They were out of sync seating us, getting an order taken, and recommending items. The lunch specials are definitely good values but the one we ordered was uninspired.
We were plesantly surprised by the quality of the other dishes and would not have a hard time recommending this place. Prices are not cheap though. It is located off the beaten track though. Other reviews cite a good Fish in Black Bean Sauce or Seabass with Garlic Sauce. These are all on the Chef’s Specials menu. This restaurant reminds of Straits cafe, but does not have the atmosphere of it.

Overall Rating: (Good)

Come Back?

Food Rating:	(Very Good)
Service Rating:	(Good)
Atmosphere Rating:	(Good)
Value Rating:	(Good)

Guide: 0 = poor, 1 = Fair/Average, 2 = Good, 2.5 = Very Good, 3 = Excellent , 4 = Extraordinary

Alcohol:	Beer, Wine
Attire:	Casual
Hours:	Mon - Fri 1130am - 2:30pm, Mon - Sat 430-9pm
Parking:	Free Lot
Reservations:	Yes
Prices:	$9 - $26

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