The Sea South East Asian Kitchen and Sushi — Restaurant in Delray Beach

There used to be this mediocre, casual Italian restaurant I had frequented, until they closed down. That is ancient history. The venue that replaced it is now called The Sea Southeast Asian Kitchen, located on Jog Road in Delray Beach, Florida. I had been going there, on and off, for a number of years. Stylish and up-scale, the Thai-owned eatery served gourmet takes on their sushi and sashimi offerings. I remember ordering whole fish, sliced and served sashimi and sushi-style. Or whole live scallops, the plate decorated with a tiny bamboo forest. I remember taking my nephew, Miles, there one time. I used to love that place, until the expense of my sashimi habit forced me to stay away from there. On days I would pass by The Sea, I would cast wistfully longing glances at that very special eatery. Fast forward a few years. I had become friends with a lively and outgoing restaurant hostess/ food server/ You Tube personality, Kulchalisa, AKA Boong. When I found out that she worked at The Sea, I decided it was time to re-enter that world. I was glad I did! From the moment I walked in there, Boong made sure that I had the most enjoyable restaurant experience possible. She was kind, helpful and attentive. Maybe it was just the sake talking, but she made both visits very special. And no, it wasn’t the sake. She was that nice! On that first visit, I had the open-faced Bao Bun, with soft-shelled crab, Asian pickled vegetables, shiso leaf and spicy mayo. The bun was pillow-soft, the filling savory and flavorful. I am a lover of soft-shelled crab, so this dish did not disappoint! I then had the Belly-Belly Sushi appetizer. It consisted of three pieces of Nigiri-style sushi, served three ways: with seared tuna belly, seared salmon belly and seared Hamachi belly. Presented with toppings of three different colors of caviar, the taste was rich and decadent. But the standout tour de force that day was the Tonkotsu Ramen soup. To quote the menu, it was an “8 HOURS PORK BONE BROTH, SOY SAUCE, ROASTED PORK BELLY, ENOKI MUSHROOMS, BOILED EGG, BOK CHOY, BEAN SPROUTS & NORI.” 8 hours!!! The assertive broth was bursting with flavor. It featured delicious, mouth-watering pork belly, Japanese vegetables and egg. The noodles were firm and al dente. Different than the wavy noodles found in packaged Ramen noodle soups, these noodles were straight, almost like angel hair pasta, and were apparently homemade. Far and away from the packaged Ramen that I am used to, this Ramen noodle soup was outstandingly memorable. On my next visit, which was last night, Boong went all out and created a special beverage holder made of ice and decorated with leaves and flowers. I could tell she was justifiably proud of her special surprise. For this visit, I only drank iced green tea. So the glass resting in the ice holder gave the holder a beautiful, light jade color. The holder, although it eventually melted, was a work of art preserved in digital images. I started out with the Madai Crudo. It was an elegant dish, of thinly sliced fish topped with thinly-shaved cucumber slices, assorted greens and tiny edible flowers. Richly flavored, it was a nice beginning to my meal. The next dish I had was the Hamachi-Kama. It was a delicious baked Hamachi collar bone. Served with ponzu sauce, the meat was firm, yet moist, with a pleasant light flavor. Since I was in the mood for lobster, I ordered the Lobster Monster Roll. Artfully displayed with a lobster shell, the roll was deep fried. Although the roll was tasty and flavorful, the lobster meat was a bit dry. But no matter; I enjoyed it all the same. In conclusion, between the quality of the service, made special with Boong’s love and care, the outstanding quality of the food, combined with the elegant atmosphere of this place, The Sea Southeast Asian Kitchen will always be a special home to go to when I crave a taste...

First and foremost, I would like to say I absolutely love asian food and trying new restaurants. Today was my first ever time going to Sea South. I thought the decor of the restaurant was very nice and I was impressed by the robot server. However, I did not like my server Tatiana or whatever her name was. I ordered some sushi and fried rice, the food was acceptable to my taste. However…. when I was drinking my glass of water I noticed a bug in it. It looked kind of like a small cockroach and it really did gross me out to the point where I didn't want to finish my food. It wasn’t even on the surface of the water, it was deep inside the water which makes it seem like it was in the water jug from when they refill us our drink. I am not a karen so I wasn’t going to cause a scene or make it a big deal. When Tatiana came over to clear our table because my friends and I were basically done with our meals, I brought it to her knowledge that there was a bug in my water. All she had to say was “umm, okay?” Like what?? Any normal server would've atleast say my apologies or im sorry let me get you a new water? or atleast act like she cared. I then asked if she could do anything for me like give me a 5% discount or anything and she immediately said no. She said that she’ll ask her manager and knows they would say no also. She comes back to gives us the check and I asked what her manager said about the bug in the water. she said “oh well the doors are open so it must have came from outside therefore there’s nothing we can do for you” I let it go and paid for my meal and left. Ur first experience at a restaurant determines if you would ever go there again or recommend to other people. I will not be going...

The sea is a Thai Fusion restaurant for the upper class who desire delicious Fusion food presented in a beautiful way. The atmosphere has a modern industrial feel with hammered metal tables and brickline walls with no ceiling. While this does create more noise then a restaurant with a softer feel the place had a lot of energy and excitement to it. The manager is extremely attentive moving throughout the restaurant constantly and the waitresses were busy throughout. We started with appetizers and they were all delicious. We ordered a cucumber outside roll, chicken satay, Sashimi and sushi appetizers. All of them were excellent and enjoyed by the members in our family. The Japanese peach martini was a huge hit with my wife but the Maitai I was very strong with alcohol although personally I like more of a fruit than alcohol flavor in my drinks. For dinner we had a variety of selections and everybody enjoyed them. No dessert menu to speak of which disappointed us. We finished our meal with coffee and tea and never felt rushed to leave the restaurant even though it was busy. The manager thanked us for visiting and told us the next time we were in town we should come back again which was sweet as she spent the time to learn that we are from out of town. If you want great Thai fusion food and above-average sushi I would absolutely...