Money Tree Kitchen — Restaurant in Fairhaven

Before we get started, RIP Sivalai. #iykyk

Now with that out of the way let’s talk Money Tree. I always wanted a Vietnamese restaurant nearby but I didn’t want its arrival to cost me a favorite local Thai spot. Be careful what you wish for.

On the plus side it looks like a good group has taken over the space so it could be worse. You can get a sense they are still feeling out the local audience to see what can and can’t work. Sivalai fans will find much of the menu has carried over, for better or worse.

Spicy wings are excellent, the spice mix they use to finish the wings has a great balance of multiple flavors and utilizes prickly ash to give a slight numbness similar to Sichuan peppercorns. Pho and bahn mi have been consistently good choices. Pad kra pow is a slight disappointment as it is too saucy and contains unnecessary elements. Khai dao is a bit hit or miss as well.

Overall it is a solid spot, run by a good team and I hope to see them lean into more Vietnamese food with their menu. I can understand the hesitancy to make too many changes too soon, the economic reality of running a restaurant being what it is. It would be unfortunate if hewing too closely to what preceded it ended up becoming something that dooms it to a...

A few days ago I ordered two entrees and an order of crab rangoons from Silvalai Thai Cruisine.  Since they don't deliver I paid for delivery by Doordash. There was supposed to be five rangoons per their menu but I only received three. I called the restaurant and was transferred to the manager. After explaining what happened she asked her employee about it and was told that she packed five rangoons. The manager then preceeded to tell me the the driver (Doordash) took the other two rangoons. I told her that there was no way I believed that happened. After a very heated conversation the manager said she would credit me for the rangoons, which she did. I then called Doordash and told them what the restaurant accused them of. I felt they should know. Doordash in turn called the driver to ask if she had opened my delivery bag which she hadn't.  I then called the driver to let her know that I didn't believe she had taken the food. How a restaurant could make such an accusation instead of just apologizing is beyond me. Beware if you are missing food on your delivery.   It is NOT the fault of the delivery driver. Of course I will never order...

Won't go back. The seafood curry which was described on the menu as having, muscles, calamari, scallops & shrimp was terrible. Fairhaven has beautiful seafood available. There was one half of one scallop, one large and tough shrimp, some very large not local muscles, a few very large & very rubbery pieces of squid + a bunch of imitation crab meat (sea legs). Yuck! Also even though the place was empty, the service was terrible. Our Thai tea came in a teapot that had so little water in it, the teabag couldn't even get wet. We waited very long stretches for the waitress each time, when I would finally get up to find her, she would be flipping through a magazine up front. No thank you! This is my 2nd terrible experience here. I like to give the local folks second chances, since we all have bad days. Don't waste...