Lat14 Asian Eatery — Restaurant in Golden Valley

As a Southeast Asian, I was really excited to try this place since the menu features dishes that are familiar and comforting to me. I really wanted to like this place but after spending $120+ here, it wasn't it. Upon entering, I was surprised by the ambiance it’s quite classy, from the usual Asian restaurant atmosphere. The staff were also friendly and attentive, which made for a positive first impression.

I visited on a Friday afternoon between 4 pm and 5 pm, right after work, and the restaurant was pretty quiet, with only about six other guests. Unfortunately, one downside was that the food took quite a while to come out, despite the relatively empty dining room. We had to wait 20-25 minutes for appetizers and another 20-25 minutes for the main courses. In the end, we spent more time waiting than eating.

Basil Wings 9/10: This was definitely the highlight of the meal. The wings were crispy, juicy, and the dry rub was perfectly balanced and definitely addictive.

Nam Khao (6/10): The presentation was beautiful, and I appreciated that the lettuce wraps and herbs were served at room temperature rather than cold. The flavors were all there, with a nice balance of sour from the lime juice and nuttiness from the rice powder and peanuts. However, the dish was too salty for my taste. I enjoy salty food, but this was a bit much, and after a few bites, it became hard to keep going.

Tom Yum Ramen (5/10): While the presentation was great, the dish was too sour for my liking. The pickled mushrooms were so intense that i had to let out a cough lol. The shrimp and scallops were cooked perfectly, and the ramen had a nice texture. Still, the sourness made it hard to enjoy overall, and we didn’t finish half the dish.

Drunken Noodles (5/10): This dish also had lovely presentation and all the flavors were there but unfortunately, the noodles weren’t cooked thoroughly. Which made them rubbery, not for my liking.

Khao Soi Chiang Mai (2/10): This was probably my biggest disappointment. The presentation was on point, but I was expecting a more traditional Thai or Lao-style curry. Instead, what I got tasted like an Indian curry, with an overwhelming cumin flavor. It was so potent that it dominated the dish, and I ended up leaving most of it untouched.

Overall Rating: 4/10

Most of the dishes didn’t meet my expectations. They were either too salty, too sour, or the flavor balance wasn't right. I feel the flavors were much exaggerated in an attempt to be somewhat a trendy take on southeast...

Service was mediocre but acceptable. Atmosphere was nice and vibes were good.

Food wise… 1/10. If you are familiar with SE Asian flavors and cuisine or if you are SE Asian (including Filipino), you’ll realize that these foods are not close to what they traditionally are.

Review:

The Lechon was over cooked, dry, and very hard to bite. I hurt my mouth, cutting it instead.

The chicken adobo was horrible. It was my first time ever having chicken adobo and it did not taste anything like Filipino food. The sauce was extremely salty and did not compliment well. To make it worst, the chicken was so dry that I couldn’t even swallow it. I had to chase it with water each time. Luckily I had an extra side of jasmine rice to help. The fried patties that came with it were okay at best but the sauce ruined it. Horrible dish, they did not do the Filipinos justice, and I wouldn’t consider this chicken adobo.

The chicken pad Thai…. A dish im very familiar with was horrendous. I’ve had Pad Thai from small mom and pop shops heck even the typical Thai restaurant that had Pad Thai that was 10 times better. The pad Thai was too saucy, salty, lacked any spice, lacked any sour flavors, overcooked egg, and over use of bean sprouts and peanuts. Another horrible dish.

The food is a 1/10 for me. It may cater to the non-Asian associated American, or should I say, food adjusted for the white people. But as an Asian, SE Asian, these foods were horrible and does not even compared to what these foods really are. I am extremely disappointed. Another thing to add is that after eating the food, my girlfriend and I felt extremely bloated after. Note that we did not eat the entire day. There is a horrible taste in my mouth after leaving. I had to go to Culver’s next door for a pallet cleanse. Culver’s over Lat14.

And the last horrible thing, the food was overpriced for what you receive. It feels as if all you’re paying for is the atmosphere of the restaurant. Which wouldn’t be a problem if they get their food right. You’re better off saving yourself with a $20 meal from your small mom and pop shops than come here with a $100 bill.

1/10, I do not recommend if you truly want to taste real SE Asian/Filipino food.

P.S. the jasmine rice was the best thing they served, and you can’t mess that up especially if you have a rice cooker to...

Went here on a Friday night on a whim. I usually pickup takeout here on my way home from getting my car serviced, so I was looking forward to trying some of the drinks etc in person. I probably will only ever do takeout (if anything) from here after this sort of bummer service experience. Two stars because the rest of the staff was really friendly and helpful, we just had bad luck with our server.

My husband and I got there at 8:15 and got a seat at the bar since we figured it was kind of late for a table (it closes at 9). The host came and told us there was a table available if we wanted it, so we were happy to move. We ordered and received our app fairly quickly, finished it, then preceded to wait from ~8:40 to 9:20 for the next dish. When we ordered, she made an emphasis on how they pace the food for us-- it seems like she forgot to submit the rest of the order or something, because I recall her walking by from across the room, looking at us, looking alarmed, and rushing to the POS terminal at the back. About 20 min into the wait, my husband asked someone if we could just close out if the rest of the food wasn't made yet, and he told us "the kitchen is really backed up" (it was already closed at that point, and the restaurant was only 25% full, when it was previously at capacity). He offered a free dessert, but then never followed up (I didn't really want to wait any longer, but this just made it another bummer service thing).

It was also really odd, because when our food came out the ramen was lukewarm? I'm not sure if they made a mistake and boxed it up, then unboxed it and plated it or something. The server didn't acknowledge the wait or not checking in on us for almost 30min. Honestly, just tell us you can't seat folks that late or don't put us at a table, and don't offer a free perk that you never actually give us just to trick us into staying. I probably won't actually go back because there are so many other great choices in town where the flavor/spice level is a...