Bloom Thai Cuisine — Restaurant in Lakewood

My families favorite Thai spot for years closed with no warning on Mildred recently. I asked around at work for recommendations on a new spot and someone suggested Bloom. The suggestor hadn’t been yet herself, but others had told her it was amazing. I had to see for myself, especially after seeing so many great reviews. 4.9/5 with 200+ reviews isn’t an easy task after all.

So, I went…

When trying out a new place I try sticking to a base product and if that’s not done well then I generally don’t give them a second chance. Pad Thai is that dish at Thai spots. I know it’s not ‘authentic’, but everywhere has it, and everywhere does it differently. Some it’s fairly subtle differences, others it’s wild. So that’s what I ordered.

I was coming in late from 512 so I called it in. Only 40 minutes left until they close and I was dead set on giving them business. The man that answered the phone was great! No pushyness or haste to get me off the line. He told me it’d be ready in 10 tops. Whoops! I was expecting 20 so I asked if he could hold off on starting the order for another 10. “No problem!” he told me. Very accommodating and I noticed. I don’t personally feel that exists as much anymore as it should. So I thanked him and said I’d see him in 20.

We are off to a great start!

The area was very familiar to me, but somehow I’d never seen the restaurant before or seen any signs for it. I just knew it was between Casa Mia’s and the trailer park. Not the best of locations getting in and out of and it’s certainly easy to miss. The coffee place on the island kind of takes up a huge chunk of the real estate once you pull in, but it is what it is. No biggie.

That’s literally my ONLY ‘complaint’ from my first visit, and it’s not even a complaint. It just is.

I park and I'm happy to see they’re doing quite a bit of business for closing up shop in 20 minutes. There’s a bit of patio (or sidewalk) seating while the suns still out for another week or two. I walk into the restaurant and was greeted by smiles and welcomes from the entire staff, and I mean everyone! It’s a cozy little place and I wouldn’t mind having a meal there. I am told my food is ready so I walk up and I get to talking to Mama Blue, and she’s the absolute best!! She explained the dish and even made sure I wasn’t going to take a long time to eat it because the palm sugar consistency would change and while it would still be delicious, she wanted to make sure I had it at its peak! I told her I appreciated it and that I’d see her soon I’m sure. She then made sure I had utensils as I thanked them again and wished them a good evening. The Pad Thai was clearly made with care as visually it looked amazing! I took Mama Blue at her word so I ate it in my parking spot and what do you know?

Peak deliciousness!

I’m planning on going back soon to try something new. I read their story on their website and it made me like them even more. No pretentiousness, just a family following their dreams. And in looking at their menu, I loved the fact that it’s not bloated with page after page. So many places try doing way too much and don’t do anything well. Something tells me that Blooms path to success will be the exact opposite of that; doing a moderate number of dishes, but making them with love and care and crafting their meals to their own level of perfection. Like something they’d cook for their own family.

4.9 out of 5 makes all the sense in the world to me.

They’ve earned it.

I can’t lie.. from the customer service over the phone, to accommodating a request to delay my order with zero hesitation, to the warm welcome and genuine conversation, to giving me insight to the dish and caring that I devour it at its peak taste…

I felt like family for those...

I have been following this sweet family business on Instagram for several months because another small food business shared their post of opening a location in Lakewood, so I made sure to follow as I really wanted to try their food! They have some of the most appetizing Thai food pictures I have ever seen so I was super excited to see that they were opening up a location, and it was pretty close by. We came to celebrate my birthday and thankfully, the day we decided to stop by was when they started being open on Tuesdays as that was the only day we could come this week. When we arrived, the tables were either occupied or just had their patrons leave. Once we let the owner Mama Blue know that we were a party of four, they let us know how to order while we were doing that, they prepared a table for us quickly. Mama Blue also was very polite and told us to let her know if we had any questions.

We really loved how cozy and cute the ambiance of the interior was. It was very intimate thanks to the lighting, décor, and choice of furniture. The table setting was also very cute with small greenery and a candle. We were also directed to the self-serve station after we ordered as there was water with orange slices, utensils, small plates, napkins and spice racks. Mama Blue shared that it is to resemble how it is in Thailand when you eat street food which I thought was a very creative.

As for food, we ordered the Red Curry (chicken), two orders of Pad See Ew (prawn and chicken), and Phad Thai (chicken). I was torn between the red curry and phad thai as I wasn't sure what my mother or grandma was going to get so I asked Mama Blue which she would suggest and she answers Pad Thai immediately with a smile. The food was prepared fresh and hot for us and we enjoyed our meal with great gusto. The presentation was lovely and the portions were ginormous, so come very hungry or expect leftovers. I really love the red curry and phad thai (Thank you Mama Blue for the recommendation!), and honestly think it was the best I have ever had in all my experiences of having Thai food. The food at Bloom Thai Cuisine is definitely the closest I think I have ever had to authentic Thai food and it was such a memorable, delicious experience that I hope to have again and again. Mama Blue made wonderful and personal conversation with us and sharing how she always makes sure each ingredient for her dishes are fresh, and that's why she uses fresh udon noodles for her Pad See Ew and Drunken noodles. I shared my story of how I found their Instagram and that I wanted to visit for my birthday dinner, so Mama Blue not only wished me a happy birthday but told us that she would make a mango and sticky rice on the house to celebrate my special day. I never had mango and sticky rice but I just knew in my heart and soul that Mama Blue would not disappoint after having such amazing entrees so far. And of course, she delivered it with the fresh slice mangos that were the perfect ripeness and the sticky rice was absolutely refreshing with the coconut milk it was soaking up. When we were leaving, it was past closing but Mama Blue told us that they were in no rush and even came to bid us farewell. An absolute gem of a person and so incredible humble! Thank you so much Bloom Thai, I hope your business continues to prosper and look forward to my...

My fiancé and I came here on the recommendation of a friend. EVERY protein was insanely overcooked. I took a video of the pork belly making a hollow sound as I tapped it with a fork. The coconut shrimp was very dark brown and chewy. The garlic chicken was hard. On the flip side, the Udon noodles had a great cook on them. Al dente, but not too hard with a great oil ratio. Well done on that score. Unfortunately, the excessive use of basil made it hard to appreciate... seriously unbalanced flavor profile.

The mimosas were perfectly balanced between juice and champagne. That I'm happy to report. Well done.

Overall, the food was not worth the price. Since everything looked good on the way in, we tipped 25% bringing our total to 100 (you pay up front and they don't give change for cash we were told). The food cost was $80, and the portions were semi-generous for the price. Would've been worth it if the food were quality.

I hate to say that it feels like the lower palate denominator is being served here, but (if you like your steak burnt) this may be the Thai restaurant for you. One appetizer and two meals costing 80 in this case was simply not worth it. Beware of higher star reviews. They say they haven't paid for them, but... that doesn't mean that they haven't gotten friends or family to do them for free. I'm not making that accusation - simply stating it as a possibility as the food just isn't equivalent to the rating.

Please, if you are being deceptive with your reviews, don't! I've wasted my time and money here. We did have a good laugh at the chewy proteins and saw some dumplings (off the menu the guy said) that looked like they had a perfect cook on them. They appeared golden and crispy without being overcooked. I'd like to try them to see if they match the Udon noodle's cook. There's serious potential here, it needs a lot of refining and a better eye and palate controlling the kitchen. Please do better. I feel that, if you can appreciate criticism, you'll learn to be great. Again, serious potential here. Just a lazy, unobservant cook on...