Bodhi Thai Dining — Restaurant in Lexington

My husband and I ate here for the second time approx 2 weeks ago, after experiencing a wonderful evening at Bodhi Thai shortly after the restaurant opened. The food was again wonderful, and beautifully presented, however the service was very disappointing, considering the cost of the experience. We were seated almost immediately, (there was only one other couple in the dining area), and ordered drinks promptly. 10 minutes later we were told that the bartender was backed up, then that he did not have the ingredients for a peach martini and we would need to order something else. After a second request for our drinks (we had already consumed the complementary amuse bouche and our appetizers had been placed on the table) we finally received them, 30 minutes after we had initially ordered them. My husband ordered 3 appetizers, requesting one to be served with my appetizer and then the other 2 with my main course. His first appetizer was incorrect, but he ate it anyway, assuming that it had been switched with the ones to be his main course serving. 3 people tried to clear away my husbands plate while I was still eating, and we had to insist that they leave us alone. Our main courses were served. My husband's was wrong, they had replicated his appetizer, rather than the other selection that he had made. I had asked for the pork panang course, but substituting the pork with chicken (which I had requested and been served on our last visit) This time, our waitress checked with the chef and assured me that this was possible. However I received the massaman chicken dish, with potatoes and carrot puree, and a side boat of panang curry sauce. Carrot puree and panang curry do not blend well. I pointed out the issue to the waitress, but I ate it anyway. Earlier I had asked for , but did not receive a second glass of wine until I had almost completed my main course. Again, there were several attempts to clean my husband's plate away while I was still eating. When we received the bill, it was incorrect, charging for 4 appetizers for my husband, rather than 3. The second wine was noted as gratis, as it was delivered so late I did not have time to enjoy it. As we left, I calmly explained to the hostess all the issues, and said that I could understand that mistakes can happen, but if Bodhi Thai wants to charge their current prices, then the service needs to be meet the expectations of a gourmet experience. She committed that the manager , Mr Tom Brown would call me, however I did not hear from him....

This restaurant has a simple menu yet you will find yourself craving to go back again and again and again. The first time we had it we took out, we were astonished at how 5 star chef the food was prepared. Distinctive and creative flavors that satisfied every sense. The drunken noodles with the almost sensuous taste of lemongrass was absolutely it. The duck was soft enough to melt in your mouth. The home experience had us running back before the week passed.

When we ate in I noticed the intimate and romantic feel of the restaurant. We went very late - 8:45 res - so there were not many people there and it gave it the ultimate boutique feel - dim lighting, zen like ambience; like something you might find on a well kept secret side street in Honolulu but never here in Columbia South Carolina.

The server knew his business, the way he presented himself, the description of the restaurant, the breakdown on the chef and the way he served the food really brought me to the atmosphere of Robert De Niro's Nobu - and that is saying A LOT. Usually only Nobu makes me think of Nobu. The young man was impressive to say the least. You feel like a million dollars being served.

We (Chris and I) had the ribs and the pork belly bun to start. Meat tender, perfectly seasoned, Bao fresh, so good. Too good. Chris ordered two more of the Bao to take home. Somebody will be taping if he doesn't watch it. (Military would understand)

Anyway for entrees I had the Salmon with Japanese and Thai eggplant - he had the New York Strip, both accompanied with the Bodhi fried rice. For drinks He had a Thai White Russian I had the Tropical Nivit... Get that... Trust me. I had two. Ok... I had three.

For dessert - I had the coffee gelato and Chris had the Taro Custard. A near perfect meal in a near perfect environment. The one thing I would say is the food also cost like you would expect fine chef created cuisine to cost. Not heart-attack levels - but hyperventilation might occur if you are not used to higher prices mixed with modest sized plates.

All in all I doubt very much you will have anything to complain about. Bravo Bodhi Thai, you've lent my more familiar ideas of eating in New York or Seattle or Hawaii right to the streets of Columbia SC. I really wish more would think to...

My coworkers and I had dinner and drinks at the bar this past Thursday and the short and sweet of it is, you absolutely must try this place.

We started with the braised baby back pork ribs. They were cooked perfectly, slid off the bone and had perfect char and the flavor of the whiskey sauce was amazing. Next we had the chicken satay, it was obviously much lighter than the ribs but also very tasty. The chicken alone is good but the dipping sauce with a little of the sticky rice, followed by the cucumber relish and peanut is the perfect pairing of textures and flavors.

We all ordered different entrees and sampled each of them. I ordered the pork belly and it came out perfect, seasoned and plated beautifully it paired well with the grits and vegetables . The filet was also cooked a perfect medium rare and delicious. I didn’t try the veggies with it but they looked good. Last of the entrees I tried was the chicken dish and it was also a great tasting dish, my coworker said he thought the sauce was too sweet but I didn’t mind it one bit.

The accompaniments we had were the pineapple fried rice , Brussels sprouts, and fried cauliflower. All of them were great either the cauliflower being a favorite of the group.

Last but certainly not least was the crème brûlée the fresh berries and mint on top of the light crème with the hard sugary top layer was quite honestly a game changer! Im unsure of the exact flavors in the ice cream on top but it all went so well together that I may just have that as my entree next time lol.

All in all service was on point and sitting next to the kitchen was nice. Seeing how well the kitchen ran without yelling and tons of noise was refreshing since we were seated right next to it. I will 100% be back and I will be telling everyone about this absolutely gem of a restaurant.

Also the chef was super friendly and relatable. It was nice to meet him and hear the stories about his recent trip back...