I haven't done a review in a really long time but felt I needed to do one for this. My friend and I went here for lunch and did not have a pleasant experience.
The building itself is lovely and easy to get to. The area had plenty of street parking and the decor of Chao Baan was great!
My friend and I went in and were immediately greeted by the hostess and then we decided to dine outside which there were a few tables- everything was clean and well-stocked.
My friend and I ordered the 3 and 6 from the lunch menu and the wings appetizer as a starter---
The wings tasted like normal wings but the portion was quite small- just two full wings. Which was fine for two people I guess... the taste was just standard chicken and the sauce might have been the best part of our entire meal.
Right after the wing appetizer arrived the entrees did- I am A firm believer that we first eat with our eyes first -first glance the food was stunning. Vibrant colors and the plating was superb!
Then my friend and I went in for a taste and were both highly disappointed. My dish was dry tasting... it felt like the rice sucked moisture from me and the egg on top of the rice was good but I would say slightly overcooked.
The chicken on my dish had a negative unique flavor. It was almost as the sauce was purposely overwhelming. My friend on the other side of the table even commented on how pungent it was. Eating both parts of the dish together did not help the overall dish taste better either. It just seemed I was doomed to eat two dry parts of a subpar dish. I ended up using some of the sauce from the two chicken wings on the rice to try to improve the taste but to no avail.
I don't do this often but I actually just didn't finish my food which was upsetting because I had high hopes for this place when my friend wanted to try it. The price of the food was standard pricing for a lunch menu but the wing portion was smaller than expected and the taste did not match its price point.
Though most of this review sounds negative--- the staff was great and it's a lovely place. Maybe from reading other reviews, I should have visited at night; though honestly, I'm unsure if I'm willing to even try them at night with the experience I had- with so many other choices in this area as competition, I don't see me coming back here anytime soon.
Chao Baan
4087 Chouteau Ave
St. Louis, MO 63110
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