Tip 1: Order the Thai tea with little ice or no ice.
Veggie Samosa ($3.50)
After the creamy flavor disappeared with the ice, I paid attention to the samosa, a food that originated in India. It was shaped like a triangular spring roll filled with meat and onions. I took one small bite of the crispy shell and discovered corn, carrots, and peas embraced with yellow curry inside. It was definitely a curry, but with a distinct meat smell. Usually, samosa is supposed to be served with special Indian sauce. However, the samosa here came with soy sauce. Unfortunately, when I dipped it into the salty soy sauce, the curry flavor was totally destroyed. The soy sauce made the samosa taste like disgusting spring rolls from most American-Chinese restaurants.
Tip 2: Do not dip the samosa into the soy sauce. Eat it plain.
Masaman Curry ($7.45)
The Masaman curry was one of the best curry dishes I have tasted in America so far. I was astonished by its authentic favor. It had a unique taste that perfectly mixed flavors of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy. The chicken meat was not special but strongly flavored the curry. The avocado and cashew not only made the curry look colorful but also added more distinctive and alluring smells and tastes to the dish. I worried about the quality of the steamed rice they served because rice greatly affects the taste of curry. In the US, rice is usually either too hard or too sticky. However, the Tin Drum’s Thai-style rice shocked me. Every piece of rice was separated, flipping, and rolling when I put it into my mouth and immediately danced between my teeth and tongue. Eating the rice and the Masaman curry together was incredibly delicious. The only skill one needs is to find the balance between the Masaman curry and the rice, in other words, not too much rice or too much curry. Believe me, the two will play a symphony in your mouth.
Tip 3: Masaman curry with rice is a “must-try.” Yet, do not mix too much curry with the rice.
Mandarin Rice ($6.95)
Compared to the Masaman curry, the Mandarin rice was a disappointment. It had no hometown taste at all. The Chinese sausage they used lacked a sweet taste, the key taste for Mandarin rice. It was more like Italian sausage fried rice. Also, the fried rice was really hard and the salt dominated the whole dish.
Tip 4: Do not eat the American Mandarin rice.
Overall, the Tin Drum is worth a visit for not only Asians, but for everyone. The entire meal cost me around twenty dollars, which was fair enough for me, a student. Although the Asian food at the Tin Drum’s is not as native as real Asian food, it still serves many exotic types of food. The dishes, especially the curry, are totally different from those at Brittain and Wooduff. To create innovative flavors, the cook tries to use a wide assortment of ingredients such as avocado and cashew.
Moreover, visiting the Tin Drum alone provided a very unique experience. Although it was unusual to eat alone and to order many dishes, it gave me an opportunity to pay complete attention to the food. Because of the quantity of food I ordered, several customers in the restaurant stared at me strangely while I was enjoying my food. However, I felt like I was immersing myself into an individual eating experience. Besides eating, I enjoyed my alone time at the Tin Drum.
Tech students should focus on not only studying but also choosing the right food. If you have the chance, be an individualist as well as a connoisseur and visit a restaurant alone one time. I promise, you will have a totally different experience.
Tin Drum:★★★☆☆
I really liked the way that you broke the meal down into separate parts. It was pretty effective here, I thought. I have once eaten at Tin Drum, and share your sentiments entirely.
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