Monday, October 11, 2004

Restaurant review: Big Bowl

Last Friday, my family came to pick me up from work so we could go to lunch together. We decided to go to Big Bowl, on the recommendation of some friends. We had to wait about half an hour to get in, so we decided to walk around the mall a bit (boy, do kids find escalators fascinating!).



It was well worth the wait. They were great with the kids: each received chopsticks that had the top ends rubber-banded together, with a folded-up paper wedged in to make the chopsticks easy to use. They also got an activity book, and, in a take-home container, some crayons and “Wikki Stix,” sticky and bendable sticks with instructions on making various figures. The server was also really great with the kids, chatting with them on their level and very helpful.



And then the food was excellent. I had the Asian chicken salad, which, while a little heavy on the dressing, had a nice mix of greens and sprouts, including Asian cilantro. The peanutty chicken satays were just the right touch. My wife had the chicken pad thai. The flat noodles were very good, and the spices just right. For the kids, we got a couple of crispy chicken “nuggets” and a couple of stir-fried noodle dishes -- they got to choose their meat and veggies. The kids didn't particularly care for the unusual sauces, but really enjoyed the chicken and noodles. Their meals came with lemonades that were not only adult-sized (which my kids loved), but came with free refills. We had a fair bit of food left over at the end of the meal, and their take-home containers were really sturdy, unlike at so many other places.



All in all, it was a really good experience, and we will definitely be back.



Prices for lunch are about $9-12 for regular dishes; $4-5 for kids' meals.

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