Foodie Berlin: Sawwadi Thai

Kantstrasse has so many Thai and Asian-inspired restaurants, that it is a big challenge to find the proper time for tasting it. The diversity allows choices, meaning that one can ponder the reasons for spending - or not - time in a specific place. As the next days were very warm, either the air conditioning - don't expect too many findings in this respect - or a discrete outdoor space were important in convincing me to order my meal there. In addition, as I am before long weeks of travel, I preferred a moderate to low-cost menus. Let it be Sawwadi then. It is situated in the middle of Kantstrasse, close to Savigny platz, at no. 134. The decorations are at the limit of kitsch - the 3D Chinese landscapes, that you can purchase in industrial quantities from the Vietnamese market, for instance -, with minimal investment in the furniture and other interior design details. 

As one of my secret plans for the year is to improve my knowledge on cocktails - especially non-alcoholic ones - I hurried up to order Bongo - pineapple, orange juice, coconut, lemon and a lot of ice, plus a slice cantaloupe hanging up as an acrobat on the side. First quality: a lot of ice. The mixture was good too, with the coconut balancing the otherwise high concentration of sugar.  

The service was really fast and welcoming, although taking a final decision about my order took me some time. The restaurant is offering a variety of fish-based products - Thai and Vietnamese kitchen - , but, as usual, I wanted rather to try something more veggie. My Kat Pat Riu with tofu was generous, but unfortunately the taste of fried oil was predominant. Out of the three types of sauce I was brought - chilli, sour-sweet and soy - I chose the second one, which was enough spicy to request another icy cocktail. The tofu and veggies added - pepper, scallion, corn - to the rice did bring some specific taste, but not strong enough to balance the overwhelming oil. 

As a one time experience, it was not that bad, but most probably, the next time I am around, I would rather go taste some other dishes.