"The world food tour continued …. At Panya Bistro in the Hokua condo. We stopped in for an early dinner after seeing Beautiful at the Concert Hall (a bravura performance by the cast). We arrived early (4pm) so the restaurant was pretty empty but were told by the hostess about their 90-minute time limit policy. Okay, better to tell us up front than during our meal. Service was leisurely so that might have been somewhat of a concern but it worked out satisfactorily. We started with a couple of Hendricks gin and tonics with limes instead of the more proper slice of cucumber. A very refreshing beginning …though I wish bartenders would note what garnish goes with certain gins. We ordered three dishes: Pork Chops over fried rice, Pad Thai with chicken and Stir Fried Vegetables with Beef. First off, the pork chop dish is huge! Slices of breaded boneless chops are placed over a subtle fried rice (Chinese style … on the drier side) and covered with a very sweet tomato sauce. The texture and taste reminded me of waffles with maple syrup. It was very good but the sweetness of the tomato sauce was off-putting to me; not bad, but unexpected. The Pad Thai was fine; nothing to complain about. The highlight dish for me was the stir fried vegetables with beef. The vegetables (broccoli, green beans, slices of carrot and mushroom) were crisp and the cubes of beef were very tender. The sauce was thin but savory; it let the beautiful vegetables take center stage. I could have just eaten this dish with a bowl of rice. No room for dessert but I finished my meal with a Thai iced coffee. The coffee was excellent and shone through the generous serving of milk. So cool and refreshing; I could have consumed two glasses. Final thoughts … we hadn’t been to Panya Bistro in a long time; the food was very good and the service was fine (we left after 93 minutes). Parking in the Hokua is convenient and free with validation. Best of all, the prices were very reasonable."
