Inside is bright and open with light woods, a high ceiling and an industrial resin-coated concrete floor.
The Grilled Sirloin on Beef Tallow Fried Rice is a large dish, presented well. They cook the steak to order, and we ordered it medium, which it was. It’s served with one knife, which is slightly inconvenient as the pieces are too large for one bite. So it needs to be cut into smaller pieces before plating. It has fried garlic on top, which gave it a needed flavor snap without excess salt. Unfortunately, the rice was soft and didn’t keep its shape. So it was a kind of mush. This wasn’t a deal-killer, but there wasn’t much flavor to the rice and the dish quickly became one note.
To the rescue was an order of stir-fried Pea Tendrils. This had a soy-vinegar sauce which brightened-up the beef and rice dish. It also added color and freshness to the mix.
But what really saved this meal was the Northern Style Spicy Pork Sausage.
With a natural skin and accompanying green leaf lettuce, this was the winner of the meal. It had a rich smoky green curry flavor with a slow burn heat that built as the meal progressed. After a few bites of this sausage, the sirloin tasted positively sweet, a flavor that was completely missed when eating it alone. Similarly, the texture and sourness of the pea tendrils became much more noticeable with the sausage in the mix. While I’m not sure I would have been completely satisfied with any one of these dishes, having all three of these together made for a delightful meal.
Regarding value, the sirloin fried rice, while a large dish, seemed a little steep for what it was. But it was a nice sirloin steak, so I can rationalize it. The pea tendrils, similarly, are a little steep for veggies, but the preparation was good and you don’t find pea tendrils on many menus around town. The sausage, in my mind was a bargain. Overall I think it was a very good value at $50 for two people.
Service was friendly and efficient.
Sovereign Thai
1460 J Street
Downtown SD
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