This new addition to Narathiwat has the casualness its name suggests, but also good food to reward you for accepting their invite. So, take a seat in the two-story white house across from AIG Tower and start browsing the large selection of Thai dishes on the menu. There, you will discover the usual suspects, like green curry and tom yam, which may seem uninteresting. But the execution, while not perfect, is decent enough and spruced up with eye-catching presentation. The best-selling choo chee goong krob featured four plump prawns, which are so krob (crisp) you can eat them whole, on a bed of fragrant rich red curry with hints of kaffir lime leaves. Living up to the server’s recommendation, the “honey bone baked” turned out to be sweet honey-glazed pork ribs, with meat barely clinging to the bone and accompanied by a nicely contrasting tangy sauce. To the usually plain stir-fried cabbage, the hands in the kitchen added whimsical twists, turning it into minced pork balls wrapped with boiled cabbage and then stir-fried in oyster sauce. The cabbage leaves were a bit overcooked but the taste was irreproachable. But what really makes us want to regularly come back and pull up a chair at Take a Seat is the casual-yet-romantic atmosphere. The lovely white house makes a perfect spot for a romantic tête-à-tête thanks to its feminine flowery tablecloths, all-white seating and intimate lighting. Well-spaced tables afford privacy and elbowroom, while tracks from Bakery and Grammy provide an easy-listening soundtrack. Though it is open-air, a swarm of fans keeps temperatures reasonable. And the final touch to make sure nothing spoils the mood: the service is warm and unobtrusive. Despite some run-of-the-mill dishes, Take a Seat makes up for the tedium in the plate with its good looks and pleasant atmosphere—the perfect restaurant for a date with someone whose tastes in food you’ve yet to figure out.
