After a long renovation, Thang Long reopened its doors in February 2010, though it would seem that the kinks are still far from ironed out. On a recent visit, not only did contractors walk by our otherwise ambient table outdoors, but they began to do some heavy lifting and adjusting right next to us under the direction of the restaurant manager. This pretty much sums up the experience and apparent attitude to diners. Yes, the renovation is impressive, with heavy dark furniture and an imposing bar, quite reminiscent of a steakhouse, with the softening touches of some delicate, wrought iron lattice dividers. It’s all very moody and sexy, but unfortunately, the gloom greatly impedes the reading of a menu or the appraisal of a dish’s potential beauty (or identity, in some cases). We may not be missing much, though, if the flavors are anything to go by. The noodles around the shrimp spring rolls are dry and the whole thing just tastes like lettuce. The minced pork with glass noodles is just as underwhelming—the meat boiled and undressed—despite being served in cute pandanus leaf cups. The minced shrimp on sugarcane is both soft and moist but has all the flavor of a chicken McNugget. The sugarcane also fails to impart much sweetness—though the accompanying sauce certainly does. In fact, while nearly every dish comes with a special sauce, we have a hard time telling them apart
, as they all seem to possess an overriding sweetness, uncomplicated by any other flavors. The staff are bored, can’t tell a martini from a gimlet and seem to need the picture menu as much as we do. They also have a tendency to stand around intrusively while you eat. To be fair, there were some acceptable dishes. The deep-fried fish with lemongrass is crispy and impressively presented. And the Thang Long beef steak is flavorful and melt-in-your-mouth tender, despite being grilled a bit longer than medium-rare. We should also concede that dining at Thang Long is not all that expensive for the location. Then again, with the darkness and general disregard for diners, you could probably forego paying and walk out unnoticed. Corkage B400.
