Da Qao
DaQao Restaurant on West 7th Street is a Thai based established food restaurant. One review I read online about DaQao says, “I give this place 5 stars for being in Sioux City Iowa and having a lot of flavor. Great food, served fast by a super friendly staff who are always willing to explain what menu items are and how to eat it. Lemongrass and Ginger chicken plates are absolute must try’s.” This review gave me high hopes that this place would leave me with good results. However, the reviews were misleading.
Yellow chicken curry, white rice and egg roll. In my dish I tasted chicken with little seasoning and no zest whatsoever. The rice seemed like it could have been from any box that I could have made at home myself. In any other restaurant this would sound like an over the top delicious meal. At DaQao however, the situation was a little bit different. The meal was bland and like many things I could get at any other food establishment. Disappointment comes in many forms, this kind however, was the disappointment of getting ones hopes up and letting them fall down.
Yellow Curry Chicken with Fried Rice and Egg Roll
While the food was not unpleasant to eat, it was nothing special that would stand out in my memory. Others got various others got different dishes than I did; several near me said it was decent but nothing extraordinary. All were different versions of Vietnamese dishes that should have been something unlike anything our taste buds have ever come into contact with. Often when I am looking to eat something more exotic, I am looking for something hot and zesty, and I got regular chicken topped with some rice.
The food however, was the only disappointment because other aspects of DaQao makes up for what they lack in the food department. Service was quick and friendly, leaving little room for error. The waiters were eager to take your order and help you find and taste whatever mood your taste buds were in for! If you did not understand a certain item on the menu they were willing to explain it thoroughly without hesitation.
The atmosphere was another area in which they could improve by great lengths. Tables and chairs are the basics to any establishment. There is not much more that I could say to describe it. This could have been any restaurant in any city and one would have not thought it as anything special. There was not much color to the walls of the restaurant leaving the impression that they didn’t put much thought or effort into it.
While the experience was pleasant I would not recommend going to DaQao if you are looking for something out of the ordinary. This is a restaurant that does not test your comfort levels when it comes to tastes new worlds of foods. While some aspects of the food establishment were wonderful, the negatives weighed heavier than the positives during my experience. Overall I would rate the experience as average.