Room service is quite the space. Not just the interior of this new Japanese-Thai restaurant, but also the building it’s in – a $2.5 million “complex” called Ground 59 that looks like it was dropped 50 years in the future in the middle of a block of old Bay View businesses.
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Inside, the dining room is decked out in lush green upholstery and elegant gold accents, and there’s a striking mural behind the cocktail bar. The elegance doesn’t end there – it’s the soft lighting, the exquisite tableware, the stylish and comfortable seating, and, oh yes, the food. The old saying that you eat with your eyes first couldn’t be truer.
I never see the owner – head chef and Bangkok native Kanokporn “Joey” Phadungsil – on my room service visits, but their executive chef Martin Baxin creates pure beauty behind the sushi bar. I ask for a printed menu, which is easier to navigate than the QR code version that appears on my phone. The food photography in it is stunning. I didn’t find it quite so in the real world – the plating seemed rushed.
It was difficult to get a reservation here, and I don’t expect that to change anytime soon. Just as summer was starting, the then 2-month-old son opened a rooftop terrace decorated like a boutique hotel lounge with chaise lounges and coffee tables. With 32 seats and drink and snack menus that are only available outside, it’s likely to be even harder to get in here.
As for the food, the visual discrepancies between the menu and the actual dishes are minor and brief disruptions to the overall good food. The integration of Thai and Japanese cuisine isn’t complicated in and of itself—it’s fairly straightforward at Rice N Roll (which, incidentally, is run by the owner of the building complex where Room Service is located), for example. At Room Service, the packaging of a dish sometimes gets in the way of the narrative.
One of the appetizers I’m most looking forward to – Royal Flower Dumplings ($14) – turns out to be my least favorite. The Thai name of these carved, flower-like dumplings means “purple bouquet,” and their striking purple color comes from the butterfly pea. Four small dumplings are served in a bowl set in a hanging basket, accompanied by another basket full of lettuce wrappers for the dumplings. The usual filling is peanuts and is spicy, sweet and salty. Room Service’s Chor Muang (the Thai name for the dumplings) is underseasoned and tastes more like peanut butter.
When the pork belly bao buns (chashu) arrive (a duo, $12), I take one, my tablemate aiming his chopsticks at the other. The sweet, pillowy buns are printed with the room service logo. I take a big bite, the fat soy-braised belly, crunchy peanuts, cucumber, spring onion and hoisin sauce exploding on my tongue. It tastes delicious, but the belly on my bao bun is dry.
Maybe I like the gyoza better. These pan-fried Japanese pork dumplings ($9) are prepared Osaka-style, meaning they’re served with the crispy bottom side up. Here, the oily, rich dumplings have a crispy, crepe-like “skirt” – a very thin layer of dough that clings to the top of the gyoza. In theory, the top layer should add to the crispiness that’s so important to gyoza. But these dumplings aren’t crispy at all. I also can’t wait now to move on to the larger plates that have been so impressively captured in photos.”
I hit the jackpot on two of these mains, and I’m very close to it on the third. The Hung Lay Short Rib ($28) is a northern Thai curry and exactly the short rib you want – falling off the bone, meaty to plump, in a rich braised sauce that develops a rich, sweet flavor and subtle heat. The Basil Mushroom Medley ($22) is a not-so-basic, beyond-expectation mushroom stir-fry. Tender enoki mushrooms and plenty of Thai basil swim in a spicy oyster sauce with a hint of fish sauce.
And the third—my quasi-jackpot—is a dish called somtam kaitod ($18), which combines Thai papaya salad, fried chicken, sticky rice, and tamarind sauce. It’s served on a three-tiered serving platter, with each component on a different level. Part of the fun is matching the flavors, textures, and temperatures on your palate—sweet/spicy/tangy, crispy/crunchy/chewy, and cold/hot.
The papaya salad is traditionally quite spicy, with the chili pieces visible in the mixture of green beans, tomatoes and papaya. I know I have to be careful, but I’m not willing to give it up completely. Otherwise, I like the dish – it’s just that the spiciness of the papaya salad is too much.
The sushi side of the menu is packed with style, with playful creations like build-your-own temaki (cone-shaped hand rolls wrapped in seaweed) and tuna tango pizza, chirashi (a bowl of sashimi on sushi rice) and snake-shaped sushi rolls drizzled with spicy soy mustard and sesame-yuzu mayonnaise.
The temaki “sets” add drama and are a very good introduction to the raw artistry of room service. Of the three options, I go with the Samurai set ($28) – five hand rolls served in the correct order.
My favorite is unagi – rich, fatty, oily eel – wrapped in a crispy layer of seaweed along with sweet, starchy rice.
It’s easy to feel like you’ve only scratched the surface of this menu – but that’s inspiring rather than daunting. And there’s no need to rush. Room service makes tasting, seeing and inhaling everything a sophisticated and enjoyable experience, even if it doesn’t reach the perfection it aims to achieve.
Room service
2159 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., 414-414-9789
Hours: Daily 4:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m.
Prices: Starters $6-28, main courses $18-28, sushi/sashimi/rolls $5-29
Reservations: Recommended; Seating available at the bar for walk-in customers
Service: A bit disjointed, but friendly and helpful
