So Good
3960 West Point Loma Blvd., Suite F,
San Diego 92110
By LK Bruce
I’m not entirely sure why, but restaurants in strip malls always stir a sense of apprehension in me. I guess I’m afraid they’ll have the atmosphere of the parking lot. But most of the time that apprehension is easily dispelled once you close the door behind you, such is the effort these restaurant owners make to help you feel cocooned and apart from the busy-ness outside.
That was certainly my experience at So Good, a not so new Thai place that replaced the Thai place before that about seven months ago. You step in and immediately are absorbed into the serene setting of warm wood and coffee-colored leather. Small but not cramped it holds eight tables, three cushy booths, and a three-stool bar.
I confess to avoiding restaurants dominated by TV screens and this place has plenty. Four vertical poster sized screens project menu items which are then reflected on the mirrors on the opposite wall. Inexplicably, a gigantic screen over the fireplace projects a chef cooking…Italian ragu, short ribs and other meat. When we asked where those things were on the menu our sweet-faced server said that video has nothing to do with the cuisine at hand. Huh?
Confused but undaunted, we started with the crab puffs (how great are those two words together?) which are crispy on the outside and full of cheesy crab filling. Delicious. They come in fives so prepare to arm wrestle your date for the last one as they are not easily cut.
I went for the wok stir fry with eggplant and tofu. I selected the fried vs. the steamed tofu so as to get crispy edges but next time I’ll try the steamed. The dish called for bell pepper and like many I know, I tolerate no green pepper and luckily, they were happy to accommodate me. The eggplant was especially delicious and I ended up enjoying it all a little too heartily, not saving enough for the next day’s lunch. The brown rice was nice and chewy.
My husband chose the Pad See Ew with chicken which is rice noodles, egg, broccoli and carrot with whatever protein you choose. They even have a “seafood mix” as an option. He consumed every morsel.
Our meals felt healthy and flavorful, two of our family’s long-time criteria for eating out. The other two criteria are “affordable” and “close-by” which certainly applied as well. After our shared coconut ice cream with peanut crumble dessert and my Thai tea, we were looking at $61 before tip. Service was friendly and efficient so the tip was healthy, too.
So Good has a respectable wine and beer list, including Soju, the South Korean fruit-flavored wine. They have many fried appetizers, spring rolls and satay, as well as several traditional Thai salads, including Som Tam (Papaya), various Larbs and crispy chicken.
They offer several soups – looking forward to those when it gets cooler – and a number of other inviting stir frys. Of course, there are noodle dishes galore, curries and fried rice of many stripes. We’ll definitely be sampling those.
So Good is open from 11am – 3pm and from 4pm – 9pm Tuesday through Sunday. It’s located at 3960 West Point Loma Blvd., Suite F, San Diego 92110 – where West Point Loma, Sports Arena and Midway converge. Their menu can be found here. They are a sister restaurant of Coco Bomb, the vegan, gluten-free coconut ice cream place in Linda Vista. Enjoy!
