The Tank

Don’t be fooled by the name. Though The Tank’s interior design concept is centered around its self-described “aqua café,” theme, seafood only plays a supporting role on the menu. They’ve attempted to achieve the underwater world-themed look by adopting bay windows along with blue lighting, in addition to a wall-to-wall aquarium at the back of the restaurant. Pulsing clubby music preps the party people for a wild night out to follow. However, those expecting fresh seafood plucked straight from the tank, cooked and served to your table will be disappointed. In contrast to its aquarium décor, the spacious dining room offers, instead, an international array of Thai, Italian and even a few Mexican dishes. The menu, though not extensive, offers a good variety of meat, seafood, pizzas, pastas and greens. At first glance, prices may seem a bit on the high side, but the good news is that you can’t really go wrong with anything on the menu. Not that the food is completely faultless—the fish and chips were so-so at best and didn’t justify its B280 price tag; the kai yang khao niew tord (grilled chicken with deep-fried sticky rice balls) was on the chewy side—but most of the dishes were dependably delicious. To start, almost every table orders The Tank Tapas, and you should follow their lead. Large enough to be a main course, the value-priced mixed plate showcases the restaurant’s four best-selling starters: salmon chae nampla, namtok kha moo German, fried cheese and deep-fried squid. The jazzed-up salmon and pork knuckles were so delicious that we were willing to overlook the average calamari and the accompanying mediocre thousand island dip. For the weight-watching diners, the Parma ham melon salad was a healthy-yet-hearty choice. You are also generally safe with The Tank’s pastas. Spaghetti with scallops and dried chili and garlic sauce was perfectly al dente and well-seasoned, while the ever-popular beef lasagna was a great main staple. Desserts are not that exciting: most portions are small, and ice cream and sorbets from Tuscanini make up many of the options on the list. If you do need a sweet ending, freshly-made warm chocolate soufflé served with a scoop of mocha ice cream was rich and luscious. The service is pleasant and warm; throughout the meal, the friendly and knowledgeable staff dropped by now and again to refill the glasses and chit-chat. Set lunch, including a bottle of water and mixed fruit, is available Mon-Fri 11am-2pm.