Hai Noon

[Wilbur]

Friday night my wife, daughter and I tried Hai Noon, located inside the Papago Motor Lodge at 7017 McDowell Road. I think that is the name of the hotel - it was very dark, and it took us a little bit of to-ing and fro-ing to get inside the restaurant due to being unfamiliar with it.

The restaurant is inside the motel, facing the courtyard, full of mid-century modern and 1970s Tiki style decor, divided into a bar and a dining area featuring both tables and banquettes and a lot of large houseplants, with a Turntable style musical selection. I liked it, and it reminded me of the Valley Ho back in the 90s, prior to the remodels. The service was very attentive, and the menu was interesting.

https://hainoonaz.com/home

The plates we ordered came sequentially, so we had time to sample and savor each one to the tune of the bass bongos and gentle electric guitars. The first was a sort of salmon sashimi with a delicate chip of cheese and some kind of crisp, warm nut drizzled in a zesty sauce. As far as this sort of dish goes, this was well above average.

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Next was a selection of tofu and green papaya. The tofu was cooked to perfection with a very light coating of panko-style crumbles, while the papaya and green herbs were fresh and piquant. I was only allotted a single piece, as the girls Bogarted the rest, but my bite was excellent.

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The following dish was a soft-shelled crab in a sweet fish sauce over noodles. The crab was prepared with a tasty coating somewhat different from what I expected, but also delicious. I didn't get any of the noodles, but rumor has it that the flavor was a sweet fish sauce.

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Finally, a lamb dish in curry sauce. The lamb was a good, high-quality cut, although my own preference is for it to be cooked at a higher heat for a shorter period of time. Not a complaint about this one, though, just a different way of preparing it. The mango salad and curry flavoring was tremendously successful among us.

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So for a first visit, everything we ordered was a big hit between the three of us. My wife reports that her cocktails were also nice, and so we will visit again in the not-too-distant future. Especially now that we know where it is!

[Wilbur]

I don't know why all the photos are sideways - sorry!

[exit2lef]

Sounds promising. You mentioned that the dishes came sequentially. Do you recall being pressured to order everything up front? That was a minor annoyance for me at the chef's previous place, Nobuo at Teeter House. It's also the one thing I don't like about Lom Wong. Sometimes, it's hard to know how much to order until I see and taste the first course.

[Wilbur]

I didn't recognize the waiter suggesting that we needed to order everything all in one go, although a subtle hint may have gone over my head. However, he left us with the menus, and he inquired if we wanted to order more at some point. So I think the answer is no.

And I can certainly see your point. If it wasn't already late and after a long flight, I would have wanted to sample a few more dishes once we realized how good everything was.

[exit2lef]

I didn't recognize the waiter suggesting that we needed to order everything all in one go, although a subtle hint may have gone over my head. However, he left us with the menus, and he inquired if we wanted to order more at some point. So I think the answer is no.

And I can certainly see your point. If it wasn't already late and after a long flight, I would have wanted to sample a few more dishes once we realized how good everything was.

Thanks and glad to hear it. I found Nobuo at Teeter House could be a little too strict about that, although it may have been a dictate that came from the front of the house rather than the chef himself.