I have been to the Pacific a few times since I last posted so I am going to lump them all together in one. I go there quite frequently as it’s falling distance to my flat and their cocktails are amazing! But their food is pretty good too. It is the sister restaurant of the Tiki bar and Kitsch Inn on bath street which I have also been to a few times, largely for the cocktails but also for the Thai food.
My recent visits included dinner with the folks, breakfast with one of my besties Liz and then a date with a gentleman who will remain unnamed. He won’t be featuring in this blog again.
I adore the cocktails here and I have probably had one of each of them at one point or another. Worth a special mention and featured here in two of the photos is the Pacific Rim Job. I have had many of these. The first thing to mention about the Tiki that they make proper cocktails. No watered down stuff here so they are lethal. The rim job is particularly lethal and I have to admit it’s not their tastiest but it is brilliant for the novelty and theatre of it as a fishbowl to share with friends and also the fact it gets set on fire! Its £20 but contains 5 or 6 shots on my count depending on whether they use alcoholic or non-alcoholic falernum. It’s great fun! They also do all the classic Pacific island cocktails, many with a bit more of a kick than usual. Their zombie being only two per person speaks for itself!
I always go for the thai sharing platter (£12) containing satay chicken, tempura prawns, spring rolls and dips. There is plenty in the platter to serve three for a starter and it is nice to have a little taste of all the bits. The satay chicken is my favourite part, fried chicken with a mildly spicy thick peanut and coconut sauce. I mean, what’s not to like?? The spring rolls are veggie and not at all greasy and perfectly cooked every time, as are the prawns that just melt and are not at all rubbery. Hence why I get this every time!
For main meals recently I had the Thai red curry (£10.20) and the phat thai (£10.20). I have say they do really good Thai food. Their phat thai was tangy and delicious and not at all greasy which can sometimes be the problem with this dish arriving swimming in oil. The red curry was perfectly spiced for me and creamy and coconutty. The rice is cooked just right and I love the presentation of all their dishes on the wooden slabs, wooden bowls etc. My dad also went for one of the burgers, which I was a bit dubious about when they decided to sway from their solely Thai menu (as they did it so well) to include dishes from elsewhere in the pacific. But he reported back that it was very good, so good that I didn’t even get to try a bite. My mum got their Massaman beef curry, her only complaint was that it was a bit spicy for her taste and I did try it and it was significantly hotter than the red curry I was eating at the time. It was still delicious but she had to give up half way. We did take a doggy bag and I had it for my dinner the following day with some added coconut milk to make it a wee bit milder. I have had their massaman curry before and don’t remember it being so spicy, so maybe it was just the one batch.
Now for breakfast. I have been wanting to try the Tiki for breaky for ages and I thought having a friend staying and with it being so close to my flat this was a good excuse! I had eggs benendict (£5.95) and Liz had the pacific breakfast (£7.50) and they were very accommodating to her fiddling with the items as she is a very fussy meat eater, leaning towards veggie and didn’t want sausages and so swopped for more of other things. Her breakfast was huge! It looked amazing and she particularly liked the bacon, maple syrup, and eggy bread as she hadn’t had maple syrup on bacon before. She polished off the lot. The eggs benedict was beautifully cooked, the poached egg was perfect, all the white cooked but with a runny yolk and the tart hollandaise sauce went well with it and the bacon. It was all beautifully presented as usual for the Tiki. My only criticism would be the salad they put on it, which seemed a little out of place. Although I did eat it.
I also have to make a comment about the general atmosphere and decor, the team that run this place as always really friendly and chatty if you want to. They are also really accommodating and always try to fit you in if they are busy and also will throw together something different if you fancy a cocktail not on the menu. Last Christmas, my cousins and I had some lovely festive shots the barman just threw together fo us. The food and drinks, for the price, are also brilliant quality, when you consider you will be hard pushed to get a main course for less than £15 even in most high street chains these days. It is decorated to look tropical and the puffer fish lights, florescent light signage, etc, make the place look really interesting and unusual for Partick. It is a little gem for the area.
Because of the atmosphere, the friendly staff and the great quality food for brilliant prices I have to give this place Highly Recommend!
Foodie xx
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