Straits Asian Bistro is a CityCentre Saint

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CityCentre in Houston is where we recently spent the weekend for a conference. People should know this restaurant’s brunch has the ability to bring 100% excellence into every customer’s life. At first, it seemed as though the bartender was wearing a bathing suit top with almost-shorts. These almost-shorts were barely there. It was like wearing a bathing suit without a pool in sight. Employees at Hooters are sporting more uniform than the bartenders at Straits. True story.

A better understanding of why employees might dress lightly can be found by visiting their website…”Straits offers a contemporary yet sexy dining environment that pairs well with the exotic nature of the cuisine. The hip crowd that descends nightly dines and lounges in a striking space that is casual yet edgy with light woods and tropical island elements meshing with industrial materials.” It all makes sense now.

dining room

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bar

Since Straits Asian Bistro turns into a club at night, maybe this particular bartender was working a double that day. This kind of work uniform is probably expected while bartending up in da club. No one around here is trying to be 96 years old.  It’s an observation followed by an opinion. That’s all. Besides, she gave great service to the point it seemed as though we were BFFs having brunch together.

sweet corn risotto fritters with spicy masala tomato basil sauce
sweet corn risotto fritters with spicy masala tomato basil sauce

First up was sweet corn risotto cakes with a spicy masala basil sauce from the small plates section for $9. There’s nothing to not love about it. Risotto semi-oozed from the center of the lightly fried sweet corn risotto cake after being cut in half. Sometimes a semi-ooze is better than the other speeds of oozing that food ingredients are capable of doing.

shrimpgrits1

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shrimp & grits
tempura shrimp & grits
brussels sprouts, creamy polenta, spicy chili tomato sauce

There was no way to know whether the shrimp & grits would be the bomb without taking a chance. The menu description took a spin on basic shrimp & grits by having tempura fried shrimp & creamy polenta with Brussels sprouts on top of a spicy chili tomato sauce for $14. This is one of the best out there, in my opinion. Not one single feeling of fried-food-pain was present in the end. There was only complete and total comfort.

dessert1

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dessert
cheesecake egg rolls

Dessert. Just dessert. There’s no way to get the message through to internet people about how happy the cheesecake egg rolls will make your heart and belly feel. It was like having mouth-joy without trying. Then, just when it seemed like a regular day, warm caramel topped with pecans and banana were pleasantly placed to the side with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Think of a time when every order was one win after another. Appetizer win. Entrée win. Dessert win. Service win. It doesn’t happen that often. Anyone who hates Straits Asian Bistro probably dislike puppies, newborn babies, and Christmas. Three different dishes of total excellence, on top of having perfect service is a bit unheard of these days. It’s almost too much to process. Paying it forward is probably the right thing to do.

 

 

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FIVE: High 5!

FOUR: Please & Thank You

THREE: Yada

TWO: Double Wow

ONE: Wow + Ouch = Wouch

 

 
Straits Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato