Ginger Park – A Painful Brunch

After my great Southeast Asian-inspired brunch at Double Crown in NY, I had hoped my brunch at Ginger Park would be just as enjoyable since they draw from similar concepts. Unfortunately, that was as far the similarities went between the two restaurants. My brunch at Ginger Park was a train wreck. The service was horrible, and the food was mediocre at best. The only thing interesting about Ginger Park was the interior – it’s like being inside of a whale skeleton.

I can’t recall the last time that I’ve had service this bad (thank goodness). It took forever for a waiter to greet us. Then I had to wait 15 minutes for my green tea, and it was overseeped and way too bitter when it finally came out. If you’re not going to give me my own tea bag and bring it out pre-made in a cup, then at least make it correctly (but really, how do you mess up green tea?!). It took so long that I didn’t even bother asking for another one. We also had to ask for cream for my husband’s coffee multiple times from various people before it was finally brought out. On top of this, our orders also didn’t come out correctly…ridiculous! The restaurant was less than half full, so I know the poor service wasn’t due to them being busy. Is it possible that the *entire* staff was hungover from the previous night?

Thai Beef & Green Papaya Salad, Lemongrass Caramel Dressing – the flavors weren’t bad, but the texture was all wrong. The green papaya wasn’t fresh, so it was rubbery instead of haven that firm crunch.

Duck Confit Hash, Two Eggs & Green Onion Sauce - the egg was supposed to be over-easy, but was served overcooked instead. This dish was really greasy, but at least the duck tasted good.

Asian Pulled Pork Sandwich with Home-Made Chips – these potato chips were atrocious! Instead of being crispy, it tasted as if they’d been soaking in salt water - they were extremely soggy and oversalted. I never knew potato chips could taste gross, but apparently they can at Ginger Park. When I asked our waiter if this was the way the chips were supposed to be, he replied, “Yes, because they’re home-made”. Since when did “home-made” become an excuse for “horrible”?! I thought it meant made with care. Anyways, the pulled pork sandwich was decent and the meat was moist, but that’s about it.
I did not even look at the dessert menu here. Had to get out of this place…PRONTO!

BITE METER: Ginger Park – 1.0 bites (out of 5.0)