Secrets of Tiger

“Crossing the bridge for food is always worth it when you find a spot like this. I found this place on Xiaohongshu and decided to give it a try — and it ended up being such a pleasant surprise! We got there right around opening time, but the restaurant already had quite a few tables occupied, which says a lot. The space felt warm and cozy, with lots of plants inside, and you can even see the mural across the street from your seat. I feel like the atmosphere here would be especially nice at night. We ordered the red curry, which was pretty good, though I do think it could have come with a bit more ingredients. Also, the curry doesn’t come with rice, so you have to order that separately. The rice that day was a little on the firm side. The real standout on the savory side was definitely the Pad See Ew — super flavorful with amazing wok hei. Absolutely worth ordering. It also came with a good amount of ingredients, not just noodles, which I appreciated. But the real star was honestly the dessert. It looked extra and tasted amazing too. The honey toast was baked perfectly, the ice cream wasn’t too sweet, and the mango was super ripe and sweet. Paired with the sticky rice, it was such a good combo. If you’re ever passing through Emeryville, this place is definitely worth checking out.”

“We had the Hangover Noodle, which was stir-fried noodles with garlic and chilli, bell pepper, onion, basil, topped with crispy basil garlic. The Forest Krapow, which was Thai stir-fried minced beef with basil, krachai, baby corn pepper, dry chili, and fried egg. The Crispy turmeric caramari, which was fried squid, crispy garlic, and shallot. The Crispy chicken basil, which was stir-fried chicken with basil, green beans, carrots, bell peppers, and onions. Everything tasted really delicious. The restaurant was small but cozy and filled with lots of indoor plants!”

“Came here with a group of 3 right at 5 when it opened and was immediately seated! Good - Really solid Thai food! - I liked the cat decor, it was super cute! - The staff were super nice to us and very patient - The tom kha soup was very refreshing and tasty! - I really liked the pad thai special dish but it was also a bit small - Food came out quickly! Bad - Portion sizes are on the smaller side Overall enjoyed the experience and the ambiance was great for friends!”

“The restaurant gets really busy during rush meal hours so making reservations is highly recommended. Limited large tables so groups larger than 4 would be difficult to fit unless you make reservation in advance so that tables could be put together. A nice restaurant with lots of live plants - some are expensive tropical plants if you know them - that means the owner takes pride in the plants and does well to take care of them. Pad see eew was alright. Tasty is flavorful but I like it when there’s some “wok hei” / smokiness when noodles are fried from a well seasoned wok. Beef fat fried rice was delicious with a good piece of beef. We had it mild medium spicy and even then it was spicy for us. Not sure if they could do it mild. But it was a stellar entree that I would recommend especially with the tender flavorful beef and the sauce that goes with it. Roast duck lychee curry was delicious! The winner of the night. The lychee imparts natural sweetness and a floral flavor to the curry that was just outstanding. I could eat this and be totally satisfied for a meal instead of all the other dishes. Hat yai fried chicken was ok. Chicken was tender and crispy, going well with the sauce but the sticky rice was too dry and hard that it didn’t add well to the overall entree. Would definitely return for the roast duck lychee curry and perhaps try their version of khao soi next time”

“The food is actually decent, but the service completely ruined the experience. We arrived about 40 minutes before closing, and the server was weirdly passive-aggressive from the start. They stop taking orders at 2:30 and turned away another customer right after us, which is fine, but since we were already seated, you’d expect at least basic service, right? It got worse when they brought out our dessert. They told us we had 20 minutes, but then started rushing us out not even 15 minutes later. They literally said, “I’m afraid you can’t eat here, you have to find another place.” When we said we’d finish quickly, the server just stood there smiling and staring at us. It was SO awkward. We eventually had to ask for a to-go box, and they gave us the flimsiest one possible. If you don’t want people dining in that close to closing, just offer takeout instead of making it such a weird vibe. To top it off, they spilled water on me while serving and didn’t even seem to care. TBH, as an Asian myself, it’s extra disappointing to be treated like this by a fellow Asian-run business.”