Straits

Straits Restaurant Review:

Straits is a hot-spot on Santana Row, with its celebrated bar and happy hour scene and plenty of outdoor tables. Chef Chris Yeo's menu is a delight of exotic tastes, melding a variety of Asian (and some Middle Eastern) cuisines in dishes such as the Vietnamese-style spring rolls with sausage and ground nuts. Other artful selections include Indian-spiced crab cakes with sweet mango salsa; ayam kalasan, crispy chicken in a warming chili sauce; and Indian butter chicken, braised in a creamy tomato sauce. Vegetarian items are well executed, notably the sayor lodeh, which delivers still-crisp vegetables and chunky tofu in a mild green curry sauce. The kick-in-the-pants Singapore Sling is the house's specialty drink, but the minty mojito is the real treasure. Don't miss the banana cocoons for dessert. Also located in Burlingame.