‘Watts for Dinner’: ‘TheSen’ – Amazing Thai flavors, noodles and sushi
Our next doing destination is ‘TheSen’ Asian Noodle Bar located in Freedom Square, near the Collier Boulevard/Tamiami Trail intersection.
“Sen” or noodles are in abundance here, as is sushi and many of your favorite Thai dishes.
Things got off to an appetizing start with the “Rock Shrimp” ($12) from the starters’ menu and a JB Roll ($10) from the sushi menu.
Not to be a spoiler, but the “Rock Shrimp” was my favorite dish of the night. I highly recommend it. It’s tempura fried shrimp on a bed of greens with a “creamy sauce” (like spicy mayo but much better).
I did enjoy the JB Roll. Amazingly fresh and delicious.
For my main entree, I got the “Seafood Tom Yum Noodle Soup” ($21). It’s a mix of seafood — shrimp, clams, crab, sea scallops — with rice noodles, bean sprouts, cilantro, wok chop and a creative twist, peanuts.
A typical Tom Yum’s has a very nice red curry and lemongrass flavor. Add the peanuts and it’s pure heaven.
My dining companion selected the “Pineapple Fried Rice” ($19). It’s your traditional sauteed rice with chicken and shrimp, pineapple, cashew nuts, onion, raisin, scallion, yellow curry powder; and pineapple! I love fried rice, but I’m not sold on adding pineapple. It looked great and he said it was a really great dish.
This was our first “official” visit since May 2022 — when the restaurant first opened. We started that meal with chicken dumplings, “Shrimp in a Blanket” and a sushi roll.
The dumplings come steam or fried. We picked the latter. So delish. The blankets look more like Mexican taquitos. Inside is a mix of shrimp and chicken. It’s served with a plum sauce. This dish actually tastes better with soy.
The “Jungle Roll” features tempura shrimp, asparagus and cream cheese and are topped with sweet plantains. Yes! Plantains! It may sound like a crazy combination, but this is an amazing roll. One of the best I’ve ever had. I highly recommend this dish.
For my main entrée, I had the “Spaghetti Drunken,” featuring noodles, onion, green beans, tomato and basil leaves. And it’s fantastic. You can get beef, pork chicken (my selection), shrimp (for a dollar more), veggie or tofu (for a dollar less). Tis dish was pure perfection. I highly recommend this dish too. Superb!
My dining companion selected the more traditional red curry dish with chicken. It has bamboo shoots, bell peppers, Thai herbs, coconut milk and basil leaves. He ordered it mild but it came a little spicier than expected. Otherwise, solid reviews.
The staff is super friendly and their service is top notch! Happy eating!
More‘Watts for Dinner’: Sunset Grille — Gorgeous Gulf views, hearty food
AndHey Marco Island, looking for a place to eat?
Prices indicate time of visit and may vary. This newspaper pays for all meals related to dining reviews. We do not solicit or accept free food.
If you go
TheSen Asian Noodle Bar
- 6821 Collier Blvd Unit 102, Naples
- 239-304-9652
- app.masa.plus