Short trip to Portland with young teens (who are awesome adventurous eaters and super easy to feed). We came to Andina upon recommendation of foodie friends and was only able to score a 5pm reservation, so we moved our day around to make this a...priority - needless to say, we have high expectations and were super excited when we walked thru the warm
earth toned decor.
It’s our first time here so we didn’t know the layout of the restaurant. There is live music but we were seated on the other side (the wrong side) even thought there was ample empty tables for four. Worse, our table was tucked in a corner furthest from the windows, and even my teenagers had to hold up a phone light in order to see the food.
The appetizers were great though portions small ($15 for one skewer that was three bites). We ordered the purple corn drink after seeing TA reviews and the flavour was interesting and. didn’t disappoint (but again, small). The entrees were so flat we were surprised and none among the four of us (again, hungry teenagers) would even finish the plate. The stir fry sirloin for instance tasted like a poor imitation of Chinese stir fry, the beef tough and flavourless, the fried potatoes soggy. The gnocchi too was bland and doughy. My paella (Arroz con mariscos) was an okay version of seafood paella in terms of flavour, but at least the shellfish, scallops and shellfish was fresh. That’s probably the only entree I would recommend.
Sounds like Andina changed hands and had gone downhill (menu changed and they took out some of the long time favourites). Too bad we didn’t come here while they still had all the dishes that put them on the map in the first place. The server was visibly disappointed after hearing that we aren’t order sparkling water or alcohol - or the recommended appe’s; he did try to come back frequently to check on us. I commented that our table was too dark for us to even see our food (I had to hold up a phone to shine light onto the food the whole meal), and when I commented on the live music, he said it was unpredictable when they come (really!?) or which side of the restaurant they set up (doubtful)…. Very lame attempts to placate me.
At these prices I’d give this restaurant a pass and save my money going somewhere else exciting such as Hat Yai (Thai). If you are coming, make sure you at least get a window by the table which has lamps above each table, or in the live music section.More