There where they dance, prance, and sing; performing their hearts out and having a grand old time, we once stood, saying our lines and singing our songs. Today, however, it’s a new generation of actors up there on that stage, and Charlie and I, joined by another comrade from our theatre days of yore, Martin, were content to watch the young‘uns do their thing. Acting was a lot of fun, and arguably the most fun an actor can have is to do a musical. Remember Martin’s purple costume in Pinoys in Space? He was resplendent in pimpcore. Yes, but why was he dressed like a pimp for that show? Charlie looked cute as a button in his robot costume, though. And the songs were pretty catchy… Of course, I had possibly the worst solo number in the entire history of musicals in Happy End. That “ballad” was so god-awful, I can still recall the looks of shock on audience members’ faces each night during that number. Good times…

I may no longer be acting in shows—my professional life took a different course eventually—but that doesn’t mean those days (and nights!) of studying lines, rehearsals, and performances weren’t fruitful. In fact, I credit my ability to land my present job in part to skills I acquired as a stage actor. No less importantly, theatre forcibly puts people in close proximity to each other, under stressful conditions and for unreasonably long stretches, thereby sometimes forging enduring friendships. On this Sunday, a small group of us who had, multiple times, weathered together that hostage situation known as the dreaded tech rehearsal, caught a matinee performance of SpongeBob the Musical, then headed to Star Leaf for dinner.

There on Colorado Blvd. where the Asian restaurant and bar now stands, was once a Hawaiian restaurant of arguably more widespread renown. Perhaps the Pasadena iteration of Roy’s was just one more casualty of the pandemic business shutdowns, or perhaps, as a friend opined, it simply wasn’t as good as its sister branches. I never got the chance to eat there before it closed, so can’t weigh in. What I can say is that although always scary initially, sometimes, a change ends up being for the better. Local customers may have been justified in shunning the now-defunct Roy’s, but they have little reason not to visit the restaurant that has sprung up in its stead. Having tried Star Leaf, they’ll probably say, “Good riddance!” to the former business. Star Leaf is spacious, conveniently located (in Old Town Pasadena), and even decently priced. Most important of all, it is that rare Thai restaurant that serves up not only delicious food (which pretty much any Thai restaurant will do), but an elegant, The-King-and-I-esque ambience as well. Thai is maybe my favorite cuisine (I can’t decide whether I love it more than Italian), but most Thai restaurants are “in-and-out” places where you wolf down your pad woon sen and leave, or better yet, get it to go. At Star Leaf, however, you’ll be tempted to linger over your meal, comfortably ensconced in chairs even I could sit on (if I absolutely had to), despite my chronic tailbone pain.

And there are cocktails! Yes, a Thai restaurant with an impressive cocktail menu, imagine that. On that initial visit to Star Leaf (yup, I’ve already been back) with Charlie, Martin, and Martin’s wife, Toni, I tried the refreshingly lovely “Pomtini” and the “Southeast Side.” This second drink intrigued me with its ingredients list: lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime, cinnamon & star anise-infused vodka, mint, honey, amaro abano, and ango. How could a concoction made of such magical-sounding ingredients fail to be anything but a delight? After starting my evening with the conservative choice of vodka and pomegranate juice, I was ready to take a risk with my second drink. Exotic-sounding ingredients notwithstanding, however, “Southeast Side” tasted, IMHO, exactly like I imagine Dawn dish soap diluted with the actual water you washed your dishes in would taste like. To say that I didn’t care for it would be a gross understatement. BUT—let me hasten to add: (1) my opinion was not shared by Toni, who tried my abandoned drink and said that she liked it. (2) I admitted to the friendly and patient bartender, Sanderson, that I wasn’t enjoying that drink very much. I did NOT expect him to take it off our bill. The fact that he DID so anyway shows a high regard for customer satisfaction. I should also mention that on a subsequent visit to Star Leaf, I ordered and thoroughly enjoyed two other cocktails blended by Sanderson, including the fragrant and delectable lychee martini (if I were ever stranded on a deserted island and could only have one variety of cocktail while I’m there, it would be that lychee martini).

In Star Leaf, I’m happy to say that I’ve found my new neighborhood hang, Pasadena edition. A place where I can relax comfortably at the bar, enjoy some flavorful Southeast Asian food, and catch up with friends living in/near the area. I do, however, have two gripes about the place. First, for a Thai restaurant especially, Star Leaf’s menu is surprisingly unaccommodating to vegetarian or vegan guests. My second visit to the restaurant led to the shocking and disconcerting discovery that two items I’d enjoyed during dinner that first time were actually not vegetarian, as I’d assumed. On that initial visit, I had the “Sichimi Tofu” as an appetizer and the “Thai Seafood Vermicelli” as an entrée. To my dismay, I learned that the deep-fried tofu cubes were coated with chicken powder, and the vermicelli was cooked in pork bone broth. Good thing I didn’t try the appetizer Martin and Toni had ordered. That starter dish, listed on the menu as “shrimp cake skewers,” upon closer perusal contains ground pork among its ingredients. Turns out, there are only a few vegetarian dishes on the Star Leaf menu. The friends I was with the second time I went to Star Leaf were fellow vegetarians, and I was quite chagrined that I had brought them to a restaurant where our food options were so limited. We asked whether it was possible to get the tofu without the chicken powder and the vermicelli without the bone broth, but our waiter explained that everything is prepared in advance, so, no. Consider this mostly positive review a plea to Star Leaf ownership to please add more veggie-friendly options to your menu!

My second complaint regards the restroom; specifically, I took issue with the tiny trickle of water coming out of the bathroom sink faucets with which I was expected to wash my hands. Um, are the restaurant staff expected to clean their hands from that same meager trickle as well? If you’re going to open a food and beverage business, then you gotta think of these things, right?