Post #256843 by johnman on Mon, Sep 25, 2006 7:27 PM

Now for the good stuff... Tikisgrl posted some pictures from a postcard that she found and it looks very promising! Lets take a look at what the Oriental Gardens once was:

The Outrigger Lounge complete with foliage, thatch roof and Tiki poles. Looks like there's a nice lamp hanging in the left side of the picture as well.

The description on the postcard sounds most inviting. Does that say attentive staff? Looks like something else was removed during the remodel.

So what does this place look like today? Completely different unfortunately. Let's take a look.

Walking up to this place gave me an indication the inside did not contain the paradise displayed on that classic postcard. Hmm, karaoke, neon beer signs - time to lower those expectations.

Not a whole lot see inside. The most interesting thing inside was the pagoda-like structure in the middle of the dining area. It had some hanging paper lanterns that provided a little ambience. The classic lamp in the postcard is obviously long gone.

I was rather happy with my Mai Tai though:) It had the right color, the correct glass and actually tasted good. Also there was a generous amount of rum in it as well. No, not the good aged stuff, probably just the good 'ole Bacardi. The picture didn't come out all that great but you get the idea.

That's all for pictures. Like I said there's not much to see.

Oh yeah! The food! The food was actually rather good. Everything was freshly made and even my 2 kids and our friend's 3 kids enjoyed it. I had a fairly typical dish - sweet and sour chicken and pork. It was as good as thick battered meat and sweet and sour sauce get in these parts.

Service was OK. Certainly nothing to brag about.

Bottom line - don't bother with a road trip to Haverhill to hit this place. If you're in the area for some other reason then stop on in.