Sarika’s, a Med-Center staple, has always been one of the more pleasant Asian restaurants in town, and though the décor hasn’t changed appreciably over the years, the restaurant remains refreshingly low-key. It could once be said that the food distinguished itself as well—but that was before the Asian (mostly Thai) invasion.

The competition, in other words, has heated up. It’s not now enough, if it ever was, for a summer roll to be merely fresh; it also has to have taste. Token slivers of shrimp give the rolls here a hint of color, but any interest comes from a very thick peanut sauce; the automatic sweet and sour soup that precedes most meals may be over-thickened as well, but at least it’s unashamed of flavor.

Stir-fried squid with tomatoes and onions has performed well in the past, as has the pricy but spicy whole fried fish—assuming you remembered to ask for each uncompromisingly hot. But recent experiences with lunch specials, admittedly rarely a kitchen’s best fork forward, suggest that Sarika’s is coasting on outdated laurels. Stir-fried chicken with bell peppers and tomatoes was served in a thin brown sauce of modest charm and less flavor. The pad woon sen that has long been a favorite for its combination of shrimp, chicken, and egg with shimmery glass noodles was lackluster visually and lacked verve. As for fried rice and spring rolls, there was no ka-pow in either the cartoon or culinary sense.