Restaurant Review

as good as

The food was tasty, but not as good as Italian food at home.

We use 'as + adjective + as' to compare things.  In this case the good at the restaurant was good, but the food at home is better. Notice the following:

1. Life here is as comfortable as back home.
   
2. I don't think my car is as fast as your car.
   

hard

It seemed like the noodles were a little hard.

Used like this 'hard' means difficult to bite into.  It is talking about the texture. Notice the following:

1. The bread is hard on the outside, but soft and chewy inside.
   
2. Don't bite the candy. It's hard and you will break your teeth.
   

hard

The salad was good, but it's hard to mess up salad.

'Hard' used this way means difficult or not easy. Notice the following:

1. That is a very hard place to live.
   
2. I didn't know it was going to be so hard to find an apartment.
   

pretty good

I can't make that salad, so that was pretty good.

If something is 'pretty good' it is not the best thing ever, but it is better than average. Notice the following:

1. They have pretty good prices and high quality clothes.
   
2. The transportation system here is is pretty good, but there are still some problems.
   

standard

A 3,000-yen dinner for two seems pretty standard for Tokyo.

Something that is 'standard' is normal or common.  In this case, 3,000 yen is a normal price. Notice the following:

1. It is standard that everything takes a lot longer here.
   
2. I am still trying to figure out what is standard here.