So, the food isn't horrible, but I won't be back. (Thank goodness for this taste test before requesting the clinic's catering order next week...woulda' been a disaster.) I knew the reviews were mixed, but I wanted to give this place a chance. I feel a little sorry for anyone choosing this place as their first Thai experience, because they may walk away with a false sense of "This is what Thai food is all about." Because it's not.
I've enjoyed Thai cuisine for years while living in Florida, Seattle, Atlanta, DC, Maryland, and Houston, and I'd like to think I know what it is, and isn't, supposed to taste like. When craving Thai on my clinic days in Murfreesboro, my faves are; #1 Pad Thai Cafe (great, truly authentic, Thai dishes, but be prepared to patiently wait for a parking space...I never mind waiting for quality), and #2 Taste of Thai (tastes great, and when time is not on my side, has the convenience of a drive thru window for orders placed in advance).
Back to Ginger Thai Bistro....
First impression:
The young lady taking my order over the phone was very sweet, and patient when I called back to add something else to my order.
The food:
-"Fried" calamari ... flash fried calamari with clumps of uncooked batter...not appetizing at all. Half of the calamari was also soaked in sweet coconut milk from the mango sticky rice dish. The styrofoam container that held the calamari had a piece of tape, in attempts to hold it closed (due to a torn off/broken tab...not sure how because a large container was used for a very small amount of calamari, certainly no potential to burst open a closed container). The tape failed to keep it closed because the juices from the Panang curry pretty much demolished everything in the bag. That tape had no chance of survival. I salvaged what I could, popped in the air fryer, and it was edible. I did like the peppery seasoned breading/batter.
-Panang Curry w/Shrimp ... overcooked, rubbery shrimp and super bland (unseasoned) curry. The spice level is present, but it was as if they threw coconut milk, broccoli, shrimp, and some Thai chilis in a pot, and boiled to oblivion. I can honestly say I have never had bland curry. Whether it be Jamaican, Indian, Vietnamese or Thai...(yes, they each have their own types of curry dishes)...curry is not supposed to be bland.
-Kids Chicken Lo Mein ... lol...didn't even TRY to season this. I guess meals on the "Kids" menu do not deserve seasoning. I asked for medium heat level, received NO heat level. Reminded me of plain udon noodles, sprinkled with a few small pieces of cabbage and carrots, and a few pieces of super dry "beef-jerky-tough" chicken, all soaked in soy sauce, then stir fried.
-Mango Sticky Rice ... My fave, and I get this at every Thai place I visit. This place serves an interesting purple rice/quinoa blend that I'd never had or seen before. Someone posted a pic of it, so I thought, why not. Not the grossest thing I've ever had, but the rice blend was weirdly spongy... like it's been sitting in the back of the fridge for about a week. Maybe it's supposed to be this way? The sliced mango was great though!
-Crab Rangoon ... The filling was decent, but their choice of wonton skin/wrapper was not the best. Super hard, making it difficult to enjoy. (Like kettle chips, fried 2 times more.) I just ate the portion that contained the filling.
- Egg Rolls ... I can't comment on taste. Due to poor packaging (maybe they're not used to take out orders?), the juices from the curry and lo mein (yep, juices from the lo mein), as well as the coconut milk from the mango sticky rice dish, leaked from their containers, and consumed the cheap take out bag the egg rolls were in, which were unfortunately placed at the bottom of the bag. I wish I would've looked at the bag before I left. I didn't notice until I was on I-24, halfway to Nashville. So, the egg rolls were soggy... like egg roll/rice paper wrapper disintegrating soggy. The air fryer was able to restore a little of the crispiness, but it's a good thing I went straight home and not back to the office. Also soaked were the cute little napkins wrapping the 3 sets of plastic cutlery. It was just a gross mess to clean up. My order was the only order sitting there ready and waiting in their empty restaurant, and the staff was just standing around talking. Not sure why they could/would not take time to properly pack my order.
So, this experience was/is kind of bittersweet. I'm really unhappy with spending $40+ on less than mediocre food, and giving a $20 tip (I'm always generous). During these times, with the coronavirus, lockdowns, and businesses cutting staff and losing business, it makes my small monetary loss kind of okay. read more