Its actually messed up that I'm writing a review since I've only had take-out but I feel like my negative experiences can easily be corrected and are serious enough that they should be. And this isn't like an "I HATE PAD THAI" rating. We will most likely be coming back with great frequency since Pad Thai is like... heroin to me. But I also would hope that new business owners would be monitoring their social rating sites so they can see where to improve, so here's hoping they care enough to read it. Because it really is a good restaurant. So I apologize for breaking my own rule. I normally try to eat IN/AT a restaurant at least a few times, so I can grade consistency.
So I LOVE PAD THAI (the dish). Again, a rule of mine: Pad Thai is easy and standard. Order it thrice...and if its still just as awesome after the third time, that's my green light to order my panang or curry dishes, I also love, but are so different place to place. So we heard about the Thai place just down the road and gave it a whirl. I was hopeful since, when I asked, "Oh! You guys have Aloha drinks?! What kind?" (Since moving to Hawaii, I've quit drinking soda and have become almost "phobiatic" against canned drinks...BUT I CAN'T QUIT ALOHA JUICE. And I can't stock it in my house, since I will crack the f*ck out on them and drink an entire 6 pack in a 3 hour span...And it is particularly bad with.... CALAMANSI LIME flavor...("IT'S LIKE CRACK, MANE!!!!") And I've always said..."WHY YOU SELL EVERY FLAVOR BUT CALAMANSI?" So my face melted when the young lady said,'something, something, something...and I think Calamansi Lime...." "I will have that one." INSTANT DISAPPOINTMENT. ALL OUT. Note to business owners, you're mud if you don't stock Calamansi Lime ALOHA juice in your establishment. You're just. awful. So...whatevz.. I just picked up my pad thai and this.is.going.to.be. AWESOOOOME. My husband ordered the Cashew Nut Chicken...So by the time we got home, his chicken was leaking through the styrofoam box and nearly burning my leg. Seriously. It was that hot. Also note: Thai lovers know this...If you want some "heat" in your meal, you have to tell them when you order it. I really like the 1-10 scale b/c I think its more understandable than "Medium or Hot" but I've never had an issue with this. So we ordered "Medium" spicy. And we both loved it. I am not used to spice and my mouth and eyes were on fire. My husband is into spice and his mouth and eyes were unexpectedly on fire. He was also upset that it was an entree and it didn't come with rice. ("she asked me if I wanted rice with anything and I said 'no' since I took this to mean that rice was a separate order. So that could be my fault...whatever.
So this was our first experience.
Last night we went back. I was hellbent on pad thai but was forced to break my rule since my guy was like, "YOU NEVER GET ANYTHING ELSE." (Which is true...I'm open to after my introductory three dinings..BUT IT NEVER HAPPENS. I LOVE PAD THAI. So I got my next favorite that I always sadly sacrifice b/c I can't have two orders and he never wants to share with me nor does he want the same things as I do... Istale. super stale. I got the panang...(YAYYYYY!!!)
So he got the Tom Kha Gai. Both came in the styrofoam cups. And again, I noticed it leaking. This time, notably hotter and I couldn't figure out how.. So when I got it home, I saw...It was so hot that it melted the lid and the lid was broken into the soup. Also the sides were warped. So I dug in. Mine was good. He was immediately disgusted...CILANTRO. HE HATES.CILANTRO. He specifically ordered it b/c on the menu...It lists the key ingredients... Nowhere did it say..."CILANTRO" and this was not a garnish. By the time he was done it was enough to cover the base of the large bowl he poured his Tom Kha Gai into. (Personally I love cilantro. I was laughing. HE.WAS.PISSED.) But I also noticed....mine had like large quantities of onions and red peppers. It didn't bother me that it was there since I am a recovering picky eater and I'm used to picking objects aside and..not eating them but there were a lot of onions...So that's my complaint. Not so much of a complaint as a concern. My husband has food allergies. Granted...If you have common food allergies ethnic, let alone 'Thai" food is probably something to avoid...but he developed his very recently... and its not so common that its frequently an issue. But what if I was allergic to onions? I ordered mine looking at the menu and it didn't say anything about the onions. I don't think its necessary to list the entire recipe but at least the key ingredients. My last complaint is that b/c his dish was full of surprises that he was not sure what it was...he did not realize until after he saw how the lid was melted...That he had eaten parts of it. Not a good time.
Its not a bad place but these are definitely things I hope management will look into. We will be back. We're learning how to order things from this place. read more