I ate here a couple days ago, I thought this was a nice good find away from the touristy hoity-toity on International and Universal blvds. The restaurant has a nice vibe to it, the dining area (on the right) was where I sat; it was clean and organized. The baths were ok, not equally as great, but definitely better than a Chinese restaurant I patronized (and reviewed) earlier.
I ordered chicken satay, an order of fried spring rolls, and a basic pad thai with beef. The chicken satay was very tender and delicious. The peanut sauce was also prepared well; it made a good compliment to the chicken on skewers. The spring rolls came out, I *always* check a fried roll with a simple breaking in half by hand to see if it's a good roll or it's crap. A good, fresh cooked roll will have a characteristic crisp sound and a clean break. I also observe if the contents spill out or remain well inside and if the ingredients are adequately cooked (or not). Also, noting their taste both with and without whatever sauce is brought out with them. The spring rolls were fried well, a sweet sauce was brought out with them and it seemed to go well. Not too strong, the sauce itself also looked aesthetically nice, not that pink, thick, very sweet kind of sauce that I ALWAYS see in Chinese restaurants, they always seem to be made horribly.
Any rate, the pad thai was a simple dish to prepare. If a restaurant can't prepare a basic, popular dish like this one, that's a bad sign. Any rate, it was prepared pretty well. The noodles were nicely soft and the sauce was tasty. I thought the meat was a little lacking, the beef was prepared well and it was delicious, but I thought it was a little skimped. I will also point out that the range of spice I could receive was mild, medium, hot, and "thai hot". I asked for traditional, I was served mild. I was told by my server that mild was traditional. I didn't make such a fuss, but really.... So what is "thai hot" supposed to mean?? If "thai hot" is *not* the traditional spiciness of thai food, then what is that supposed to mean?? This was the second time I went to a restaurant where the cuisine is (by the locals who eat it) spicy as all hell. I asked for traditional, they bring out mild. I didn't realized the problem because I'm thinking, "Geeze, my tongue must be tolerant today, especially after eating chicken biryani." Only once I see the bill does it say, "mild". The food was already gone, so I couldn't tell them to re-do it. I asked my server about that, they tell me that "mild" IS traditional. Really?? BS.
As I'm writing this, I really was bothered by that. That seemed like an amateur mistake. Apart from that, the service was good and my server was pleasant. That was probably just miscommunication and I think now I have to go over my whole order in the future, especially the details, so the chances of disappointment are reduced. But for those who are reading this, I'm sure most people are not as picky as I am. So I would come back and I would recommend Viet Thai Cafe as a good place for thai food. read more