705 Kingston Rd
Pickering, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Thai, Malaysian
Date visited: twice in April 2010
http://www.theredhouse.ca/
Wanting to try something different, the bf and I found a small thai place to try out with another couple.
Food: 3/5
The first time we came here, we ordered 4 dishes - fried rice, red curry, noodles and stir fry. The fried rice was spicy but good; the red curry was mediocre, lacking flavour; the noodles were good but I hinted at a bit too much oyster sauce, and the cashew nut stir fry was very good. On this occasion, I would have given them 4/5 on food. This is the reason we decided to come back (with a drawback - mentioned in Service). The second time we came back we decided to go with the tried and true cashew nut stir fry, along with another stir fry, pad thai, and a different fried rice. The stir fry's weren't very good and the cashew nut definitely tasted different. The fried rice was decent, but the worst of them all was the pad thai - it was a unanimous agreement that it was the worst we've ever tasted - put bluntly it tasted like rice noodles with ketchup, sugar and spice thrown in. I don't know how Shen ate the rest of what we didn't want but somehow he did. The dishes as they were mediocre at best and the pad thai skewed the rating of the entire night to a very low one.
Service: 4/5
Service here was good - we were always attended to fairly quickly, and they topped up water. The only thing I have to complain about was the first time we were here. When the bill came we split it evenly - there were a few 20's and some change so we didn't have to wait for change. As they took it away and we were getting ready to leave, we overheard the owner talking to another staff member talking in Chinese - he said "is this money real??". I was completely taken aback - I was fully ready to come back (which we did) but I was hesitant to return because of that comment. No, I don't print money and yes, I get my money from the bank, so yes, my money is real.
Atmosphere: 4/5
The restaurant is quite small and seats maybe 20 people at most. We've had to wait both times we came but only for 15 minutes. The place is quite popular with take out as a lot of people come and go with take out orders. The decor is nice with a clean feeling, although it might be a bit cramped. I've never used the washrooms.
Price/Value: 4.5/5
Prices here are very reasonably priced - you're looking at an average of $8-9 for each dish. We walked out quite stuffed for $12 a person. For take-out, I'm sure you get more bang for your buck without having to fork over tips
Overall dining experience: 3.5/5
After having dined at this establishment twice, I'm reluctant to return. The food was good the first time but not so much the second. In general the service was very good and the atmosphere was nice. If we do return, it won't be anytime soon, but I might be willing to try it again some time later once I've gotten the bad pad thai taste out of my mouth.
