1410 Bayly St, Unit #6A
Pickering, Ontario
Cuisine(s): Thai
Date visited: September 2010
I wanted to try something different than our usual pickings on a Saturday night. I wasn't particularly craving asian food but the name caught me completely off guard and had good reviews on Restaurantica so we decided to check it out.
Food: 4.5/5
The food was fantastic! We ordered pad thai, red curry, cashews with chicken and mango chicken. The pad thai was really good (the sauce tasted a tad thick but that's ok, at least it didn't taste like ketchup like the other place). Chicken dishes were good with a healthy serving of peppers (it was a bit saucy). My favourite was the curry. It was delicious .. I think I had most of that dish haha. Everything but the pad thai came with a large lump of rice (it was put on one plate so we could share). Chef also gave us some home made chili sauce - whooo that stuff is hotttt.
Service: 4.5/5
There was next to no one there at 8pm (I guess all their business comes from lunch/take out) so we were seated immediately and our drinks were gotten promptly. The food came out quite quickly and the "waitress" came to check on us frequently. At the end, the chef (Mama Noi, I presume) came out to talk to us, and we complimented her on the great food. Talked for about 10 minutes and got to know her a bit. She was so grateful for our support, and it seems like she gets to know her customers on a personal level, which is pretty nice (and rare).
Atmosphere: 3.75/5
When we tried to find the restaurant, we actually passed by it without knowing. The place is actually sitting in what looks like a business plaza so it didn't really stick out. It's quite a small place but the chef has said that on a weekday basis it's packed at lunch. There are a handful of tables, with a buddhist shrine and a small cashier on the side. However the tables and the area are quite clean. Didn't get a chance to hit up the bathroom.
Price/Value: 4/5
Price was expected for thai dishes - around $8-10 for each dish. Some dishes don't look like a lot but at the end we were quite full. Service was great and the food was good.
Overall dining experience: 4.5/5
I don't think I've ever been at an establishment where the cook comes out to talk to the customers! It was nice that she came to talk to us, and we could sense the tremendous effort she puts into the food, as it's a small family run business. You know there's lots of love going in. Really liked this place (esp the name, hahha), we'll definitely return another time.
