Kaengthai Bistro — Restaurant in Greater Strathcona

I stopped in yesterday afternoon slash evening after listening to some great music at the blues on whyte, Charlie Jacobson was playing. I walked east to catch a bus but just missed it, so I was going to have to wait, I spotted this small place not very fancy but I learned a long time ago not to judge a eating establishment by its outward appearance. I am glad I missed the bus and stopped in. It's a small place, unassuming but clean and well kept. I studied the menu and asked many questions as I narrowed down the choices . I finally chose Pad Kea Mao with chicken ,15$ and a side of steamed rice 2$ as I waited for my food I had a very pleasant conversation with my server and I believe one of the owners about food and flavors and then the smells from the kitchen wafted out filling my oversized nose with a abundant supply of aroma's, the one time I'm glad for a big nose.Lol. Awesome the food comes out and I dig in, incredible flavors explosions going off in my mouth, I only ordered a medium level of spice and that was a perfect level for myself. If you're not into heavy spice be sure to let them know. There are 3 more levels hotter, WOW I like what consider a fair amount of spices but the medium was the most I would order. Rice noodles and bamboo shoots, green peppers, carrots lime leaves, pepper corns it was excellent. To quote the nott head Arnie, I'll be back, again and again. Folks like the bakery over on the Northside of town i reviewed a while back this place adds flavor to the neighborhood and is a important addition to dining experiences, I'm sure like many businesses they are having a tough time in our current economy. If you enjoy Thai food I believe this would be a positive addition to your dining choices. If we as diners want good choices then we need to support the few remaining good establishments. Just my rant against chain restaurants, support some of these little guys and our dining community will be the better for it. I've noticed a few comments in the reviews about frozen rather then fresh, people it's very simple, if they have to waste food supplies the cost per plate goes up, so if we want fresh veggies etc let's keep our favorite places busier so they can always use fresh. The next step is the places close down because they cant compete in the tight food industry. Merry Christmas and happy...

After being here twice, and having visited other places offering "Thai cuisine", I feel like I can write a proper review.

First things first, soups (Tom Yum and Tom Kha Gai), are just amazing. Tom Yum is quite spicy, and you can ask them to add even more spice. Still, it was very aromatic, overflowing with the aroma and taste of Thai spices, and the heat was very pleasant but not pepper spray-like. I really don't like when places add heat by dumping more chili flakes into the dish, and was pleasantly surprised here. The only thing I didn't like were the shrimp with the tails left on them (I know it's a preference, but I find it annoying). Tom Kha Gai was creamy and extremely rich in flavour.

Green papaya salad was very refreshing, and not overwhelmingly hot. Feel free to ask for an extra chili if you'd like a more authentic experience. The presentation of the salad was great.

I feel like some other (main) dishes (sorry, can't remember what we ordered exactly, some stir fry) were more westernized, still quite delicious, but not at the same level as the soups and the salad. If you prefer drier rice with your stir fry, I think it's better to not order the coconut rice, as it's on the stickier side, but it's very coconutty and it tastes good. Their mango rice is really a dessert, the mangoes are extremely tender and sweet.

Regarding the service, it might take a while, and not all your dishes will come at the same time, but in return your get very tasty, freshly prepared dishes at a nice location right on Whyte Ave. The staff are very friendly, too, albeit busy at times. Personally, I enjoy it when no one bothers be while I'm eating, again, that's a matter of preference. The place looks clean, but not luxurious on the inside. Still, I advise you to not order a take-out or delivery, and come to the restaurant yourself to enjoy the meals straight out of the kitchen when...

I went to this restaurant at noon today. There were only two customers in the restaurant, but the food was served very slowly. The milk tea was too sweet, and there was no papaya in the green papaya salad, only large pieces of cabbage. Then I ordered a mango sticky rice to take away. The rice was very dry and hard, and there was no coconut milk taste. The mango tasted like fish, very fishy and mushy. I have never asked for a refund or other additional services. You don't have to talk to me in this tone. I just hope you can do a good job of strict quality control and improve the quality of service to be responsible for every one of your...