Mai's Café & Bistro — Restaurant in Ontario

Last time I went here the food was better...or perhaps not. This time I ordered a salad and Pho (not the best combo but it was an early lunch and I didn't want to overeat). First, I ordered a water and a ginger tea. Got the tea (that took a while) and no water. The mango salad appeared to be a ubiquitous choice amongst other diners...I actually wanted to try the papaya salad, but the server vigorously recommended the mango salad. Mai's mango salad (huge portion!) did not use the freshest ingredients (e.g. iceberg lettuce and sweet red pepper...gah!) and is created around a Western palate. The mango was cut into thicker slices rather than julienned and I couldn't detect any traditional flavors such as fish sauce or chilis...it was overwhelmingly sweet and bland (with a hint of lime) and if there were any roasted nuts, they didn't make it to my plate. The Pho was a mistake on my part as that's better had at a Vietnamese restaurant. Rather than having the warm flavor complex of lovingly simmered bones, onions, ginger and spices that you'd expect to taste, the broth was just overly salty. Missing too were the thin slices of raw beef and in their place were little cooked chunks of gristly beef...about 4 of them. The noodles were par for the course, but yeah, a hearty Pho is all about the broth! The broth is supposed to be a joyful mosaic and this one was so salty and flavorless, that I couldn't finish it. The washroom was not great. You figure that this early in the day (I was the first guest), the washroom would be clean and well-stock for the day...nope! The sink was dirty and there was only one paper towel left on the roll (the towel dispenser was broken, so diners need to touch the roll to get a sheet...ick). Anyway...I don't really get why the what I was hoping for delightful Thai flavors have been so dumbed down, but based on what looked to be regulars here, it makes sense. The food had no brain, no heart and that was my...

Came in for lunch around 12.30 and the place filled up quickly.

Tried Tom yum soup, pho, mai's platter, pad Thai with chicken and another pad thai with shrimp, and red beef curry.

The soups had a very clean light taste, very true to basics. Tom Yum soup came with plenty of vegetables and some glass noodles. The pho had a decent amount of beef with noodles.

Mai's platter was a good introduction to their appetizer options. Each were decent. The wontons had a bit of cream cheese in the middle. And one of the appetizers were just firm tofu wrapped in spring roll wrap. The sauces that came with the platter were nice and complimentary to the appetizers.

Their pad thai sauce is quite sweet. It has a prominent taste of ketchup. The chicken pad thai was more saucy than shrimp pad thai, and subsequently the shrimp pad thai was more towards our taste. I'm unsure if this is how they make the chicken vs shrimp pad thai or if it was just human error in putting more sauce to one than the other. Some of the noodles were over-cooked during the stir-frying process which made some parts quite densely chewy. In a way, this gave an added texture to the dish that worked well. Otherwise, I felt that the pad thai could have had a little bit more meat.

Red beef curry was nice. It has the spiciness that hits at your throat. It's a good basic taste of coconut soup and red chilies.

If you ask, they provide you with Sriracha sauce and chili oil. Otherwise, each table has salt and pepper.

At the end of your meal, they bring your receipt and mint candies on a gold colour platter which was nice....

If I could give Mai’s 6/5 stars I absolutely would! Great service, great energy, great location and most importantly GREAT food. Guaranteed you will not find fresher food in London. I am honestly a very picky eater but there is nothing on this menu I wouldn’t eat- it’s all so amazing! The owners are so sweet and the place is decorated so elegantly in accordance to the beautiful Thai theme. This restaurant could not get more authentic!! To top everything off the food is quite reasonably priced and you’ll definitely get the bang for your buck. If you’re looking for a good meal I’d point you their way any time, as they do offer breakfast, lunch and dinner ;), my personal recommendation would be the fresh Thai spring rolls to start you off and then some chicken fried rice. But don’t worry; if you’re not into Thai food there are some more westernized dishes and they are also vegan/vegetarian inclusive. If you haven’t eaten here you’re 100%...