Panda — Restaurant in Ontario

I have ordered on and off for years and found the owner rude but tonight takes the cake! We always order no shrimp or shellfish because I have an allergy (confirmed by testing in ottawa since I was 14) that requires me to carry an epipen. The owner has always told us that " there is no guarentee but we will do our best". That was ok for me, I trusted that they would try their best not to cross contaminate. Tonight we found a shrimp in our singapore noodles and it was marked "No Shrimp" right on the container. So I called and asked to speak to the owner. She then told me that they boil all their food products in the same water and fry in the same oil they use to cook the shrimp in!! I could not believe she would not have told me this before, in 12 years not once has she ever told me that my food was contaminated because I never would have ordered from there. If you know anything about food allergies they worsen with each exposure. She offered to refund me the noodles but I did not want it. It was like she didn't believe me. I ate there maybe 3 times a year, but no wonder I get sick after eating there. I told her I will NEVER eat there again she could keep her refund. If a restaurant is willing to endanger a clients' health to get your business, what else are they willing to do? I will stick with Moon or Sunshine restaurant when I want chineese...

Confession: I ate in this building every week as a young fellow, when it was the House of Chan. It was quite a great space, with some classic 60s/70s Chinese restaurant decor. Alas, since Covid, the owners of Panda have set it up as take-out only, with piles of boxes dividing the pick-up cashier area from the old table sections. But economics are what they are, so atmosphere is not a factor in the final score here. The service was (a) very fast and (b) delightful, for such a quick transaction. They give instructions on how to skip the tip (if you don't like to tip on takeout). The food, then. Dry: 'garlic spareribs' that are roasted too hot, I'd guess, rather than broiled for a longer time. "Chicken fried rice' that is also dry and quite plain. Egg rolls were fine, with a non-homemade plum sauce. Imperial rolls - vietnamese style with ricer paper deep fried and nuoc mam - were pretty good. 'Cantonese Chow Mien' - wheat noodles with a mix of veg, shrimp and bbq pork were "alright, but..." in my words of my gluten-tolerant mum. So, yes, maybe being ready in 10min is not my highest priority, if it's going to be all rather underwhelming. But fixable!! The Cornwall legacy of Canadian-Chinese food is strong (e.g., the Jade Garden), but finding decent versions in Cornwall ... isn't possible...

Where do I start, we had high hopes based on the reviews, however none of the meal was enjoyable for us. The Won Ton soup was so salty and contained more water and salt than actual won ton, the only thing going for it was the containers they were sent in. 0/10 The chicken Soo guy was overcooked and dry and tasted of grease, very chewy and hard at times, eating it just resulted in sore stomachs and indigestion for all. 0/10 The egg rolls were also over cooked, darkened and very hard on the outside. 3/10 The springs rolls seemed to be filled with a frozen vegetable mix but despite that was honestly the only edible thing in the meal, but far from fantastic. 2/10 The woman who answered the phone was very polite and pleasent while taking our order, and the gentleman who delivered the meal was also polite though dresses very unprofessional so for staff I give an 6/10. Price for what we recieved was not the best. If the food had been good I might have been a bit happier about it, but it was a waste of money. 0/10 All in all will NOT be ordering...