Pho Ong Thin — Restaurant in Ottawa

Presentation alone does not determine taste. A dish may be plated beautifully, but if the flavors don’t match the effort put into presentation, it ultimately falls short.

I have visited Sugar Marmalade locations in Toronto, Ottawa, and Mississauga, frequently traveling between them to observe how their food quality and consistency evolve over time. I primarily compare the fried chicken (or “popcorn chicken,” as they call it) across these locations, and the inconsistencies in portion size, texture, and flavor are noticeable. This lack of uniformity not only contradicts the brand’s values but also risks alienating customers, which could lead to a decline in business over time. Customers return for quality and consistency, and failing to deliver on that front means losing their trust.

While I appreciate the simplicity and uniqueness of the ordering process, the portion sizes are unreasonably small and highly inconsistent across locations. The variance in quantity and quality between orders is frustrating. Living just two minutes away from one of the locations, I’ve noticed that by the time my order arrives, the food is already cold, and the chicken lacks toppings. The Korean-style kimchi and Japanese-style seasoning were disappointingly bland—a stark contrast to how these flavors should be executed.

I say this with confidence because I have recreated these dishes at home with far superior results. If a home-cooked version can outshine a professional kitchen’s offering, it raises concerns about recipe execution, ingredient quality, and staff training. To maintain customer loyalty and brand reputation, Sugar Marmalade must focus on portion control, employee training, and maintaining consistency across all locations. A successful business is built not just on aesthetics and convenience but on delivering a consistent and satisfying...

Wow, what a gong show! We came in a group of 12, ordered around 6 desserts to share along with 2 beverages. The two drinks came first and neither were correct, one bubble tea had no tapioca when we ordered it with, the other was cold when we asked for (and saw it written down as) hot. Not sure why it took 10mins for those to be fixed. On to the desserts: The toasted marshmallow toast looked great in the menu.. who knew all it was was 9 marshmallows NOT toasted/melted and just lined up on a piece of bread with some chocolate sauce drizzled over top? The little girl that ordered it didn't even touch it when it arrived lol.. just horrible. Next, Egg waffle with ice cream and mango.. I've had this dozens of times at various places.. pretty hard to mess up, right? Apparently at this location, if you accidentally burn the waffle, it's still okay to serve?? No, no, no, these are not meant to have black spots and break like crackers. The cherry on top was when the dessert served in a coconut shell arrived.. as the server placed it in front of my uncle, she accidentally tipped the little bottle of hot coconut milk over and it poured all over his lap. Now, you would think this may elicit some sort of urgent response involving profuse apologies and some sort of compensation. Nope! 3 mins later, a mop casually arrives, and we still had to ask for more coconut milk. Still no "so sorry for this.. please accept________ for staining your clothes and potentially burning you!" These were just the highlights. We had to ask repeatedly for any cutlery/plates, and stuff took long to come out. The restaurant was about 2/3 filled I would say, not crazy... certainly not enough to warrant the insanely bad service and execution today. Maybe there are better days, but I can't come...

Watch out!

I've been to Sugar Marmalade several times in past years and my first few experiences were relatively pleasant but the customer service and food quality just went downhill since 2 years ago. My first bad experience was food poisoning 2 years ago from eating something with chicken - I ended up puking in a packed BUS on my way home. Called for a refund numerous times over a month while the person on the other side of the phone said that someone would contact me (no one contacted me). Haven't been back since then except for yesterday when my mom and I were driving downtown and wanted something tasty. Ordered a dessert and a drink in English/Chinese (I struggle with my Chinese so I switched to English halfway). Workers were very rude and unprofessional. I ordered two desserts containing durian. Idk if they knew I spoke Chinese (even though I was speaking in Chinese with them) or if they simply didn't care but they started complaining at the cash in Chinese that they were tired of making durian desserts and wish customers would stop ordering it. My drink was very badly made - ice was not properly crushed at all so it was a pain to drink. Dessert was fine. Idk what's going on SM but unless you get your act together, I will not recommend your place and will stop going to your restaurant. Many of my friends have had similar experiences including food...