Viêt-Thai — Restaurant in Ottawa

Viêt-Thai: Missed the Mark

During a recent trip to Ottawa, my craving for pad-thai led me to Viêt-Thai. While I strive to find the silver lining in most experiences, I must offer a balanced account of my visit.

The Positives: Firstly, I appreciate that the restaurant is wheelchair accessible, catering to those with mobility challenges. The interior is clean, brightly lit, and the promptness of service was noteworthy – my meal was served piping hot in what felt like record time.

Room for Improvement: Despite the restaurant being almost empty, save for one other patron, the sole wait staff member was noticeably absent. Not once did she check in on my dining experience or ask if I needed anything. Disturbingly, her attention seemed more captivated by her phone than her clientele.

The food, while hot, left much to be desired. My pad-thai was slightly overdone, causing the noodles to coalesce into a sticky mass. The dish leaned heavily on the sweeter side, lacking the characteristic spiciness I hoped for. The absence of a heat level option was also surprising, especially since other establishments, even franchise ones, offer it as a standard query - and often at a more palatable price point.

Moreover, in what I believed to be a bygone practice, chopsticks and spoons were piled into a communal container on the table, allowing any diner to inadvertently touch multiple utensils before selecting theirs. In the wake of the Covid era, this seemed a rather outdated and unsanitary practice.

Sadly, I cannot see myself returning for a...

I just went and picked up lunch at Viet-Thai on Bank St. I had been craving pho since yesterday so I was looking forward to it. I browsed the menu while I waited for someone to come out and take my order. The lady came out and was quite rude, she didn't smile or say hi or ask me if I had questions, etc. She looked like she was in a bad mood. I asked her if the won tons were shrimp and she said yes bluntly. I went ahead and placed my order to go. I walked back to work and checked my order and was extremely disappointed. First of all there were no chop sticks or anything in the bag that I could actually eat my pho with but I grabbed a plastic spoon from the lunch room and made due. The pho was very watered down and tasted very bland. The wontons were definitely not shrimp - maybe a mix of pork and shrimp but they tasted off.. I've had them from here once before and loved them.. They almost tasted old or like they've been in the freezer for too long. Finally the spring rolls were ok but also bland, I could taste the oil more than the spring rolls themselves. I spent $30 on lunch and did not enjoy any of it. Very disappointed in both the service and the food quality. The man who brought out my food at least smiled and told me to have a good day but other than that it was not a good experience. I will not be returning, which is sad because I love Vietnamese and Thai food and I work just down the street. I normally don't leave bad reviews as I understand how much it can effect small businesses but this was just...

Edit: taking it down two stars as it is getting worse. It seemed like it was a family hangout for the owners and their family. No proble with that except that sevice was so bad. . Beers unopened non twist top bottles. Opened my bottle with a key. Pho served without the sprouts Thai Basil. Felt like we were really bothering them by ordering food. The food was ok. The both for the Pho was a little thin and the noodles were all stuck in a ball(again). The Mango Salad was delicious.

The food was very good. The Pho broth was rich and tasty (vs thin). The noodles were the right consistency but were unfortunately stuck in a ball. We had a Thai Mango Salad which was tasty and well done. Where they lost a star was on the service. I suspect they have been so used to online orders with covid that they were out of practice. We were served drinks in the bottle/can without being asked if we wanted a glass, ice or straw. We had to ask for plates. Our noodle dish was ordered with shrimp but we got it with chicken. I'm surprised since you write your order down yourself. I'm only docking a star because the food...