Leks Thai — Restaurant in Mataró

A very disappointing experience, both in terms of the service and the way the issue was handled. Four friends and I went to this restaurant, and three of us ordered the same dish (Massaman Curry). When the dishes arrived at the table, I immediately noticed that mine looked completely different. While my friends’ curries had a thick texture and creamy color, mine was watery like a soup, had a different (red) color, and clearly tasted different.

Right after serving us, the waitress—who was kind at all times—explained that since it was a handmade dish, there might be slight variations. However, the difference was far too obvious to be explained that way. I mentioned that mine didn’t match the others, and she took it to the kitchen to check.

Shortly after, the owner came over. Without really listening to what I was trying to explain, she insisted in a curt tone that it was the same dish. She took it away again and, after a few minutes, brought it back. This time, the color was somewhat closer to my friends’, as if they had added a splash of coconut milk to mask the color, but the texture was still exactly the same: completely liquid. It was soup, not the same dish.

I then asked if I could change the dish, as it clearly wasn’t right. Her reaction was completely out of proportion. She began speaking to me in a hostile manner, saying I had to pay for it, that nothing would be changed, and that it was the same dish. She offered no solution and showed zero willingness to engage in a conversation. Rather than resolving the issue, she escalated it.

Eventually, amid the growing tension, the waitress—visibly uncomfortable—came back over. She sincerely apologized and offered to change the dish, assuring me I would only be charged for the new one. We also saw that the waitress was reprimanded, even though the error originated in the kitchen and the mishandling was entirely the owner’s fault.

I left the restaurant with a very unpleasant feeling. Not just because of the dish, which could have simply been a kitchen mistake, but because of the way the owner handled the situation—with arrogance, a total lack of empathy, and aggressive behavior toward both the customer and her own staff.

After this experience, I checked other reviews and saw that this wasn’t an isolated case. Whenever there’s a complaint or issue, the typical response is dismissal and denial.

I do not recommend this place. A restaurant isn’t defined only by what it serves, but also by how it responds when something goes wrong. And here, sadly, they...

We had a fantastic meal here. It’s very nice to have something other the typical fare.

The starters are excellent including rice paper spring roll, gyoza/dumplings, which were so refreshing and super tasty.

*If you are used to spicy Indian curry or Thai curry from another country, you might want to ask for more spice on your curry. I would have enjoyed 3 🌶🌶🌶 level of spice. 2 🌶🌶 was a bit mild for me.

I find the normal spiciness in Indian or Thai curry in UK more like a 🌶🌶🌶 here.* The chef is an actual Thai and you can tell from the authenticity of the food, red, green, Penang and Massaman curry as well as the popular noodle and rice dishes.

Our server was a lovely German lady who has lived in Barcelona for 20+ years so a native Barcelonian at this point. She said the hard part is getting authentic ingredients. So green papaya salad isn’t available because they can’t get a hold of it.

Another insider tip she told us was many of the restaurants serving non-Spanish food were actually cooked by Spaniards. That unfortunately means you often find the Chinese or other ethnic restaurants not very authentic.

Most people who stay at the Atenea Port Hotel were recommended only the restaurants at the sea front which most serve similar food. The most adventurous being Italian or...

Una experiencia muy decepcionante, tanto por el trato recibido como por la gestión del problema.

Fuimos cuatro amigas a este restaurante y tres pedimos el mismo plato (Curry Massaman). Al llegar los platos a la mesa, nos llamó la atención que el mío era completamente diferente. Mientras los de mis amigas tenían una textura espesa y un color cremoso, el mío era líquido como una sopa, con un color distinto (rojo) y un sabor claramente diferente.

Nada más servirnos, la camarera, que fue amable en todo momento, nos explicó que al ser un plato artesanal podía variar un poco de un plato a otro. Sin embargo, la diferencia era demasiado evidente como para justificarse de esa forma. Le comenté que el mío no se correspondía y ella se lo llevó a cocina para consultarlo.

Poco después regresó la dueña. Sin apenas escuchar lo que yo intentaba explicar, insistió con un tono seco en que era el mismo plato. Se lo volvió a llevar y, al cabo de unos minutos, me lo trajo de nuevo. Esta vez el color era algo más parecido al de mis amigas, como si le hubiesen añadido un chorro de leche de coco para disimular el color, pero seguía siendo exactamente igual de líquido. Era una sopa, no el mismo plato.

Entonces le pregunté si podía cambiar de plato, ya que ese claramente no estaba bien. Su reacción fue completamente desproporcionada. Empezó a hablarme de forma hostil, diciendo que lo tenía que pagar, que no iba a cambiar nada y que era el mismo plato. No ofreció ninguna solución, ni mostró la más mínima disposición al diálogo. En lugar de resolver la situación, la escaló.

Finalmente, ante la tensión generada, fue la camarera quien se acercó, visiblemente incómoda. Se disculpó sinceramente y me ofreció cambiarme el plato, asegurándome que solo me cobrarían ese. Vimos que encima, reprendieron a la camarera, cuando el error viene de cocina y la mala gestión de la dueña.

Salí del restaurante con una sensación muy desagradable. No solo por el plato, que simplemente pudo haber sido un error de cocina, sino por la manera en que la dueña manejó la situación, con soberbia, falta total de empatía y un trato agresivo, tanto hacia el cliente como hacia su propia empleada.

Después de esta experiencia, consulté otras reseñas y vi que no es un caso aislado, ante cualquier problema o crítica, la respuesta habitual es el desprecio y la negación.

Voy a añadir capturas de una reseña con la que me sentí completamente identificada, así como una respuesta escrita por la dueña a otro cliente, donde queda en evidencia su actitud prepotente y maleducada. Lo hago para que quede constancia de que lo que viví no fue una excepción, sino parte de un patrón.

No recomiendo este lugar. Un restaurante no solo se define por lo que sirve, sino por cómo responde cuando algo no va bien. Y aquí, lamentablemente, fallaron...