Siam Orchid — Restaurant in Test Valley

We ordered from the buffet menu which offered plenty of choice and the food arrived in a timely manner and was tasty. When ordering a Singha beer I received two 330ml bottles, at the end of the meal I politely mentioned I would prefer a single beer at a time so the beer didn't get warm but it was hardly a deal breaker. One of the waiters called Mark informed me that it took more than one bottle to fill a pint glass and I commented that it was a bit odd, a smaller glass might be an option. Thinking that was that and we were about to leave Mark told me that he doesnt eat in Andover, has eaten at a number of Michellin star restaurants and implied his father was wealthy. In addition he told us he was studying for his masters in finance at Winchester university. I'm not sure what we were meant to do with that information but there was no time for reflection, he then shouted at us and asked us to leave and pointed to the door. We were totally shocked, I was thinking this was a candid camera moment but it wasn't. The restaurant manager profusely apologised and told us that Mark isn't right in the head, he reduced the bill by £7. Mark then offered to pay for our meal which we thought well why not but then he disappeared around the back. For £50 Siam Orchid provided a memorable dining experience, average food and appalling service from one waiter called Mark. We ignored some of the less favourable reviews on trip advisor, now we...

Let's start with the good - lovely setting in a small unusual building. Food wise the chicken satay was delicious and the coconut rice was excellent. Unfortunately though that's where the good finished... Don't know if our waiter was new or just having a bad night, but he got our drinks order wrong, and I had to twice ask twice for a glass of water. Also waited over 15 mins from asking for the bill to receiving it. Didn't seem to be able to remember more than one thing at once. Was also treated to the aroma of burnt food wafting from the kitchen.... Food wise it was all just a bit disappointing. We had the mixed platter to start, the ribs were pretty tasteless, whilst there seemed to be filling missing from my spring roll! The other items were greasy and overdone. Also had some tempura veg, which was bland and very greasy. Mains sadly didn't improve. The massaman tasted like it had caught the pan, the sweet and sour was vinegary and the panang overly flavoured. Been about 10 years since I ate here and will probably be another 10 before I...

WOW, Outstanding! We visited here for a birthday and everything exceeded our expectations. We opted for the buffet menu which is all you can eat and we weren't disappointed. We started with the mixed platters (prawn toasts, chicken satay, pork and vegetable purses and ribs), then we moved onto the crispy duck and it is one of the best I have ever tasted. As soon as we'd finished one dish the staff cleared the empty and dirty plates away and replenished the table with clean tableware. All the food we ordered came within just a few minutes and was hot, tasty and plenty-full. On the drinks side, they only sell beers by the bottle (330ml), wine they sell by the glass but it's cheaper to buy the bottle. The Siam Orchid is small with only a few tables but has a wonderful ambiance. Outside there is plenty of parking and it's only a very short walk from the main town centre, where you can find the other pubs for maybe pre-drinks or after...