Noi Thai Cuisine — Restaurant in Bend

We went to dinner at Noi last night and were not happy. First, the table we were given was not properly bussed and the previous customer's crumbs coated the upholstered bench. Because the hostess who brought us to the table had disappeared and no wait staff had come to the table or was visible, I returned to the front desk to get some help. No one was there, either. When I finally located the hostess, she allowed that, if I wanted, she could have the table bussed properly. I allowed as that would be good and she returned with a rag and cleared the crumbs. I sat down and we waited -- and waited. We had been given one multi-page menu for the two of us, a multi-paged publication, the pages of which were stuck together with food detritus from earlier customers. When our server finally appeared and asked us if there was anything we would like before ordering our meal, I told her that we would like two menus with clean pages. She responded: (1) that they were running short on menus but she would she what she could locate and (2) that most people got the menu on their smartphones using the QR code posted on the table. Because we find that reading a menu on a smartphone a particularly frustrating experience, I suggested that we would prefer paper menus. She returned a few minutes later with two more menus coated with food detritus and explaining that they were getting new menus next week. At this point a half-hour had elapsed since we were seated. We ordered cocktails that did not appear at the table for another 10 minutes. In the interim, we decided to order food. As an appetizer, we requested Miang Kum, a Thai appetizer that consists of betel leaves that you fill with assorted condiments. The server told us that they were out of basil (sic) leaves but could serve the dish with lettuce leaves, to which we agreed. As a second appetizer, we ordered fresh rolls, which the menu describes as a rice roll stuffed with rice, assorted vegetables and shrimp, with shrimp and pork for protein. The server responded that they were out of the shrimp and pork but could serve it with tofu. We decided not to order the fresh rolls and proceeded to order our entrees, a Panang Curry and SpicyThai Basil Stir-fry, with shrimp. Shortly after placing our food order, the cocktails arrived and, within minutes, the Miang Kum, with lettuce leaves, 80% of which were so small that it was nearly impossible to fill and eat them without coating your fingers with the sticky sauce that is part of the dish. When the entrees arrived, the stir-fry came with pork instead of the shrimp we had ordered. Totally frustrated at this point, we ate what was put in front of us, without further complaint. Just before we finished our food, the server appeared with the entrée we had ordered, and said that she recognized that a mistake had been made and that we were free to take the entrée with us, without charge. Needless to say, the evening was a dismal failure, saved from being a total disaster by the fact that the food was, as always, very good (and, of course, by the...

Came by here early for lunch with a large party. While making the reservation I witnessed the scene an irrate customer had with the staff over the bathroom incident (im pretty sure the staff is aware of what im referring to). I gave them the benefit of the doubt even after being warned by the customer and made a reservation and didnt inform the rest of my party. They are still clueless. We were seated and the staff were friendly yet seemed to be understaffed. The appetizers came out all at different times. The complementary soup was great but it was short 5 people and took a good 10mins and 2 complaints before having it brought out. The presentation of the food and the ambiance was nice. The thing that was really bothersome was the spice rating was inconsistent. 1 🌟 dishes were spicier than 5 🌟 dishes. I wouldnt usually dock ratings for this, but I expect the dishes to reflect the pricepoint that is being demanded. The seafood dish had a strong metallic taste as if it wasnt washed properly. I was excited about the masaman lamb curry since that's the proper protein for that dish. The staff informed me it was of New Zealand orgin (better quality than domestic). What I received was one of the worst lamb dishes I've had in my life. The lamb rack was portioned into double ribs (mistake #1). While it might make the presentation easier to setup, it exponentially increases the skill set required to properly cook it. The sauce had great flavor but neither the lamb nor the curry was inflused with each other's flavors. Lamb rib rack is an expensive cut but is one of the easiest cuts of lamb to cook and some how they managed to make it super tough. It was the consistency of a shoe sole. The lamb was uniform in color thru the core. It makes me believe the frozen cut was cooked via microwave and the curry poured over it. I included the picture of the fat which was all intact. Non of the fat was rendered nor did it have any flavor which is an indicator that it wasnt cooked in the sauce nor was it grilled/seared. I asked for steak knives and they both were dirty. Even with the steak knifes I wasnt able to cut thru it. I used my spyderco s30v blade which I use when reviewing steaks and even that had an issue cutting thru. (+10lbf to cut). Furthermore, thru the +1hr stay our water was only filled once. Also, the soda that was ordered was just carbonated water.

I'm unsure if the chef was fired prior to us being seated or just a bad set of SOP that all happened to align on that day. Because of that, I will give the benefit of doubt and...

The front desk staff was friendly. We arrived about 15 minutes prior to our 8:15 reservation and were seated after a short wait, near our scheduled seating.

The server was knowledgeable about the menu and made helpful recommendations. We ordered red curry with pork, and pad see ew with chicken. For drinks we had a spicy passion fruit margarita and a Thai iced tea.

The red curry was delicious and balanced. I found the pork a little bit rubbery, as though maybe overcooked - there was no char or crisp to it. The pad see ew was very good. It was not too salty nor too sweet, like this dish can sometimes be. The chicken was cooked to a nice flavor and texture.

The margarita had definite kick, which I really liked, but it might be too much for some. The thai iced tea was ridiculously sweet, I thought. The tea flavors got lost in the cream and whipped topping. The drink felt a little bit gimmicky to me, between the presentation and dessert-like quality.

I felt a little rushed when we got close to 9pm and the music was turned off and the staff were clearly occupied with shutting things down. Open hours were until 9pm so it is understandable that they would be wrapping up, but if they are going so far as to make the atmosphere less inviting at 5-til, they should not take reservations 45 minutes before close. I found the dishes a little overpriced for what they were, like we paid a bit more for the setting and presentation than the meal itself. Still, a generally positive experience, and would recommend...