Phen Thai Kitchen — Restaurant in Bethel

This place is a sad excuse for Thai cuisine. The menu offerings are subpar, and the quality is less.

Today was my second time trying this place because it is local and I wanted to like it. The first time, my son and I found the food very bland. Today we atarted off with the coconut shrimp that was supposed to come with a dipping sauce. The shrimp or served with no sauce and I had to ask and wait for it. When the entrée came out, I started to dig into my meal and found what was most likely a piece of parchment paper In my food. No matter how big or small anyone thought it was, did not belong in my meal. My son ordered the crispy duck fried rice; the duck was way over cooked and very dry. Both dishes lacked flavor. I order my drunken chicken with level 3 spice; the meal didn’t even kick with little spiciness. I asked for hot chili oil and the waitress didn’t know what that was….. she goes to ask the chef and returns to tell me they stopped making it because it was too expensive…. When? 12 weeks ago when you opened?!?! After the hostess told me they would comp the meal off my bill, she returned to my table and embarrassed me in front of the table that she placed next to us minutes after we ordered ( the restaurant was almost empty and she could spread the tables out) And told me that the chef inspected the paper and claimed it was the outer layer of onion. I cook frequently with onions and no what onion looks like, including the outer papery layer.

When she first came to the table to tell me that they were comping my meal, I told her that was not necessary. I was not looking for any handouts, I just wanted to chef to know there was an inedible item in my food.

After she embarrassed me, I insisted that she added the meal back onto my bill if they believe the near conviction that it was onion. I make good money and never look for handouts.

Phen Thai, may your poor quality of food and poor customer service streamline you to closing your...

I've been to this new restaurant in Bethel twice, but it isn't as good as other Thai restaurants in the area. Ordered the Tom Yum Fried Rice with fried egg roll and steamed dumplings. The steamed dumplings were tasty, but dipping sauce was very salty. The egg roll was very crispy, however the filling seemed overcooked and somewhat mushy. Tom Yum Fried rice was disappointing, didn't taste like the Tom Yum flavoring you would expect. Nice red and green peppers and onion. No flavor of lime, not at all with any "heat", used my own Siracha sauce. No cilantro, no taste of ginger or galangal or lemongrass and no lime. The fried rice is already off the lunch menu, but they agreed to make it. They have been open for a brief amount of time, so I'm surprised they would already remove an item from the lunch menu. I'm hoping it...

Finally a Thai place in Bethel. My main place in Wilton was closed and I’ve been wanting to try this place anyway. I got a salad and Shrimp Pad Thai. Both were very good. The peanut sauce was on point. Food was served super hot which is great. They were priced a little higher than my main place but only by a few dollars. The service was excellent. My only gripe is the menu. It’s limited to rice and noodles carrying a theme of a food cart in Thailand. It’s a nice concept, but when you’re the only Thai restaurant in town, missing the curry’s, Thai Basil, Tom Kah Gai soup and many other popular Thai dishes is a deal breaker for me. They’ll be pressed to hone in customers when other places nearby offer so much more. But if you’re a noodle person, this...