Sip Thai Zooom — Restaurant in Issaquah

This was the worst Asian meal I have ever been served. Without asking, they made some horrible flavorless "farang" (foreign) version of Thai food with no spice and no seasoning. I ordered Tofu, Larb Gai, Pad Thai, and Pineapple fried rice. The bill for this horrible meal without tip $72.84 and I tip generously. i went there once before and due to the habit of more and more Thai restaurants serving "farang" versions of their cuisine, I told them that if the noodles they were cooking for me weren't properly spiced I would take it right back to the counter. I was delighted as the noodles were wonderful. On this visit, the order taker was the same and I foolishly thought she remembered what I told her. She did not and never asked me "how spicy do you want?" On the slip was noted: "Not Spicy." Unbelievable. Here is the rundown: The Larb Gai was a pile of plain cooked ground chicken with cabbage leaves. We threw it in the garbage where it belonged. The TuFu was 100% unseasoned but well cooked and the dipping sauce made it edible. The pineapple friend rice, which usually is fabulous at a Thai restaurant was greasy and flavorless. Another expensive dish thrown in the garbage. The Pad Thai was impossible to fathom how they could screw it up that badly. I couldn't salvage it either Another expensive dish thrown in the garbage. PLEASE: If you operate a Thai restaurant, serve THAI food. The customers you lose by serving this sort of inedible "farang" food will destroy your business over time. I for one, will never return to the Sip Thai and just wish I could get my money...

The review is primarily based on food quality and value for money. Nearby thai restaurants like Noodle boat and Similan are way better than this place based on those factors. Service and atmosphere had much lower weightage for us but even those were of lower quality in comparison to nearby Thai restaurants. Example - we bought up one of the many issues with the food and they said they can't do anything about it.

We ordered a bunch of dishes (Stir fry, noodles, curry & fried rice, Thai beverages). Unfortunately all dishes were lacking in flavor especially for the prices they charge. The noodles were soggy and bland. The stir fry was overrun with (soy?) sauce. The fried rice was lacking in any discernible flavor. The curry was watery and undercooked. Even the spice level requested got messed up. 1 star spice when we requested spicy (some of this we fixed by adding spicy sauce on top). Their thai beverages showcase crushed ice as the dominant ingredient and may be the primary source of taste as well. And they are ~half the quantity that we get in nearby places.

Prices: We are happy to support local restaurants and pay significantly higher prices as inflation was rampant. But things have changed and prices should reflect that. And if Sip wants to charge higher prices compared to nearby Thai restaurants then their quality and quantity should reflect that.

We will give it another shot and we hope the restaurant addresses these issues especially if there is a pattern here. If it was just a bad day in the kitchen then that...

About my order: I ordered the "Swimming Rama" for takeout (dine-in not allowed at this time due to COVID-19). This dish has an assortment of veggies with spinach with chicken (chicken can be substituted for tofu) with peanut sauce (in separate container), crispy noodles (separate, small container), and one serving of jasmine rice all for $14.95 before tax. It's hard to see but you are getting A LOT of food for that price. It all tasted great as well! The peanut sauce had a strong peanut flavor. The veggies and chicken were cooked well; veggies were not raw/crunchy nor were they mushy while the chicken was not raw nor was it overcooked to the point of being chewy. The rice was fine (it's really difficult for a restaurant to cook rice incorrectly). The crispy noodles didn't make any impression on me at all. Still, seriously great dish!

About the place: I went in on a Friday night to pick up my takeout. My first impression: it smelled incredibly fragrant and nice!! My second impression: they have a lot of employees moving around cooking, packing, and helping people pay. In other words, they were really busy even on a Friday night during COVID-19! That's good news for everyone! Their food is so delicious that they are still getting a lot of business even during these tough times! Decent amount of...