Thai Diamond Y&M — Restaurant in Lakewood

BEFORE YOU ORDER, READ THIS! -----It hurts me to say we had a very BAD experience this time. Been there many times in the past, for sit down and takeout both, and even though it is not truly authentic Thai food because it is changed for Americans, it has always been good enough, but not great. -----However, here is what happened. On the bill they had automatically added an 18% charge. The charge had NO LABEL on it, and of course they hadn’t put anything on their menu either (an important legal distinction). I was not happy, but I also knew my rights. I told the waitress “I have been here many times and you have never done this. I’m sorry dear, but you must take that off. You cannot do that.” As she took back the ticket, she mumbled something like, “Since you are repeat customer, I will take it off.” I said, “Thank you” and waited for her return. She brought it back with the charge removed, but then was very cold and said nothing. However, as we were leaving, she started to RANT at me. She said and I quote, “We work very hard to help you, we bring you water and we wait on you and do many thing, but nobody want to pay us for work, so we add charge to bill.” I said, “Really dear? That doesn’t make it OK just because you want it. If you really want it all the time, you must put it on your menu.” She said, “MAYBE we do that, and next time you HAVE to pay. You are such good person; you are such good person.” We know what she was really saying. -----In the past, I would generally leave a similar amount for tip anyway, but this time of course, because of their audacity, I left nothing extra and I will NOT go back. They have now lost a regular customer. There are many decent Thai restaurants, I will not tolerate that kind of attitude. FYI. I was in there this time with my Thai spouse, who says tipping or anything like that in Thailand is just not done by Thai people and was surprised it was so common here and very annoyed it is expected. I said it is common in the US, and unfortunately is now expected by wait people, because restaurants are not willing or able to pay better wages, so they actually expect their customers to make up the difference, regardless of the service they get. I said unfortunately many Americans think it is that way everywhere, but WE know it is not. In fact, many places in the world, tips are even frowned upon and as in Thailand, are...

I have a confession: I'm addicted to Massaman Curry. This fact makes me a pretty one-dimensional reviewer of Thai restaurants in general. The Massaman Curry at the Thai Diamond is so completely delectable, I've stayed true to myself and never ordered anything else on the menu. But, I've taken a couple of friends to the Thai Diamond, and they've tried other dishes that they were utterly smitten with. (The only one I remember is the Kabocha Squash appetizer, which I got to sample and thought it was fab.) Both friends are now enthusiastic return customers -- one of them pretty hardcore. Between my experience and theirs, I can't help but assume that everything on the menu is divine. You may have driven past this place without a second glance because of its location. It's at the NW corner of Kipling and Colfax, in a tiny strip mall in back of a gas station. Not sexy, but get over it. Your date will thank you. I'm from Chicago, and I know that places that don't look like much on the outside are some of the best kept secrets. This is one of them. Inside, the Thai Diamond is very nice, has a pleasant ambiance, lovely workers, and great service. I guarantee that you'll become a return...

Okay, so I go to a lot of Thai restaurants, and live in Los Angeles, so I get the good stuff, but this place is worth visiting. So in a week, we came here twice. Small place with adequate parking out front. Friendly servers who get to know a lot of the locals, and remember them. They are able to make good recommendations to those not really familiar with Thai cuisine. Nice ambience, clean, bright. I had the chicken Khow Soy, which is a curry soup over noodles. Normally, they use egg noodles, but they were able to accommodate my wheat-free diet, and used rice noodles. This is one of my favorite dishes, and was very nicely done. This is a rather spicy dish, but great if you like curry. My wife had Pad See Ew, and enjoyed the noodles and broccoli. The chicken was perfectly tender and tasty. Second time around, I had the roast duck noodle soup off the specials menu. It was outstanding. My wife had the Panang curry with chicken, and it was very good, and dairy-free. We will remember this place when...