Naung Mai Thai Kitchen — Restaurant in Oak Harbor

I hadn’t been eating out much lately, but over the last two weeks, I ordered twice and spent just over $200 combined. Unfortunately, both times were a letdown.

The first time I ordered, the system said 20 minutes. I added another item and the wait changed to 45 minutes, no problem. I arrived right on time, but it was clear the food had been sitting out. My nephew’s pad thai was lukewarm and stuck together in one big lump. The coconut shrimp was also lukewarm but still tasted fine. I had paid $4 extra for added veggies in two meals, but neither dish had what looked like even a regular portion, let alone extra. I figured they just forgot. I chalked it up to “stuff happens” - disappointed of how expensive it was, but not enough to call or complain.

I order again last night. They system said 60 minutes if I chose "ASAP" so instead I chose a specific time of 7:30 (an hour later) thinking that way, they'd pay attention to the pickup time. I ordered the $18 appetizer sampler, gyoza, a $16 veggie entrée, two curry dishes with veggie sides on both for 2.00 each rather than 4.00 for extra veggies, I wanted to see if that would be a better approach (it was). Altogether, with tax and tip, I spent $116.

I got there at 7:30 on the nose. We opened the gyoza as soon as we got in the car and it was soggy. Once we got home and opened the food up, the appetizers were barely warm. The chicken skewers were wrapped in foil and looked like pale beef jerky. I’m not exaggerating. The chicken was so overcooked it all stuck to the skewer, it looked like it had been sitting in the sun for days. It was so overcooked it was inedible. That was the straw that sent me over the edge. Knowing the cook looked at that and still decided it was okay to serve.

The veggie entrée had barely enough to cover the bottom of the container. Ironically, each one of the $2 veggie sides had more food in it than the $16 veggie main dish. How does that make sense?

When I called the restaurant to tell them about my experience, the woman who answered was very kind and offered me a free appetizer. I appreciated that, but told her I didn't want it. I wasn't calling to get a freebie. I was calling to point out that people are spending serious money here and the kitchen is just not paying attention. There is no regard for pickup times, no quality control, and no consistency in portion sizes.

The young woman I spoke with was very kind, apologetic but because of the language barrier I'm not sure she got the entire gist of what I was saying. If this happened to me two for two in 2 weeks, it's a pattern, not an exception. I don't want a free appetizer, although getting the tips returned would be nice. I think this will be the last time I tip on a takeout order - the tips is supposed to be for service and quality. How do we even know what we're tipping for until we get home with the food.

I'm writing this in hopes that the owners see it. You need to know what's happening. If I’ve ordered twice in two weeks and had bad service both times, I doubt I’m the only one.

This isn’t about prices going up, I get that. But if prices increase, portions shouldn’t shrink. Don’t serve food that should’ve been tossed, and pay attention to pickup times so food isn’t sitting out for 20 to 30 minutes before customers arrive.

I hope this review makes it to someone who can do something about it.

Edit: Parking here is an absolute nightmare at dinner time and the lobby is so small and crowded with people coming to pick up. There are plenty of other Thai places in town that are easier to park at and pick up from. You need to fix the things you...

Oak Harbor used to be a somewhat quiet town with two decidedly different communities being one of the older retirement set, and the other of military origin in support of Whidbey Naval Air Station which sits adjacent on the city's outskirts. With this combination one now finds quite an available variety of restaurants representing corporate fast food giants to small independent and unique offerings. Naung Mai Thai Kitchen falls into the latter with two locations, one in nearby Anacortes and the other located centrally in Oak Harbor. The Oak Harbor location definitely fits into the ‘small and local’ category as the open central kitchen area probably occupies 70% of overall space with seating only provided at maybe 4 tables and bar type seating along a front window. The ambiance is cozy, lively and full of deliciously scented foods being prepared. The staff are extremely attentive and friendly along with being proud to describe and explain foods being offered on the compact yet varied menu. On this visit we ordered: Fresh Summer Roll, Green salad, prawn, rice noodles wrapped in a clear rice wrapper. Served with peanut sauce. Refreshing and clean to the palate and chilled to the right temperature on a warm summer evening. This was followed by Fried Coconut Prawns, Lightly coconut breaded prawns, pan-fried and served with sweet & sour sauce. Perfectly fried at the right heat in order to impart a crunchy golden crispness and locking in moistness without becoming a sponge for the oil in which it is prepared. We also ordered a cup of Tom Yum Soup, Hot and sour soup, with galangal, lemongrass, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, lime leaves, and carrots. Topped with fresh green onions and cilantro (excellent size serving as an accompaniment) along with an order of traditional Chicken Pad Thai, Stir fried rice noodles with egg, bean sprouts, green onions, and ground peanuts. Excellent balance of Thai seasonings in a Pad Thai sauce that wasn't cloying or artificially gloopy. We ordered everything 2 stars and which honestly was a bit more spicy than we may have expected. Two stars is our normal ‘safe’ zone so you can always spice up, but then every restaurant is a bit different as it's really up to the kitchen how to establish their individual heat scale.  One last item we ordered was something not usually found in a Thai restaurant or featured on the menu: Pho. It sounded interesting, and it was absolutely delicious! The meat broth was rich and full flavored which was enhanced with tender strips of beef with traditional noodles and all the toppings on the side. Not sure if this was a regular item, but if available, order it! The full menu includes appetizers, salads, noodles, soups, fried rice, curries and a bevy of entree options. Thai beverages, soft drinks, beer and wine are also served. The food is exceptionally flavorful and fresh and stands out among many average Thai restaurants. The prices are affordable with plenty of available...

No Substitute for the Best in Town.

On recommendation from a friend I went to Jeda's yesterday. I ordered the Spicy Chicken, Garlic Prawns and Rama Noodles.

Jeda's is a small, hole in the wall, Asian cuisine gem in the wall, 4 yrs and running strong with delicious food that will blow you outta the water. They have a heat scale of 1-5, if you want those amazing heat sweats all us fire breathers look for in our food go big with a 5 and prepare to be knocked off your socks with how much delicious heat Jeda's cooks can put into their food. My wife's Prawns were a 2 and they came out perfect for her! Rama noodles were amazing and their peanut sauce was delicious and thick. What I really appreciated was the generous portions of vegetables, cooked really well and the fat dollop of rice with every entrée for free too as too many business' these days like to add rice for extra $1-2 BUT NOT HERE!

I ordered out and what I really enjoyed was that each entrée was placed on top of a sheet of tin foil which smartly kept the heat in the food and prevented the foam cartons from getting too hot. I couldn't stop eating my meal and I strongly believe when you give this place a try you wont be able too either. It really is that fantastic.

Next time I'm getting the Thai Tea and the Drunken noodles cause they too are...