Khao Soi — Restaurant in Port Orchard

After a long drought we've found our favorite Thai place in Port Orchard: Khao Soi. Maybe our favorite in the entire, which makes it even more convenient that it's in town. But we almost didn't eat here. When I called for info the phone just rang until I hung up. I called the Bremerton store and a female employee was told the PO location was open but the small staff was likely to busy to answer the phone. She advised I call the restaurant back. I did and the phone was picked up after a couple of rings by a delightful, sunny-voiced lady. She answered my questions and ended the call with 'See you soon!" There was such enthusiasm and welcoming in that voice I thought, "Yes you will!"

So my wife and I and our son visited there yesterday for dinner. The place wasn't that busy and we were shown to a great table by a young man. You get the sense here that's all family-run. Apparently our host, who was also our server, was playing with a very young girl standing by the bar. There was something about the obvious love shown between them that made the place a little bit more warm and special. But would the food and service measure up?

Not to worry. Everything we ordered was served fairly quickly. Here's a rundown on what we ordered. First, my wife and I ordered Thai Iced Tea. It's served in a tall glass with a straw inserted in the glass. Although kind of pricey at $5 for a 16 oz glass, we'd order it again because it was very good.

The Crab Wontons (not called Rangoon here) were our starter. It says on the menu that it's partly made from imitation crab (along with real prawns) but this dish typically tastes more of savory cream cheese than crab anyway. It was delicious, and perfectly cooked to very crispy--but hot as in temperature. Be careful about digging in right away, if you can.

I ordered the Garlic Broccoli with Beef with the highest level of spice. One other Thai restaurant's top spice level was hotter than this but i tell ya, the heat in this dish backed up and me and became beautifully more than enough. The really hot stuff is worth it for all the endorphins it kicks in afterwards. The meat was cut into long triangles and though just a bit chewy, the flavors and color of the meat was exceptional. Plenty of beef and broccoli garnished with finely chopped peanuts. A stand-out dish as well as a beautiful plate of food. I WILL be ordering this again.

Both my wife and son ordered the Pad See Ew. She had hers with pork at no spice level, and our son ordered his with beef at the same top spice level as me. They both greatly enjoyed their dish. With my son, at first he greatly annoyed me with his usual comment, "What heat?" But the guy does have a higher tolerance for spice heat than I do, but it's still annoying, you know? I tasted some of the dish and where I thought the rice noodles were too mushy, he liked them just fine. But the surprising part is where the Pad See Ew at another Thai place in town was his favorite before the owner sold the business, he said he liked THIS dish better. Which means he's now found his favorite dish at Khao Soi.

OK, so two dishes hit out of the park. The Stir-fried Vegetables were very good, even with a pool of sauce/oil at the bottom of the plate. BUT, the sauce/oil was delicious! I wound up spooning the perfectly-cooked Jasmine Rice onto my plate and pouring the sauce/oil over the rice and mixing it in. It made the rice taste even more delicious.

There's still a bit of tweaking in the service area to be done here but it'll come. During checkout the woman who was the only other server on the floor printed out our receipt. When she talked to me about it I realized SHE WAS THE ONE I TALKED TO ON THE PHONE!!!! Her personality was just as sweet and charming in person as on the phone. And she again said "See you soon" or something like...

I recently visited the much-hyped new Thai restaurant in town, drawn in by the overwhelming positive reviews from other patrons. However, my experience left me questioning the authenticity of these glowing endorsements.

Despite the fervent praise from other reviewers, I found the food to be merely satisfactory. It appeared that anyone daring to offer a less-than-stellar review was met with hostility from what seemed like an army of fervent supporters, raising suspicions of ulterior motives.

Firstly, while the menu boasted a variety of dishes, the portions were disappointingly small considering the prices. Furthermore, the quality of the dishes did not live up to the hype. The Tom Kha soup, in particular, lacked flavor and was noticeably lacking in meat, leaving me underwhelmed.

Additionally, I was surprised to find that none of the dishes I ordered had the promised level of spiciness. As someone who enjoys the bold flavors of authentic Thai cuisine, this was a major letdown.

It's understandable that locals and die-hard fans might be excited about a new addition to the culinary scene, but it's crucial to separate genuine enthusiasm from overinflated hype. In my opinion, this restaurant falls into the latter category.

In addition to my previous observations about the overhyped new Thai restaurant in town, there's another aspect that left me questioning its credibility: the gluten-free and vegan options—or lack thereof.

Despite boasting a menu purportedly catering to dietary restrictions, I couldn't help but wonder about the authenticity of these claims. Are the gluten-free and vegan dishes truly safe for those with dietary sensitivities?

Upon further inquiry, I discovered that many of these supposedly specialized dishes are cooked using the same oil as meat or gluten-containing items. This raised significant doubts about the integrity of the restaurant's gluten-free and vegan offerings. After all, can a dish truly be labeled gluten-free or vegan if it's prepared in an environment where cross-contamination is likely?

For individuals with genuine dietary concerns, such as myself, this lack of transparency is concerning. Before placing an order, I strongly advise clarifying the preparation methods to ensure that the food meets your dietary needs.

In light of these findings, my disappointment with the restaurant's offerings only deepens. Not only does the food fail to impress, but the promises of accommodating dietary restrictions appear to be nothing more than lip service.

In conclusion, the new Thai restaurant's shortcomings extend beyond just mediocre food and suspect reviews—it also raises questions about its commitment to providing genuinely inclusive dining experiences. Proceed with caution, and don't hesitate to inquire about the specifics of your meal...

TLDR - The food was inconsistent between my first and second visit. The green curry was inedible—too salty and sandy. We returned it, but they still tried to charge us by giving a check with only the total. When I questioned it, the waitress admitted they hoped we wouldn't notice the curry was still on the bill, even though it was returned and they never offered to make it right. (FYI - curry is a forgiving dish and can be fixed if too salty or concentrated).

Also -- service is horrible. They are constantly sitting at the bar on their phone, they just drop off the plates and leave without clearing up previous plates. We had 3 apps and 3 entrees and they wouldn't pick up anything or offer new small plates for sharing. Waitress couldn't answer any of my questions for the menu - she just re-read the menu item to me....

Pretty good food but terribly shitty service.. I dined at this restaurant twice, and the experience drastically changed from my first visit to the second. On my first visit, the food was great—betel wraps, pad thai, crab wontons, and chicken wings were all delicious. However, the service was disappointing. The server spent most of her time on her phone, couldn’t answer menu questions, and was sitting at the bar with a Starbucks drink, barely attending to the tables.

Despite the poor service, I went back because the food was good. Unfortunately, the second experience was worse. The betel wraps were okay but not the same as before (more ginger, less sweetness). The pad thai was different—half the portion, crispy tofu instead of soft, and now with purple onions. Worst of all, the green curry was inedible: way too salty and sandy in texture. My friend and I both agreed it was awful.-- I've been to Thailand, my friend and I are both Asian so green curry or any other isn't a novelty for us.

We returned the curry, but when the check came, it wasn’t itemized, just a total. The curry was still on it. After I pointed it out, they reluctantly agreed to remove it, but it felt like they were trying to trick us into paying for something we returned. They didn’t even offer to fix it or make a new one. Then they admitted that they gave us the check with only the total on it thinking we wouldn't notice we were paying for the curry.

Overall, the service was terrible again, with staff more focused on their phones than the customers. They didn’t clear dirty plates or check in with us after dropping off the food. It’s unfortunate because the food had potential, but the inconsistent quality and poor service ruined the experience. I won’t...