Bai Tong Thai Restaurant — Restaurant in Redmond

TLDR: fancier atmosphere than you think. Sticky rice is good.

This place is poppin'! Very fancy vibe that almost makes you want to go back home and change when you walk in. Take a moment to admire their green napkins, water cups, and utensils--which are nice and hefty despite how thin they look. Very nice interior decor. You can barely hear the music playing in the background--very loud conversation noises and clanging dishes make this place feel like a diner.

Menu is large and in charge. The spice levels are listed per dish and you can customize the spice if you desire. Typical descriptions and photos here and there of the dishes. They have no dessert menu sadly.

The bar is nice and clean--at first I thought I was going to knock down the bottles with my knees when I sat down! You'll see what I'm talking about if you sit at the bar.

Service: walk up to the counter to get on the list, wait to be seated, order at the table, you will be watered, check brought to you, leftovers boxed for you.

Fresh Rolls: the pork adds a nice flavor to the roll--I'm a big fan of protein in fresh rolls. The peanut sauce is served warm and is creamy and very tasty! The veggies are very fresh but the carrots were a bit on the dry side--but they were canceled out by the crisp bean sprouts. The lettuce they used for the side decor could have been a little less wilted--it also had some holes in it.

Kra Pau: tasty but too flavorful to eat by itself-- you definitely need a side dish of rice and/or lightly flavored veggies. Bell peppers still had a light fresh crisp texture and were not overly cooked wads of slime (you know what I mean). The fresh basil was flawless and not limp at all.

Sticky Rice: yum! Love the chewy texture! Sad they don't provide much--but don't be fooled, it's very filling!

Mango Bangkok Soda: refreshing and creamy. Mix in that ice cream! The fizz adds a nice texture to the cream. It's not very sweet so you don't have to feel too guilty about...

People love this place but I still love to take out mistakes. First of all menu was a QR code that you scan so if you forget your glasses ask person beside you to read your phone to you. Restaurant doesn't split cheques even by 2 if your party size is above 5 . One person has to pay whole bill. Server came over a lotttt of many times to take order but being large party & menu visibility we took time to order that made her frustrated (I could clearly see) . Then she has to take our order in such a manner that 6th person seated cannot give order till 5th person seated has given their order , means she takes order in a line & middle person who was ready with order couldn't put in first. Coming to food - if you like spicy go for level 4 as I ordered level 3 which I found mild. I absolutely hated pad Thai with chicken that they made yesterday it was absolutely sticky & hardly tangy or flavourful & very few pieces of chicken. We ordered straight entrees for ourselves & no appetizers . Also, You have to pay extra $3-4 for rice with each entree. 2 curries & 2 rice can be easily shared between 2-3 ladies (not men though) Entrees we're pricey but portions were good. Panang curry with vegetables was delicious but not worth $15.50 (+ rice) was loaded with broccoli & hardly any other good vegetables. Pad si Leiu with chicken was hit or miss , again not strong Thai flavor like the menu description, wouldn't order next time , tasted mostly of soy sauce & not your typical Thai dish, also smelled over fishy which was a put off. Try Yellow curry fried rice with tofu & pineapple which was much better & flavourful than the plain pineapple fried rice with tofu. The ambience is wonderful with golden boat in entrance and seats were comfortable. They refilled our waters often. But, you have to ask for extra condiments on the side as they don't give any . I would...

(FOUND A DEAD FLY!!!!) Genuine review from a recent experience - 02 Dec 2022. I would give this place 0 star rating due to horrible food quality and negligence in not washing food properly before cooking (found DEAD FLY!!!!)

(Please read full for the whole incidence) This was the first time for me visiting this restaurant, usually I rely on Google reviews and seeing some amazing reviews I went in. It was Friday evening so naturally we expected a long wait time seeing the popularity, it was a special evening for us, we had a guest with us. We waited for 35 mins for the table, no complaints about that.

the first dish we ordered - A plate of Veg Spring Rolls - I found a dead fly on the lettuce on which springrolls were placed. My appetite went down after that!

I tried ignoring the incidence as I didnt want to create a scene, given we had a guest whom I didnt want to embarass. We told the staff - they discounted the dish plus replaced the half eaten plate and fork.

We ordered both veg and non-veg dishes. Veg dishes (Penang Curry and Fried Rice ) were great, no complaints. BUT - the chicken dish (Pad Thai) and Crispy Fried Chicken - absolutely disappointed us, there was a horrible smell in both the dishes like that of raw meat - and like the meat was never washed. I never never throw away food in a restaurant, probably for the first time I had to leave the entire non-veg course ($33) as I couldnt let it down my throat for more than 2 bites.

Restaurant owners - please wash the meat and veggies properly before cooking - customers’ health should be top priority. Hate to say I had to waste a huge amount of expensive food , which is just against my ethics! We actually ended up paying $75 for a useless meal.

I’m never visiting this place and will advise no one to visit or if you do, never order...