Thai Golden — Restaurant in Town of Carmel

This place is a hidden treasure and my favorite new addiction! Read ahead to learn why you NEED to check this place out!

Do you enjoy Thai cuisine? Then you will LOVE Thai Golden. It's been around for awhile, but I had never tried it until this past Saturday. We were all quite impressed - so much so for me that I can't wait to go again!

This place is fabulous for both Thai lovers and newcomers to the food genre. If you enjoy meat and/or seafood, you'll find lots of delectable fare to satisfy your palate. Vegetarians and vegans will also have many satisfying and tempting offerings from which to choose.

(On a related note regarding dietary restrictions, my only criticism is that their fryer has cross-contamination issues. The wait staff was kind enough to inform us of this. So if you are a strict vegan wanting to order, say, the fried tofu, but you don't wish to have your food cooked in the same fryer that handles meat/chicken/etc, that could be problematic. It's odd because there are tons of vegan/vegetarian offerings on the menu that are fried, but the issue I just mentioned may very well discourage vegans from ordering those items because of cross-contamination concerns. It really doesn't make sense and they should absolutely remedy this by having a vegan-only fryer. That is the sole reason for why I gave four stars instead of five! However, even with that small caveat, vegans and vegetarians who don't wish to risk cross-contamination will still have plenty of lovely dishes to choose from.)

Onto the fun parts: my favorite dishes! I ordered the fried veggie spring rolls to start. They were some of the best I have ever eaten and the sweet chili saucy accompanying them was a perfect addition. I'll add that the prices are quite reasonable here. While you don't get enormous amounts of food, you also don't need a magnifying glass to see your meal. And you won't go broke if you add on an appetizer or special cocktail (they have some good ones!) The portions are fair (some members of our party even had leftovers to enjoy for later) and the quality is great. One member of our group ordered the fried taro root, and I got to sample it. I loved it (I might just make a meal of several appetizers on my next visit). Those wanting something a little lighter should try the summer rolls. They are a more health-conscious choice brimming with herbs and flavorful vegetables.

The entrees are fabulous. I had the pad thai noodles and added mock duck (soy-based vegan "meat"). I'm not a vegan/vegetarian, but I often eat cuisine that is, so I was grateful for the option of "fake" meat. It was a savory, sweet, and satisfying meal. And for my drink, I enjoyed a chai bubble tea.

Finally, the dessert menus were passed around. Many of these are vegan or vegetarian-friendly and some are even raw. The menu included pictures that were tantalizingly pretty. I couldn't resist and opted for a berry-chocolate mouse cake. It was absolutely heavenly: incredible presentation and divine flavor.

Everything that I ordered that night, I would get again. And although you can pick up food to enjoy at home, I really liked the ambiance. The restaurant even has a shop area next to the dining space where you can buy luxury items like hand-milled soap, candles, and other cool stuff. Next time, I think I'll peruse and pick up some treats. That would be a fabulous way to cap off a nice meal.

In summation, I can't wait to go to this place again. I have a feeling it will become a favorite foodie haunt of mine. I look forward to introducing it to my family and friends who have not yet had the benefit of dining there. If any of this has sounded appealing to you, I strongly suggest you give them a shot!

PS Also worth noting was the service. Our servers were friendly, upbeat, attentive, informed, and enthusiastic about everything - especially the food. They clearly enjoyed working there and were obviously fans of the cuisine. This made the whole dining experience even better. I applaud them for their waiting skills and urge them to keep up...

Let me preface this by saying I'm usually an avid fan of this restaurant so this is particularly heartbreaking for me. I like to try something new on the menu each time I go but I also have a set list of favorites I fall back on. I Ordered the Lard Zaa noodle dish, one I've had a few times. It usually gives a savory feel with a sumptuous gravy drowned noodles for a cold day like it was today. My daughter had the pad See Yew, her personal favorite. We ordered tea and it was great per usual, the Roti appetizer which was delicious. The server was very sweet it looked on par to be a great meal until the food arrived. My daughters food arrived and was excellent well seasoned, delicious. The beef Lard Zaa arrived and it was extremely disappointing to say the least. The gravy was more like a broth, thin clear and watery. The dish was flavored as it looked. Like water. There was not hints of the usual Garlic no type of seasonings what so ever. the beef was gray as it had been boiled and looked extremely unappetizing. A disastrous disappointment. Having had this dish before I waved the waiter over to inquire about having it redone or order something else because the dish was inedible as it was presented. She was great. Very apologetic took the dish away and left me with a menu. I heard quite a ruckus in the back and out came a different young man, equally as polite and proceeded to explain that the chef is unwilling to "lose money" on the dish and I would still be charged. I was dumbfounded. If they could remake it properly I'd love to have it. He returned to the kitchen, about 10 minutes later he returned with the dish I snapped a picture of. It looked more like the dish I was used to having here. The gravy had been thickened so it looked promising! However....... when I tasted it I almost gagged. It was soooooooooo salty. Whether in over compensation or for spite the dish now tasted like a bottle of soy sauce. I was over the experience at this point and asked for the bill. The apologetic waiter took the drinks off in an attempt to rectify the situation, with no manager on site and the chef refusing to acknowledge anything his hands were tied. However I'm so jaded with experience that $16 dish in the long run will cost hundreds maybe thousands in business. I've referred countless clients to this restaurant, whenever there is a company choice on a business lunch I've chosen here. I've come with family many times. I stop in for tea a few times a month and I live over an hour away. I was intending on having dessert with a dish and drinks to go for my mom at home but I couldn't see myself patronizing this establishment anymore. I'm really...

We've fallen out of love with this place. Where service and atmosphere used to be wonderful it is now the opposite. Our server was overwhelmed and seemed to be most involved in telephone orders and casual dining but decided to seat us, take our order and abandon us. After a half-an-hour with out even seeing our beverages I made my first of three visits to the the service counter. They were not even that busy. The server looked at me and asked "what's up?" I kindly replied "we are wondering when our drinks will be coming out?" "Sorry" the server said and began making them, then was off distracted by other customers and phone calls and ten minutes later, Our drinks were ready. After this I assumed our server decided not to be our server anymore because, another took their place and brought our entrees out before our appetizer. Which I had to tell the new server "we did not receive our appetizer yet" which the reply was "main course first appetizer second." We continued to wait for our appetizer, all the while a loud arrogant young man foul mouthed and full of opinions about his co workers and friends would not be quiet. No one on staff attempted to quiet him. And what was most aggravating, was the wait staffs peferfect service for a person who annoyed everyone that was in ear shot of him. After hearing all we could stand, I went to the counter to attempt to cancel the botched appetizer order, only to be told "we already made it, would you like it to go?" Which in all of my infinite stupidity to accommodate others I said "yes, that will be fine". And wouldn't you know it, 10 minutes later they brought the appetizer out, not in a to go bin, but on a plate to stay. No one is communicating in the back. No one is attempting to pick up a fumble. They are now just blatantly dropping the ball and stabbing it. So now I take my final trip to the counter because I am done waiting to see how much more the staff can mess it up. "Hey what's up?" They say "can I have my check?" I bluntly tell them. Check is made, I pay it. I refused to tip. But then my kindness interfered and I had to leave something. Not much at all but something. I am not sure where it all went wrong. But I have had a lot botched here repeatedly and dont get me started with the take out service. And since the establishment eatin and casual dining orientation was switched, to accommodate open mic night, I dont even enjoy eating in here. I dont enjoy take out here. We are...