Is a review a review? I get that people have preferences. Google or Yelp? Should it matter? Honestly people want to know about a restaurant or a service why would it matter which platform you use? Again it's probably preference. But it's weird when you only have ONE review in the last four month. It doesn't seem to bode well. But I digress. What you're really wanting to know is about the food.
Thai Away Home sits on the busy corner of Nanaimo St. and E. Hastings St.. Parking can be a hit or miss depending on the time of day, but you can usually find a pay to park spot around the area. The interior is clean and simple, with seating up to maybe 30 people tops.
The Food:
They have the classic: Pad Thai, colourful curries, papaya salad, Tom Yum soup, etc.
What we ordered:
Pad Thai $15.95
Green Curry with Eggplant $15
Yellow Curry with Potato $15 (combo+$3)
Pad Si Ew $13
Pad Kee Mao $15
Crunchy Fried Chicken 6pcs. $12
Swimming Rama $15 (combo +3)
Rice $2
*Combos come with a fried Spring roll, Green Salad, Hot and Sour Soup & White/Brown Rice with your choice of curry or entrée. **note: entrée size is smaller in combo then actual entrée. **
The highlight was definitely the Crunchy Fried Chicken. The batter was light and crispy; not oily at all and comes with a sweet chili sauce for dip. The curries were decent with the right amount of heat. I'm sure you can always ask for more if you're a hot head.
The Cons:
There seemed to be some discrepancy with the potion size. When we first arrived we saw another customer with a mountain of noodles on a plate that could easily feed 2 people. When we asked the waitress what it was she told us it was the Pad Thai. When we ordered it, the serving size was enough for just one person. What happened to the rest of it? Did the cook who cooked our skimp out on us? When we asked the waitress she didn't seem to have an answer. It was fine, since we had ordered enough food for the table.
The Noodles for the Pad Si Ew and the Pad Kee Mao were the same thin ones as the Pad Thai. Although they had a great 'wok' flavor, most places have a wider rice noodle to help absorb the sauce. They either ran out of it or they're assuming a noodle is just a noodle and people wont know the difference.
Also the fact that they didn't blanch the spinach in the Swimming Rama, felt like a miss step, leading to the chicken and the peanut sauce to get cold faster. I know it's a minor detail, but this doesn't want me to go back and order it again.
Because we went in a group of 6, we were automatically charged with gratuity fee. They will try to charge you the automatic gratuity fee if you end up splitting the bill. So, maybe don't...
Thai Away Home does have lunch specials which may be great when you get that craving. And they seem to do a lot of takeaway business which is great for those whom don't want to leave their homes.
This is the second restaurant I've been to recently where the restaurants will entice you to write a review or post to social media to get a free item or discount. So if you're wondering why they have a 4.9 score on Google, its so people can get a free drink. And they will only except Google Reviews. I'm all happy to help promote small businesses with no incentive. I'm not an influencer. All I can do is tell my friends of family and post a picture or two. Take this review with a grain of salt and go try it for yourself. read more