KhaoKhao San Thai Kitchen, Ain’t nobody got Thai for that

3.2/5 on the Foodie Foursome Index
3.5/5 on the Thai Food Scale

Jenna’s Review:  😐😛😕😶😗
When I walked into the Khao San I was happy that we had made a reservation beforehand because it.was.bumpin’. The decor was eye catching to be sure but I didn’t let that distract me from the real assessment, the food. We ordered several sharing dishes as it was a family style eating set up (a.k.a bring people you like). When they brought us the sate, we were pretty sure it came with Dempsters bread, at which point I thought, “Meh”. Then came the rest of the food, which also was “Meh”. Then when the waiter asked how it tasted, I said “Are you talking to Meh?”. Aside from the red curry dish which was gobbled up everything was just alright. At the end of the day, it was nothing to write to Thailand about.

Mike’s Review: 😐😒😗😕😴
After traveling to Thailand, I was excited to see what this place had to offer… Hopefully less lady-boys, ping pong shows, and massages than on my previous trip. Starting with the highlights, the curry and ambiance was amazing, but the other dishes seemed somewhat lacklustre. It was also lacking in the heat department, which was one of the most appealing aspects of the authentic Thailand food. It gave me the impression that somewhere in Bangkok there is a Canadian restaurant serving poutines with a Thai twist and in the end misses the mark on both cultures specialties. If you have travelled Thailand before you will know what I mean when I say, In the end, it was all “same-same-but different”, better luck next Thai’m

Alex and Tess’ Experience/Review:
Alex and Tess have been together 8 blissful years, which is about as long as I have known them… other than that I can let their review speak for themselves

Thai Be or Not Thai Be… When Mike first asked as to review Khao San Thai, we looked him straight in his baby blues and replied “Thai and stop us!”

When we walked into Khao San Thai, we gasped. Had we walked through a magical portal, transporting us to a quaint romantic restaurant in Thailand? Of course not, we were on 17th ave in Calgary, don’t be ridiculous. We all agreed the night was off to a good start. Unfortunately, next came the food.

The appa-THAI-sers, the Chicken Satay and the Papaya Salad started us on our dining voyage, the THAI-tanic. Both were good, but left something to be desired. The papaya salad was sweet, a little soggy and not as refreshing as a salad should be. The chicken satay came with two delicious dipping sauces, and a side of 4 brown triangles, I believe they called it “brown toast” and it was just that, brown, grocery store bread, toasted and cut 4 ways. Not the most exciting start, but our spirits were high and we still remained optimistic about the rest of the meal.

For our main we ordered the Pa-Nang Curry, and two stir frys, the Basil and the Ginger. Both the stir frys were disappointing. No spice, overcooked chewy meat, and mostly carrots and peppers. The Ginger boasted soybeans, there were none, the Basil claimed bamboo shoots, there were a few, and both were not as fragrant as their names. The flavour was good, but not a lot of spice, and nothing we would order again, or go back for. The Pa-Nang Curry was the definite star of the night. It was creamy with a wonderful curry taste, again not enough spice, but great flavour. Also, the meat was once again a little over cooked and chewy, but the sauce helped soften everything up, except for our hearts which were heavy with sadness over this disappointing meal.

All in all, the company was wonderful, the decor was inspired, but the meal was just a meal. We wouldn’t say it was terrible, but it’s just not enough to bring us back. THAI NOT to be.