10/15/09

Go only if you want to eat food with bugs and get insulted

by PGHCityFan

I just wanted to share a very uncommon experience that myself and my friends had at Lemongrass café in Pittsburgh downtown on Sixth Avenue. We went for a normal work day lunch to this place and order our favorite Red Curry and White Rice. The server brings the order in a little moment with a dead bug clearly visible in the white rice. I immediately brought it to the waiter’s (the shaven head fellow) attention and mentioned that there’s a bug in the rice, you can even see the legs of the bugs where he very arrogantly said, “You are not seeing right. It’s Brown Rice.” I mentioned, if so, let me take a picture of your brown rice in white rice. He told me to zoom right to get a better view. In few seconds, before I unlock my cell phone to take the picture, he came yelling and picked up the rice, went inside and brought a new plate after a couple of minutes. As he was bringing the new plate from kitchen, he screamed in the middle of the crowded restaurant, “Make sure he doesn’t have anything before you eat this time, OK?” Feeling insulted, we finish our food, pay and walk out. There was not even one word of apology used by this guy.

After a week, today, three of us again to the café today, putting the past behind. Today other guy with long side burns was our server and the guy from last week is there at the counter. We were not sure about his vendetta until he visited only our table a couple of times and asked if everything is okay. While we went to pay for our food, as we asked him to pay separately for our food, we again got the extremely irritating looks. By this time, we were absolutely sure that he has some hidden agenda. I was to pay $9.43. Seeing the same guy with the same anger and revenge, I made the receipt as $10.00. That’s where he started. “Can you tell me what was wrong with your service today?” I said things were okay today. His screaming continues, “In United States you have to pay 15% of gratuity.” I told him in United States, you also should be apologetic about your mistakes and behave with customers with decency. Before I finish this sentence, the second guy started screaming from other corner of the restaurant which sounded something like, “You don’t work here…. You don’t work here”, which didn’t make any real sense to me. By the time this exercise took place, every single guest from every single table in the restaurant was staring at me and my friends. That’s where I just concluded the conversation and walked out…

I am also going to report the same to FDA and to the owner of the restaurant who also owns another Thai Restaurant on GreenTree Road. Till then, readers please be aware!!!

• Pros: No Pros over Cons
• Cons: Horrible Waiters, Bug in Food

08/22/09

Service so terrible, we walked out

by Casino137

We waited about 15 minutes for them to bring us a menu. It didn't come so we went and grabbed one from the host station. While we sat waiting for our waitress to come and take our order a man showed up, and was seated. Then two ladies came together, and were seated. They all received menus shortly after their arrival. We continued to wait for her to come and take our order. The restaurant had many empty tables and did not appear to be busy, this was after 1 pm, surely after the lunch rush. There was only one waitress and she moved quite slowly. As if taking a stroll (this is not an exaggeration)!

As we continued to wait, she went and took the aforementioned man's order. Then she went over to the two aforementioned ladies' table and started taking their order. By this point we'd probably been there about twenty five minutes. Feeling completely ignored, we decided that they didn't want our business so we left. I hate to use the race card but we are a mixed couple and we had a baby with us. THe prior mentioned patrons were white. Either we were discriminated for being biracial or they don't like babies! Our son was asleep in the stroller and causing no distraction or nuisance. So, go figure!

Special note regarding bad service for those who say the food is good, but the service is bad (as if you should overlook the service): If they have disregard for you as a patron, there's no telling how far that disregard goes. For example, if food drops on the ground in the kitchen, for all you know they're serving it to you anyway.

• Pros: Located next to nice Greek restaurant

08/04/09

Great Before Theater Dinner

by PghDragonMan

Try someplace else if you are looking for old familiars like General Tso Chicken. The menu here is heavier on Thai, Viet Namese, Cambodian and other Souteast Asian dishes. I've passed it by on previous visits to the area and finally decided to give them a try.

One nice feature is how the menu is presented: There is a basic description of the item, then the pricing as a vegetarian dish, with seafood or meat. Makes selection easy if you are non-meat eater or prefer certain seafoods over others.

Service was good, the food was fresh and the prices were in line with the area and atmosphere. Highly suggested for something a little different.

• Pros: Well Seasoned Without Being Overly Hot
• Cons: Not To Everyone's Taste

03/25/09

READ THIS BEFORE GOING THERE

by patedue

This changed ownership at some point - used to be great with EXCELLENT Service. Now the Services is terrible and the staff is rude including Management. I think forgot who the customer really is. My recommendation, if you want value and service for your hard earned buck, don't go here.

• Pros: Food is good
• Cons: Service is terrible and staff has bad manners

03/15/09

Won't go back

by BruceLee

Food was ok though I've had much better for much less money so not real value I guess. Portions much smaller than most asian restaurants. I was told a noodle soup was enough for 2 when it wasn't even enough for 1.

BUT service ... what service? Food took > 30 mins for 2 dishes, when we asked the 1st waiter, he said "We are BUSY, you've to WAIT for your turn". 2nd waiter said the same so it must be what they've been how they're taught to respond (my family owns a restaurant so I understand the restuarant business and I would not do this).

Food arrived < 1 min after we complained, soup and rice were both barely warm. 30 mins after we're served the food (we're done eating), the waiter came back and told us we had to leave because his "round was up".

• Pros: edible food
• Cons: pricey, terrible service

03/10/09

Always great food

by CSMobileUser

I always thoroughly enjoy the food here. It's very good and they do a good job managing the spice of the food to your liking. As other reviews says, sometimes the service is not great but the amazing food and nice ambiance of the restaurant makes up for that. I would certainly recommend this restaurant.

01/02/09

Good food, bad service

by Alicia001

The waiter was really rude with us. I guess we were the last costumers who arrived to the restaurant, and the waiter had to go somewhere else. He did not give us more than a couple of minutes to look at the menu. When we asked him for the wines, he told us in a very rude way "in this restaurant we do not serve alcohol" (almost as if we offended him because we wanted a glass of wine with our food). As soon as he took our dishes to the table he gave us the check, and made us pay at that moment, before we started eating. They should close earlier, but they should not make their costumers eat in a hurry and give them a terrible service. The food was good, but it's not worth it.

• Pros: Nice ambience, good location
• Cons: The service is terrible

12/14/08

Not the best dining experience

by Poe5211

First off, I found the dining room to be quite nice, but the staff were not very friendly and welcoming. Our waitress was in a visibly foul mood and my friend had to flag her down three or four times before she would tell someone else to get him some water. The food was below average compared to other Thai restaurants I've been to. First of all, they DO NOT adjust the spiciness of the food to the customer's liking. When my friend asked to have his curry hot, the disdainful waitress told him they couldn't do that because everything's "pre-made." The table behind us had the same request and I heard "pre-made..." Pre-made???? That's not the sign of a quality restaurant where food is freshly cooked to order and our dinners reflected that poor quality. Overall, I wouldn't go back. Before our dinner ended with our waitress in absentia for a long time, I suddenly saw her put her coat on leave without saying a word and we had to chase someone down to get our bill and get on with our lives. This place has a beautiful name, a lovely dining room, but unfortunately that's where the positive dining experience ends.

• Pros: Nice dining room
• Cons: Poor service with food that they refuse to make to order(spiciness)

11/11/07

Delicious

by karlooop

A clean and nice restaurant, unpretentious and with really great food! I would recommend the Cambodian dishes. The menu is on the small side, but everything is perfect and they spice to your tastes. Their lemon grass soup is so tasty.. always delicious. Their portions are great as well. Waitstaff is always courteous and well dressed. Service is prompt. Prices are reasonable. A very nice dining experience every time.

• Pros: The food!
• Cons: Not necessarily upscale elegant , if that's what you look for.

12/20/06

Food is good

by POSWO2

I'm still eat here, because I love Thai food....and there aren't too many Thai restaurants downtown, near my building. The food here is pretty good, and the prices are reasonable. You should definitely check them out!

• Pros: Good Cheap Food