California Thai

It was very promising after I ordered the Vegetarian Noodles in Tom Yum Soup… They cooked it right in front of me, packed it nicely so I could take it to go, the bowl was also pretty big so the portion was definitely good. But as I unwrapped it and started to dig in, I found a piece of tin looking foil thing in my soup… HELLOOOOO???
(uploaded a picture of it too)

California Thai is in the Toronto Life Square food court above Future Shop, and the outlet beside it, called Caribbean Queen or something, are clearly the same food though they do try to hide it. One side (CT) has green T-​shirts and black hats, and the other (Caribbean…) has orange T-​shirts and white hats (or is it the other way around. Anyway, they both employ pleasant young Chinese girls to serve the food.
After reading the other reviews I hesitate to admit that I enjoy the food there. I usually go to the CT side because they have the tofu and eggplant as a veg. So I have maybe the chicken or whatever else strikes my fancy, with the tofu as a veg, and Pad Thai noodles. Total $ 7, cant beat that for generous portions.

Came here before heading to the amc for a movie– I ordered the fried rice with mango chicken and mixed veg– it was ok. If I hadn’t felt so sick afterwards I’d probably give it a 3.5 for being a fun movie theatre sneak in food, not too bad tasting and generous servings. But I did feel sick afterwards– I’m not sure if it was the amount of oil and sugar in the meal– or a mild case of food poisoning, but I’ll have to give it a two for the tummy ache.

Had the special with chicken and the chicken was very low quality. The sause was nothing too special either. Had it for dinner and it tasted like it was there all day.

Apparently, I am a slow learner. Last year I visited this place for lunch and ordered the pad thai with peanut sauce. Extra peanutty pad thai! How could this be a bad thing?
Picture a pound of rice noodles. Picture a separate bowl. Picture yourself emptying a jar of Skippy crunchy peanut butter into this bowl. Then, add a can of coconut milk. Then, add four cups of flavourless vegetable oil. Blend. Apply to the pound of rice noodles. Remove flavour. Serve.
Actually, I don’t know the recipe, but I dare anyone to contradict me. It was a mass of rice noodles, sitting despondently in this pale, thick, oozy, oily sauce. I shuddered, dumped it, and moved on with my life.
What happens? A year passes. Memory fades. Surely it was just that one dish? I have two bites of a friend’s amazing red curry (from another establishment), and I have a terrible jones for Thai. I’m picturing a combo with red curry and pad thai. How bad could California Thai be? Even bad Thai is pretty good.
I head up to the eerily deserted counter and order combo #1 (under $ 6): a rice/​noodle selection, a veggie, and a meat. I get the pad thai noodles, the tofu & thai eggplant, and some basil beef.
I taste all three. Or, rather, I fail to taste all three. My orange pad thai noodles are as innocent of flavour as my plastic fork. The tofu & eggplant is disgusting; floppy, mushy ears of tofu bathing in oil, with a couple of slivers of equally bland eggplant. Only the basil beef has any flavour; that flavour is salt. I sigh at my gullibility, dump it and move on with my life.
Never again, ever, ever, ever.

The 10 Dundas West mess hall is baffling at the best of times. I decided to change up my game and visit California Thai, the food court counterpart to a more expansive sit-​in up in Markham. I have not tried the restaurant proper, but this food court offering is passable. If it’s quantity you seek, my pad thai was enough to feed a small militia. I barely made a dent. But food court fare it certainly was, lacking in both flavour and interest. I’ll probably go back to try something else, but my first impression wasn’t too great.
Obligatory Title Pun: At first you don’t succeed, THAI, thai again.
Menu Readability: Better than your average food court. The décor is what drew me in in the first place. It’s like a green Blushberry.
Need to mention: I was excited because my pad thai came straight from the wok. The food seems fresh, so I’ll give them another shot.
What this place teaches me about myself: Pad thai is my way of calibrating Thai restaurants. Is this the best way?