Eric's Tummy Points
Saturday, 26 December 2009
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California Thai
California Thai
Markville Shopping Centre
5000 Highway 7 East (Unit 68)
Markham ON
L3R 4M9
905-305-8223
http://www.californiathai.ca
Price: $
Ambiance: Casual
Food: 1/5
Service: 3/5
Tummy Points: 1/5
Notes: Pretty looking but bad
tasting. Sweet Mango Stir-Fry
with Shrimp $10.95, Pad Thai
with Chicken $9.95
Thai food started its craze along side the Asian fusion popularity in Toronto around the late 90s and now there is a restaurant claiming to be Asian fusion. Unfortunately Thai seemed to have settled to become associated with greasy, ketchup flavored noodle dishes claimed to be pad thai. It's like California rolls at Japanese restaurants. I've never seen California rolls on any menu while I was in Japan, yet it's part of the standard North American Japanese restaurant menu.
Sadly, California Thai takes Thai into something even worst than what I mentioned. They use some of the American style Cantonese fast food preparation style and brought it into the Thai realm.
The sweet mango stir fry with Tiger Shrimp I ordered was a mess of sweet and sour sauce and undercooked vegetables. The shrimps are what you get from those frozen shrimp platters from the grocery store. I've had tiger shrimps and they didn't look like what I got. It had less than 5 thin strips of unripe mango. The red pepper flakes didn't make it spicy, it's just there to make the dish look pretty.
Pad Thai was flavorless unless you can call oil a flavor. There were only a handful pieces of peanut sized chicken pieces. The best part was the crushed peanuts.
Service was polite and attentive. The seating and interior was nice looking. Food plating was pretty too. But I wouldn't come back to this restaurant just for its pretty looks. I highly recommend avoiding this restaurant.
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Comments (21)
Haha. I literally laugh out loud on this one. i find it humorous when you compare and contrast.
did you went out again to compensate this unpleasant food?
"The best part was the crushed peanuts."
This is probably the most insulting thing ever. No food should be compared to nuts. ROFL.
Haha that's awesome.
Terrible what these restaurants do to the good name of Thai food. Blech.
@falconfraudless - the bad restaurants are fun to review for that reason. Perhaps I've had too much of bad food in my life so I have a lot to compare with :(
@yang1815 -
@christao408 - so true... I'm going to try visitin Thailand just to see how central Thai food tastes. But I think Japan is coming up first.
@rice_eric - When you do make it to Thailand, let me know and I'll be happy to make some recommendations. I can also recommend some bad restaurants, if you want to try those, too! LOL
I heard "Rain" in toronto had some neat asian fusion food?
@jerkitoff - do you mean After Rain http://www.tummypoints.com/676129757/after-rain-thai-fusion-restaurant/ ?
@christao408 - Thanks, i'll keep that in mind so i'll let u know when i book. Which time of the year should i avoid?
@jerkitoff - not even close.. it's "Rain" in downtown toronto. the chef/owners are Guy Rubino and Mike Rubino. check it out
@jerkitoff - oh... just found it. caled Ame. It's priced in the $$$$$ range. i'll have to drop by some time. thanks for the suggestion
@rice_eric - Ame? I am confused. But do you know where St. Andrew Station is? Well, you get off at that station and it's near there..... I forgot which street, it's either King st. or..... it's like 2 blocks away from Hooters. But yeah, it's called " Rain ". I used to work there, that's why I know.
@jerkitoff - i searched for: rain downtown toronto on Google and it keeps pointing me to www.amecuisine.com . It's at 19 Mercer St which fits your directions
@rice_eric - LOLOOL!! yup, that's the right place. my bad, there's no more 'Rain', Guy Rubino decided to do a restaurant make over i suppoes and changed it to Ame. Rain was a lot better.... i guess the previous chef and sous chef who train me left and took their skillzzzz. with them.
@rice_eric - March-June is the height of hot season, so I would avoid that. July-October is rainy season but, like Hawaii, the rains are pretty predictable and don't last too long. November-February is the cool season but also the most busy, tourism-wise.
HAHAHAH. i used to work here.
@christao408 - sounds like anytime is less than ideal. :(
@d_ciao - :) i wonder if u worked when i visited since it was a while ago and it hasn't been open long.
@rice_eric - i worked there about... 2, almost 3 years ago! it's under completely different management now
eew, 4 little shrimp on a bed full of mostly onions?
well, at least the pad thai isn't neon pink with ketchup or whatever weird coloring some other chains use on their pad thai.
Good thing I read your post, I've been wanting to try this place out lol
and I made those cookie monster cupcakes in your pic...but mine turned out crappier hahareview more places in Markham please!! I need to find yummy new places to eat :(
@see_lai - hahaha neon pink scares me away. It's like the neon pink sweet and sour sauce they used at UW's V1 cafe!
@machine_gun_funk - Woo! Do you have a pic of your cup cake? Let me see what I can pull together for a Markham review. I haven't been in Toronto for a while.
i do have a pic of my cupcake! i was on a cupcake making frenzy recently, i'll post pics sometime!
and how do you travel so much?? i want your job! lol
Wow that peanut pad thai looks digusting. I ordered it there and mine was 100 times better than that. If they would have served me yours I would have thrown it back at them!