Restaurant Saigon Thai - Gatineau

I haven't gone yet but it was recommended. 90% of their menu is GF and they are accustomed to have Celiac clients. The rating for this restaurant is 4.2 stars [hidden link]

After work one evening I opted to order takeout from Saigon Thai rather than my usual Chinese food from the very good Maison Szechuan around the corner. I ordered a small Tonkinese soup (pho), a small wonton soup, 2 imperial rolls, a shrimp Pad Thai and a lemongrass beef dish. Now I’m old enough to have eaten at hundreds of Thai and Vietnamese restaurants in different parts of the world and those cuisines rank in my top 5 favourites. I’m rightfully suspicious of fusion restaurants but I’d long been meaning to try Saigon Thai. I placed the order with the woman on the phone and rather than repeat it back to me she hemmed and hawed and finally said “You have too many small soup”. I’d never heard that before and I thought it was perhaps a language issue. We went back and forth for close to two minutes me asking why I can’t order two appetizer soups when that’s what we want. I am after all the customer and I’ll determine what I want. She said that “perhaps you want to order a large soup” in a way that made me think of gangster films. It was the strangest exchange I can remember having. It’s important to understand that the prices here are somewhat higher than most such eateries and my order, with tax, was approximately $70.00. That’s up there for a Tuesday night take-away. I finally said, “I’m the customer and that’s what we want to eat.” She finally let it spill when she replied, “My boss say you don’t order enough food “. Well that’s clear enough and definitely qualifies as a “Wow”. I told her I wouldn’t be ordering anything and hung up. There’s no reason on earth to give a business like this your custom. It’s certainly a very suspect way to run your business and I just get a bad feeling when dealing with people who think this way.

Everything is fresh, fragrant and hot. Portions are generous. Friendly staff, nice atmosphere. Other reviews mention slow service but our wait time was very reasonable. Maybe our 5PM reservation is the secret. Restaurant filled quickly and they were turning people away. Their take-out service is also very popular. Don't forget to bring your own wine/beer as they don't have a liquor license. I highly recommend.

My wife and I have tried most of the Thai food restaurants in Gatineau and this one takes first place hands down. The food is made to order, and the taste is unbelievable. Portions are big. The won ton soup is fantastic. The service is excellent. Be prepared to spend time at this restaurant. Like I said the food is made to order and they do not rush the food, they take the time to make it right. Bring you own wine if you like wine with your meal.

I come down to Gatineau once in awhile to see my old friends. We were all stumped on what to get for dinner and we found this restaurant. Normally I don’t do reviews but the food here left an impression on all of us . I do admit service can be slow but the waitress are friendly and inviting. It was quite busy I can understand it’s hard for the waitress to get around but they try there best on keep the customers content. The portion was good, food was very savoury and fresh. When I come back down, I’ll definitely go there again.