[T2DMan]

Add your review of Thai Village Cafe and be part of the fun .

Contact Details:
Hood Street
Hamilton
ph. 0-7-834 9960

Cuisine:

[Kamikaze]

Have been twice. Food is excellent and cheap also. Always full of people which is a good sign.
highly recommended

[tobe]

I have been to the Thai Village several times over the past 5 years. The decor, with its wooden benches and canopies is fun and very "Thai". This is one of the main reasons why this restaurant is quite popular.

What I have also noticed is that as the reputation grows and Thai food is becoming more popular in Hamilton, the quality of this restaurant is decreasing.

Beware that there are a few items on the menu that are no longer being offered. Rather than take those items off the menu, they will actually take your order and give you something else, believing that the diner is too stupid to know the difference. When they were caught out, the owner was absolutely rude. He demanded to be paid before listening to any feedback. All we tried to say was that it appeared as though we were given the wrong dish; but, enjoyed it anyways. Of course, once he had the money, he walked off, confirming that certain items were no longer on the menu and that he wasn't going to change the menu because no one else seemed to notice. We were shocked by the response, horrified by the aggressive reaction, and mortified by the language used. I'd also like to point out that the owner / manager we spoke to is actually a European Kiwi, despite the "Thai" owner claims on all their marketing (big surprise by that false advertising!), and therefore, this incident was not a cultural nor linguistic misunderstanding.

I would definitely NOT recommend this restaurant to others. There are plenty of other Thai restaurants in Hamilton with far better food and service.

[T2DMan]

Interesting how great restaurants can be spoilt by bad service, or when a owner/host has a bad hair day.

With any negative review, I always like a person to have at least one other positive review of a restaurant. Lets try and have this forum with some positive notes around, some reviews of one of the "plenty of other Thai restaurants in Hamilton with far better food and service".

Thanks for your contribution.

[tobe]

Hi Michael,

Having worked in the hospitality / service industry myself, I can understand how people can be less than helpful when they are having a bad hair day. However, the way in which the owner/manager responded to us was completely out of line. He was excessively rude and aggressive.

Because I know first hand how rude people can be in giving feeback at a restaurant, I made sure that we were polite in telling him that we enjoyed the food; but, were concerned that the food we received seemed to be different to what we had ordered. We also told him that when we asked the waitress that was serving us, she had told us that it was both what we ordered and something different. (She was quite confused.) Unfortunately, the owner/manager treated us poorly from the very beginning, getting quite angry and telling us off. I guess some people just don't take kindly to any feedback.

Having recounted this incident to a few friends, I have since learned that the owner/manager I spoke to has treated other diners in the same manner when they have given feedback. This is such a shame as the restaurant, with its unique decor, can be such a fun place to dine out in.

I'd like to point out that I am certainly not the kind of person to get upset. Neither is the friend that I dined with on this particular occasion. We are both quite laid-back and quiet people. In general, I shrug off bad behaviour and just write it off as being a bad hair day. However, we were quite offended by the way in which we were treated. It was a very horrible experience and I was inspired to write the review to ensure that no one else suffers in the same way. I normally do not subscribe to any forums whatsoever; but, I felt really strongly about warning others. He was aggressive and at one point I thought he was going to smack me one. We left the restaurant shaking and this is just not appropriate.

As I said, I'm normally not one to write anything on any discussion board or forum; but, at your request, I have submitted one positive restaurant review and will find time to write other restaurant reviews as my friends and I dine out on a regular basis.

Tobe

p.s. I wonder what would have happened if it were a different diner, one with allergies and (s)he was given a dish (s)he did not order and was not aware that what they were allergic to was in the substituted dish? This could have serious and detrimental affects. When restaurants change the diner's order, due to whatever reasons, I feel that they are obligated to let the diner know that what they ordered is not available and/or that a substitution was/could be made. What if the diner couldn't eat a particular ingredient for religious reasons?

[T2DMan]

I agree with you. Rudeness is really not appropriate in a service industry. And your initial post did mention the nice parts of the restaurant, you trying to have some balance to your post.

Thanks for finding a good experience to talk about with your review of Tuk Tuk Thai Restaurant.

As mentioned, great to have you around. Thanks for your contributions.