ottawa foodies

I'm always astounded at how much noodle they pack into those small cardboard takeout boxes. They hand it to you and you think you;ve been ripped off and then you dig in and 1/2hr later the carb coma is setting in and half the box is left...

The pad thai and pad sew are decent enough. Not replacing 'real' thai food restaurants any time soon but for foodcourt food it's really quite good.

I just had lunch at the Billings location.(There is one at Billing's Bridge now. Maybe we should update the OP) I ordered a Pad Sew with beef, and had one of their imperial rolls are well. I don't know what's in the imperial rolls (I want to say there is some kind of protein but I'm not sure which) but it was crunchy, and delicious, and is a better combo option then say, fries.

I love Pad Thai, but I had never had a Pad Sew, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Nor did I know how big it would be. This was a full plate of food that I'm sure would have kept me fed for days if eaten right. The noodles were good, the beef was tasty, and the sauce was delicious. The lettuce was wilted and kinda nasty, and the egg was stringy. However, it's fast food, and it's the second best thing in that food court (My heart belongs to Tandori.) Overall, I'd go there again.

ilikerealfood: I will take into serious consideration going to the Portage location after work then! I didn't know they stayed open that late. I've been to the Rideau Centre location with large lines-ups and they consistently have done excellent (for the type of cuisine) food far quicker than Portage (mis)manages. When I wanted Thai Express in the evening, I haven't always wanted to go all the way to Rideau, so this should be a good option, especially if they can do little extras.

We all know there is nothing special about Thai Express. But I think we can all agree – as others have commented below – that Thai Express is usually the best food court option by far. The food is made fresh, the price is fair and they give you a large quantity of food.

I have been to the Rideau location, but I most often go to the stall in the Place du Portage food court. I usually order a pad thai, fried rice, or a curry. What I have noticed is that if the line-up is huge (which it usually is), the food comes out mediocre. The poor guys cooking have to move really fast in order to keep the line moving. Although this type of food doesn’t take a lot of time to prepare, I find that they rush too much if the line-up is huge.

On Monday I had a tofu Pad Thai from the location in the World Exchange Plaza. It wasn’t great. Sure it was tasty, but it wasn’t cooked nearly long enough and the flavour combination was not right. Still edible; and worth 7 bucks, but not amazing as far as Thai food is concerned.

My favourite Thai Express location is at the Place Du Portage food court (which is open until 6 pm). On my way home from work, there is never a line up (aprox .5 pm) and the cook who works at this time makes some of the best Thai food in Ottawa. The guy hardly speaks English or French, but he is super nice and he takes his time to prepare your food at this time of day. His Pad Thai is really yummi, full of flavour, very spicy and he literally piles the ingredients in. I also ask for extra green onions! Yum.

Last night I opted for the basil flavoured fried rice (pictured). It was very good. It was nice and spicy with copious amounts of tofu and fresh basil. Excellent value when you consider the fact that $7.50 stretches into two very satisfying meals. Leftovers reheat nicely (not in the same container though).

I’m a big fan of the cook at the Place du Portage food court - when there is no line up that is. At other locations, Thai Express still beats A&W, Manchu Wok etc etc by a long shot.

I've eaten takeout from the Rideau Centre food court location for the better part of a year, usually getting the Chicken Pad Sew, adding extra peanut sauce / hoisin sauce / crushed peanuts.

Compared to a lot of the restaurants in other areas of the city, it's kind of mediocre. But compared to it's competition in the food court? It's a godsend. Also, the little green takeout boxes are groovy looking, though the wire metal handle worries me about reheating leftovers in the microwave.

Haven't had a food court meal in ages but decided to pick up some pad thai with shrimp while at Bayshore last night. It was nothing special but given my other options, I was satisfied.
Because I was unfamiliar with the place, I selected my spice level to be "medium" and found it to be perfect for me although I'm sure that some people may find the "medium" to be too spicy.
Another thing - they had 3 taps of water running constantly for washing out the pans. Does anyone know if that water is recycled in any way or are they actually wasting that much water every day?

Tried the pad thai. Average.

I went to the Bayshore location. Never had Pad Sew before. They make it with the flat noodles and it's a little more sour than pad thai's that I've tasted (I haven't tasted the pad thai here yet). It was delicious! Perfect mix of sour, salt, and sweet. I had it with chicken. I think there was brocolli and egg in it.

I had the stirfry with chicken and basil another time and it was very good too.

I had the TomYum soup with chicken at the Portage location in Gatineau. The flavour was good (sweet and sour), a bit light on hot sauce but I could probably ask for more next time. I got the meal size and it was enough good for lunch. Lots of rice noodles, enough chicken and a little bit of bean sprouts and Asian herbs. A tasty, healthy lunch option. Not to mention that the line up is a lot shorter for soups!