Tongue Thai’d

Ugh. This place DID have pretty good food, which is why we kept giving it another try, but the service was UNBELIEVABLY BAD every time.
A few times that were particularly horrible:
1. We ordered our usual (2 of the Red Curry) as a delivery. We live in Royal Oak, about 2 miles away from this place, and it took them TWO HOURS to get here! Are you kidding me? This whole situation was ridiculous. First of all, she called us several times during the process because I guess she didn’t know how to use a GPS. She claimed the address we gave her «didn’t exist» and she was somehow in Birmingham. Yep, that’s right. So I gave her step-​by-​step directions (which involved about 2 different roads and maybe 3 turns to get to our house from their location) and it still took her TWO hours to get to our house. She was annoyingly rude on the phone, and for no reason. I tried to be accommodating for the long wait and ice cold food, but she NEVER apologized and obviously we still paid full price for freezing food.
2. Sadly, we all liked their Thai food, so we gave it another shot. We ordered a carry out this time (for obvious reasons), which included 5 different meals, for our whole family. It was pretty simple though, 3 Red Curries and 2 Green Curries. Somehow, when we arrived to pick it up, they had only made 2 of the Red Curries, and blamed US. Yes, again — this is real life. We waited about 45 minutes for this order, while our other food proceeded to get cold. Again, they were rude and wouldn’t even apologize for something that was clearly their fault.
After these experiences and several of my friends who know this place gave them food poisoning — we will NEVER be back. Please, save yourself the time, money and headache and avoid this place like the plague.

The food is always good. The portion size is decent but not great. The chicken larb salad is amazing. The service is quite slow, but it is because they always have so many orders. Only once have I been able to walk in at the time they tell me the food would be ready and it was ready. Be ready to wait at least 45 minutes for your food even if they say 20 minutes. When you walk in the music is very loud, so if you have to wait it is best to wait in your car.
Beware of the weird hours.

I went yesterday and had a totally different experience! I called my order in shortly after 5pm. I ordered three apps; Thai Beef Jerky with waterfall sauce, Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce and cucumber salad, and the spring rolls. I was told my order would be done in 15 minutes.
I walked in, some great jazz was playing and was immediately greeted by the owner with a big smile on her face. And to my amazement my order was ready within one minute of my arrival! And I noticed that they didn’t have any signs posted that they were out of anything.
I felt sad that no one was there but me though.
So, it is time for me to admit that I am a Thai Beef Jerky addict and I may need treatment… because as I am typing this I am already lusting after more. I am curious who else offers this. I really dig the herb-​y vinegary water fall sauce. Sticky rice is growing on me.
There were 4 spring rolls in the order and they were good… but the star was the sauce. It’s a think sweet plum sauce with HEAT… and the heat and thick consistency of the sauce were a really welcomed twist on plum sauce.
The satay also had 4 skewers of chicken that was grilled and marinated in coconut milk. The peanut sauce was thicker than most and I would have liked more. I really enjoyed the cucumber salad too. Not my favorite satay, but good.
They really have skill at sauces. I am considering their cooking classes, and would love to hear from anyone who has tried one.
Next time, yes there will be a next time, Thai beef jerky for sure, might try the bbq beef and since their sauce is the boss I must get a curry… how to choose!
I wish I could hit up their lunch specials.

I’ve been keeping tabs on Tongue Thai’d for a while, I finally decided to give them a try after a little prodding from a fellow Unilocaler.
The most important ingredient for a successful restaurant is the food and frankly, I was blown away. I went with the Pad Thai, medium spice and chicken (only $ 5 if you check-​in on Unilocal!!). Add an order of spring rolls and that completed the order. What I got was amazingly fresh and was delicious however slightly more complex than the usual Pad Thai I get from Sy Thai. The medley of flavors is making me rethink where I get my Thai food from. Think DSO vs a middle school orchestra.
The restaurant itself is small, just a few seats but the décor has creativity and vibrance. I may not be so inclined to eat there if I were looking for a sit down dinner but for take out it is perfect.
There’s not much else to say, Tongue Thai’d is all about the food. It’s fresh, inventive and reasonably priced.

This update is long overdue, and I feel a little bad that I didn’t write it sooner. It’s pretty obvious that I like this place, given the amount of check-​ins that I have.
My original misgivings about Tongue Thai’d were always due to service and the fact that they seemed to run out of menu items all the time. I never ever had a problem with the food. I would say most poor reviews of this restaurant are service related, and have very little to do with the food. In all honesty, I feel that Tongue Thai’d has the best Thai food in Oakland County — and probably the 2^nd best in the Metro Detroit area.
With all that said, I feel that Natalie, Mario and crew have eliminated most of the service issues that I had experienced in the past. The last few times I have ordered here, my food was ready in about 10 — 15 minutes. They never ran out of anything, including spring rolls.
I’m impressed that the whole Tongue Thai’d crew seem to be listening to feedback and aren’t afraid to make changes to their restaurant to fix what needs to be fixed. Every time I stop by, Natalie is always extremely hard at work making sure everything is taken care of.
I still recommend getting take-​out only, as there isn’t a whole lot of space to eat and you have to go up to the counter to order your food. Think of it as a take-​out only joint with a couple places to sit down.
Oh one more thing, they run some pretty awesome check-​in deals. They used to offer $ 5 curries for checking in, and as of the last time I was there they offered any pan fried noodle dish (including Pad Thai) for $ 5! The portions are absolutely huge for $ 5. It’s probably the best Thai food deal in the area.
So if you went here before and had a shitty experience, try giving them another shot. The food is delicious, and absolutely worth it.

So this one time, not at band camp, but at Buffalo Wild Wings, I ordered the second hottest level of sauce for my wings, and the only way I could stand it was to eat them as quickly as possible, and then stuff my face with some cheese sticks just to level off the searing pain that my mouth and lips were feeling.
I just had a similar experience with pad thai from Tongue Thai’d.
Armed with my Living Social coupon that was set to expire next month, I placed a carry out for spring rolls, Tom Yum soup and chicken pad thai. When asked what number, on a scale of 1 to 4, I chose 2 for the soup and 2.5 for the pad thai, figuring it would be a standard medium that I get from other places.
No such luck.
Not to mention the garnish of cilantro (oh yeah, and you know those people who, when they eat cilantro, it tastes like soap? Well it doesn’t taste like soap, but it does taste disgusting to me). Plenty of cilantro to go around, no lemon that I’m used to from other pad thai dishes, and chicken that was not only sparse, but very overcooked.
The soup had more potential, not as spicy, nice amount of mushrooms, but the broth was a bit thick, and again, the cilantro? Pretty much ruined it for me. And I didn’t see any options to get just a cup of soup, instead had to get a quart for $ 7.95 that will pretty much go right in the trash with the rest of the pad thai that is too spicy to try again.
Spring rolls were decent, service was pleasant. Was hoping I would have found a new thai place close to home, but no such luck.

We had a LivingSocial deal to hurry and use before we move next week, so decided tonight was the night.
Pros?
* The girl who answered the phone was super nice and helpful – and thanked me for using the LivingSocial deal (I think this is the first time we’ve EVER been thanked). * Our order was ready when they said it would be. * Everything was tasty.
Cons?
* Their spices are hotter than other places. We normally order mild and think it could be just a bit hotter, so we ordered level 2 here and everything was just a bit too hot. Not inedible or anything, but definitely a bit spicier than we prefer. * The Thai BBQ was the skimpiest portion of food I’ve ever seen – about eight tiny pieces of beef (half of which were pretty dried out or overcooked), six mushrooms, and a few straggly onion pieces (it was decent tasting, just nowhere near being worth the price). * There also didn’t seem to be much meat in the curry we ordered, either (though there was lots of veggies and sauce).
Overall, a decent deal considering what we actually paid – otherwise, I’d say it’s a bit overpriced. If we were in the area and it was convenient, we’d likely get takeout from here again… but since it’s a good 20 – 25 minutes away, we’d skip the drive and just order from Thai Taste (
) which is five minutes away.

No stars. The place shouldn’t even be open.
Just walking in i was a little hesitant. But I’ve seen worse. Good thing to know… It’s a carry out place. They have 2 booths.
Asked about the meal called yellow curry. She said, «we don’t have any yellow curry.»
Ok… How about the red curry?
«no… We don’t have any of that either.»
Ok… So are you out of curry altogether?
«no we have the twisted curry which is all the curries mixed together.»
Ok can I get the yellow curry ingredients with the twisted curry?
«no»
Christ almighty! I can get more thai options at a greek place.
They’ll be out in months.

Again I find myself faced with this moral dilemma about writing a 2 star review.. . When Ryan L. first mentioned Tongue Thai’d’s existence to me back in the fall I was intrigued. Somehow it took me seven months and a Living Social deal to get my feet in the door to experience it all for myself.
Walking in you are faced with walls painted with chalkboard paint, a mismatched assortment of paper lanterns, and a tapestry hanging from the ceiling. There are 2.5 booths. Yes, somehow there’s a half of a booth – I don’t quite get it, unless it’s supposed to be a handicap option? Food is ordered at a window, where you pay and then wait.
Exploring the menu, you will find many typical Thai offerings and some that are a little different. I had a particular craving for Pad Se-​Ew, so I ordered just that, medium with steamed tofu. Theresa S., my dining companion, had the Pad Thai with chicken mild. We attempted to order Spring rolls, but there were not in stock, so instead we had the fried eggplant. Ice water was available at a self-​serve dispenser complete with Styrofoam cup, right next to the plasticware and moist towelettes.
After 15 – 20 minutes our food was read. We were summoned to the order window to pick up our Styrofoam boxes of food. I didn’t know what to expect since the reviews have been all over the place.. . I really wish I liked it all more.
The fried eggplant was good – a little greasy, and dependent upon the plum sauce for flavor, but good. The Pad Se-​Ew was bland. I think I described it by saying that Trader Joe’s Pad Thai frozen bowl had more flavor. It really was stuck somewhere between mall Chinese food and the Trader Joe’s microwavable, which is really a tragedy. The noodles were really thin and there was no sauce – this was a problem since most of the Styrofoam box was noodles. The tofu, Chinese broccoli, and egg content was John Cage minimal. Sadly, Theresa reported a similar opinion of the Pad Thai.
I think the greatest problem I had with my experience is that I left wanting Thai food. I still want Thai food!
Tongue Thai’d tried. Well, actually, I think they trai’d. It’s quirky inside and seems friendly enough, but hell, if the food isn’t good, why return? I was happy that really with the Living Social deal we had only spent $ 13.00 total (the coupon $ 10 for $ 20 I think?). I wish I could say I would return, but I really don’t think I will. If I do, I will take my chances with one of the rice entrées or maybe a curry?
They say nothing ventured, nothing gained. I guess I will have to agree, though it’s so much better when it’s an all around better experience. I don’t get Styrofoam. I don’t like bussing my own tray into a trashcan on wheels in the middle of the «dining room», I don’t like flavorless piles of noodles. I do believe in small businesses, and I do appreciate an attempt at a That restaurant with a twist, but it wasn’t enough.
Reviews like this always make me feel so mean. I hate having a guilty conscience about low star counts, but calling it «A-​Okay» just isn’t right. Maybe it’s just me? There was a considerable amount of take-​away orders, and the other full booth was occupied during our meal.
I wish Tongue Thai’d the best of luck. I may return, and if I do, I’ll be happy to report my thoughts again.

I’m unsure what I found more obnoxious — the couple next to me who sophistically ordered the Pad Thai with a clear firm «NO spice» or hearing the waitress give her talk on how their spice rating is different than other places because «we are about flavor» 5 different times before I was finished with my meal.
The décor is not comfortable, cozy, welcoming, or bright /​happy. I am unsure what they were trying to accomplish with the very weird choice of covering their tables with a 1970s burnt red pleather. It was sticky. I HATE the feeling of sticky — and there’s nothing you can really do to make the table not be sticky other than use a different kind of material
V and I went balls out — totally over ordering because we found so many interesting things on the menu.
Following the mantra of anything that Lorna E says that is good, is good — we were quick to order the «beef jerky» and the «crispy eggplant.» So we started off on a high note. V LOVES interactive food, and I really liked the rice + meat + sauce combo. It was definitely on the salty side, but still fun and tasty. Unfortunately it left my hands very sticky and at the time there was no access to the bathroom. Didn’t help that the table was now extra sticky either…
Really we should have stopped while we were ahead. But no, we trudged on – us, the Queen and King of No Spice Pad Thai, Clueless, and the waitress (soon to be overwhelmed).
Anyway, we ordered pad see ewe, pan fried noodles, and spicy eggplant. Pad see ewe had its noodle: greens: meat ratios way off. It was overwhelmingly noodle heavy with almost no green. The sauce needed desperately to be cut or toned down — it was salty and unappetizing. The pan fried noodles were not memorable. The spicy eggplant had nice heat, but was incredibly soggy. Overcooked spice mush on my fork. We did not finish and did not box it to go. It was that bad.
Service took a hit, a huge hit when it started getting busy. One waitress cannot wait 5 tables, answer the phone, do take out orders, and ring people up. The chefs were getting slammed with take out and sit down orders — people were getting antsy for their food. She apologized for the 15 minute ordeal to get our check and cash out. I really just wanted an apology for hearing the Tongue Thai’d Approach to Spiciness dissertation 5+ times in one sitting.
Overall, beef jerky and rice were definitely worth trying. Perhaps, more exploration into their non-​traditional Thai food is warranted. They try. They want to be a permanent edition to Royal Oak and they are attempting to slowly change how Detroiters think of Thai food. To me? They fell considerably short of my impossibly high expectations of what is ‘great Thai food.‘
Luckily, I will have Thai Taste to sate my Thai food cravings while I serve my last months in Detroit.

Sometimes, one visit is enough.
I went there for lunch today, about 1:15 p.m. The place seem disorganized and haphazard. Service was a bit slow and I waited far longer for my food than I thought necessary. It was COLD in there as well; I took a seat near the heater they has atop one of the tables.
I ordered the twisted curry with chicken. After a long wait, the dish came to my table — without the drinks I had ordered. Instead of getting a plate with rice and topped with the curry, I got a soupy, soupy bowl of curry and a small bowl of rice — I guess I was supposed to dump it in the curry.
The curry? For the most part it was, at best, OK. Then I bit down on a potato; it was just barely past raw. A couple bites later, another potato, as undercooked as the first one.
The woman who seemed to be running the place finally came to my table and asked how I liked my meal. I told her that I didn’t like it at all, and showed her the all-​but-​raw potato still in my bowl.
She offered to have another portion cooked for me as a take-​out dish, explaining that she was training both a new cook and a new server that day. I declined, as I’d had enough of the place. She comped me the meal.
I went a couple of doors up the street to Buddy’s and had a slice of pizza.

Great Friendly Family style dining. Natalie and Mario are offering what real Thai food lovers want — Authentic Homestyle Thai Food. their fresh delicious veggies and brown rice are the perfect lunch; combined with the Thai BBQ Chicken, we were satisfied. Loved the Friendliness of this little place and will be visiting often. I Highly Recommend you stop by and get Tongue Thai’d. Bön Appetit !
I have a video of my visit posted on youtube. just search for tongue thai’d

The first visit — food was almost 5-​star good: the pad see ewe approached perfection with amazing flavour, good noodle texture, and nice Chinese broccoli/​beef combination. Tum yum soup is one of the best I’ve had in a while
The second visit — the pad see ewe still has the same nice flavour, but the beef was tough-​chewy unswallowable. I left all of the beef pieces untouched except for one, and that’s the piece that I put in the mouth, chewed and chewed and chewed and had to spit out. (sorry). When the server asked me how I enjoyed my meal (even though she should be able to tell that I pretty much did not eat any beef), not being a complainer, I just said the noodles and the vegetable tasted really good but the beef was a little tough. I heard her telling the kitchen about it, but that was the end of story. I guess a red light didn’t go on when a customer ordered a beef dish, but didn’t eat any of the beef?
More visits? questionable.

Oooookkk maybe I went to a different place than the rest of you all. Or maybe I should have just «carried out»??? Even then… here are my gripes before I get to the positives:
Service was painfully slow. My colleague asked for the restroom and they don’t have one for the public. I wasn’t aware that this was even legal? Then, our food came and albeit delicious, the portion of his «lunch» BBQ was five tiny slices of beef next to a mini portion of rice and an iceberg salad. Pretty sad, even considering the reasonable price of $ 6.50. I got the red curry lunch with shrimp for $ 2 dollars extra. I’ll happily pay $ 2 dollars extra for some SHRIMP, not lil itsy bitsy sad shrimpie shrimps that were barely even present in the dish. Not worth it… unless you consider shrimp «fancy» and want to pay a dollar per measely piece… sorry just not worthy of the upsale to me.
All that said, it’s really a pity. The flavors were excellent in my red curry, but it was hard to see passed the obvious flaws in the dinning & service experience. Thanks to the divine flavors, I might just return. But IF I return, I’m carrying out not dining in.

I had lunch here today, and was quite impressed.
Tongue Thai’d is definitely an upgrade from the former Thai restaurant which occupied this space. The interior is remodeled, and there is a hip vibe in this little restaurant.
For $ 6.50, I had a good serving of tofu green curry with rice. The flavors were quite tasty. And it came with a pop. I also got an order of spring rolls, which were standard issue.
In terms of taste, I think the food here exceeds Siam Spicy. In terms of curries, there isn’t a very large selection, but since I tend to stick to a few dishes even at restaurants with huge menus, this doesn’t dissuade me.
Service was a bit slow today, but they were apologetic, and I am not usually in a hurry if I’m sitting down for a meal.
While I was eating, the owner was talking with another customer about how this place is better than other Thai restaurants because their food isn’t fusion at all, and the ingredients are mostly non-​industrial. To me, this doesn’t matter at all — as long as the food is tasty, I’m happy. And I’m not much for such spiels. But if that’s something you care about, perhaps you should stop by. I will return.

Royal Oak’s newest Thai destination sits in a nondescript strip mall along Woodward, slightly north of 14 Mile. Playfully named Tongue Thai’d, the small venue offers a full menu for either carryout, or dining in at one of a half dozen comfy booths and tables.
The décor is stark – black walls, with just a few pieces of art. Taking a seat, we weren’t quite sure what to expect – especially since at the time of this review, they had been open less than two weeks.
Let’s start with the food. It’s fantastic. I chose the Pad-​See-​Ewe, a deliciously savory dish of flat rice noodles gently stir-​fried with egg, Chinese broccoli and chicken (other protein choices include beef, pork, tofu or shrimp). The fresh* noodles were slightly chewy, cooked to perfection, and nicely nestled among the other ingredients. Noodle perfection achieved. (*Most other local Thai places use dry noodles rather than fresh.)
Our next dish was the Panang Curry with rice. Panang curry is similar to red curry, but slightly sweeter. With a rich helping of coconut milk, the layers of flavors were amazing. Soothing, comforting, spicy curry – with bamboo shoots, bell peppers, large carrot slices and tender chicken.
Service on our visit was a bit slow, but graciously apologetic. The kitchen is still getting its legs, and the owner doubled as a waitress, cashier and carryout person. We were told that they hope to expand the dining room soon.
If I could give 4.5 stars, I would. Definitely 5-​star potential.

Solid 4-​stars — Yay! I’m a fan.
I loved the fact the owner is there and wanted to know how everything was. The food was very good and I’d recommend going there. I’ll go back when I’m next on that side of town.
That said, for me, it was really good but not 5-​star «as it good as gets»
which still is Thai Café in Plymouth.
The twisted curry was the highlight. It was a great combination of bright, hot, creamy AND not too heavy. The phad thai was solid. The green curry fried rice was just OK for me.
I like the look — very clean and open. They did a great job for a tiny
place whose door is 20 feet from Woodward.

Its official. Thai food restaurants are shaking in their boots. Why you ask? Because GOOD thai food has finally come to our area.
Thats right Siam Spicy… you heard right. Be scared.
I love thai food. I will admit I am not too exciting when it comes to my menu selection. Every so often I will get a curry or something random off the menu… but usually I am a pad see ewe girl. For the past year I have been driving 20 minutes each way (passing about 1000 average thai restaurants on the way) to get to Thai Taste to satisfy my thai cravings.
Well…no more!
I picked up carry out the other night (its hard to dine out with a newborn!) for dinner after reading several rave reviews. The husband and I both ordered up pad see ewe (I know… I told you we were boring… don’t judge). His was chicken and mine was just straight up vegetable. Mine was chocked full of tons of delicous veggies (mushrooms, green beans, broccoli… etc). Onto the noodles. OH EM GEE. These noodles were perfect. Chewy, wide, delicious, perfect noodles. They were seasoned to perfection. I don’t know what they do to make it so special but it was unlike any pad see ewe that I have tasted in the past.
They also have a kids menu which I don’t think I have EVER seen at a thai restaurant. It was a welcome thing to see especially with a 20 month old at home.
I am so happy to have Tongue Thai’d so close to me. I am now a little nervous that I am going to want to eat it everyday! I can’t wait to explore the menu a little more. I can only assume that all of it is top notch.

Let me start off with I really enjoyed the homemade Thai food here. I loved the fact how involved the owners were with the customers. I like the fact that the menu list the name of the entrée and then gives items in the dish. Very easy reading and understanding the menu.
The owner let me try the homemade chicken pot sticks. The «thaiphoon potstickers» have ground chicken, bell pepper, onion, Thai basil, wrapped in wonton and served with special Thai soy sauce. Mine were served deep fried. You could tell they were homemade. In each bite you could actually taste all the different flavors. It was one of the best pot stickers I have had.
I then started with the Tom KHA soup. When I looked at the menu and saw the soup cost $ 7.95, I was sticker shocked, but I took a picture of the soup bowl. You could feed two or three peeps with this bowl. It was huge. The owner did talk about looking into offering a smaller bowl of soup sometime down the line. Now back to the soup: LOL It is a coconut soup, with mushrooms, lemon grass, lime juice and choice of meat. I had tofu. In each bite of the soup you could taste each of the flavors. It was perfect.
For my main entrée I had the Sweet Panang Curry. It is served over rice with bamboo shoots, bell peppers, carrot, lime leaf and choice of meat with coconut milk. Once again it was very good. I enjoyed each bite, because I could taste each of the ingredients.
I left talking to the owner and she mentioned maybe conducting some Thai cooking classes. I sure hope she does it!
My over all experience was great. They do take credit cards & cash. You can dine in or carry out. I call this place one of those hidden gems. The only negative thing I have to say was I wish my food was warmer. Now don’t get me wrong, it was cook great; nevertheless, it was not steaming hot. I am a fan and will be back soon to try some more new items and I want to get a Thai tea!
NOTE: This place is on Woodward between 13 and 14 mile. It is north of Normandy off of Woodward & on the East side of the road. It is in same strip mall as Buddy pizza.

I forget where online I saw «Tongue Thai’d», a new Thai restaurant in metroland, but when I did I literally laughed out loud. I couldn’t believe we were getting 1) a new Thai restaurant and 2) one with such a punny name. Next I checked Unilocal and Janelle W. gave it 5 Stars. Whoa, I thought immediately, this is some serious Thai. I have to go there, stat! So my most recent excursion during my Thai Quest Twenty Ten brought me to «Tongue Thai’d» and I was not disapointed.
I tried the Pad See Ewe, of which I’m a big fan. This PSE was basically the same as most of the other places: rice noodles and broccoli covered in a sweet yet savory brown sauce. However, here, the PSE was taken to a whole other level. The noodles were thick and chewy and perfectly cooked. The dish was served with chinese broccoli instead of american broccoli. The sauce, oh, the sauce, was flavored perfectly. The sauce had so many layers of flavor. It was PSE perfection.
There are daily lunch specials that include a dish and a soda for $ 6.50. The menu seemed like it had most of the standard Thai dishes from what I can tell and a few others. The place doesn’t have a soda machine, but you can get cans for $ 1.50. If I would have known I would have stuck with water.
The interior is unique. The walls are black, yes, black. There are accents of red and yellow making it look like a tattoo parlor. The place was a little messy when I was there, but everything seemed very clean.
After my meal, three different people asked me how it was. I talked to who I assume are the owners. They explained they wanted to remodel and expand the place so it was 80% dining room and 20% kitchen. They want to make it more inviting by hanging local art and having a poetry night or live music. I was impressed by the owners customer service and their ambition. I look forward to seeing the changes in the future.