Bangkok Spoon Deluxe

57 King St. West
Dundas, Ontario
905-628-8808

Type of cuisine:  Thai
Date of Review: Sept, 2010

Overall Quality Ranking: Okay

Cost: Moderate
Gluten-Free Menu Options: Reasonable
Gluten Free Diner Comfort ranking: Comfortable

Description:  Taking over from the Deluxe Restaurant, which closed in 1979 and sat empty for over a quarter century, Bangkok Spoon Deluxe retains a piece of that history while largely moving on. 

The menu is fairly extensive, but in a rare letdown, gluten-free eaters can not have either the green or red curry, as the kitchen uses a gluten containing oyster sauce in them.  Similar to other Thai and Vietnamese restaurants, some of the dipping sauces are also a no go.  Noting that, we started with a green mango salad.  This was generally reviewed as being good, although one diner found it a little heavy on the fish sauce.  We also shared the Mieng Goong, a wrap-it-yourself shrimp, ginger, peanut and lettuce affair which was quite tasty and fresh. 

For main dishes, we shared the (gluten-containing) green curry chicken, which was good but lacked a spicy punch.  The stir-fried scallops were a little plain, though generous.  Conversely, the pad Thai, while tasty, was a little short on protein content.  The tiger shrimp with pepper, orange and cashew nut in a chili paste was good but perhaps not as flavourful as hoped.  The sticky rice and coconut rice were both very good.  We washed all this down with a reasonably priced (for Ontario) Yellow Tail Shiraz.  The desserts, which in our case were largely ice cream, were considered quite tasty, with actual coconut chunks in the coconut flavour.  Remind the waiter not to give you the complementary cookie.

The service was pleasant, timely, and helpful, and the restaurant was well staffed.  The decor is a departure from the old days of the diner, having a clean, bright, and modern look.

Bangkok Spoon is a decent restaurant, and I would return if it came up.  It is unfortunate that the curries are off limits for the gluten averse, and the spice level might have been overly diluted for us North Americans.  If you live in the area, consider Pomelo as an alternative.