Galanga Inc

02/26/12

Horrible

by Spinto10r

NY MAG said precisely the opposite of what I criticized this place for. Upon leaving I saw this review and questioned the knowledge of validity of this review (reviewer) and wondered where the hell has the taste, style, sophistication and quality of NYC really gone? This place is horrible. The so-called "balance" of the food (upon which Thai food is created) is NOT present. It is all sour. Nothing more. The Duck Larb had 5 tiny strips of duck in it at a whopping $16.50 price tag. Full of sliced onions and cilantro and unbalanced acidic taste. It was awful. The "sticky rice" alongside it was nothing more than over cooked watered down saturated flavorless rice. I had to turn it back. The staff was unfriendly and rude. They grabbed plates before you were even finished. The salmon was flavorless except for the overly peppered topping. The interior had no flavor whatsoever. The Green Papaya salad was all lime and chili without any nuance or flavor that this dish typically offers. This restaurant is absolutely an insult to the Thai kitchen. HORRIBLE!

09/24/11

You had better like the food ....... or else!

by Peter Nikolich

The reviews of this restaurant are all good. The food is certainly fresh and tasty. Except the Tom Yum noodle soup. I didn't like it here (although I've enjoyed this dish elsewhere). My wife, who is Filipina didn't like it either. It had a bitter taste, like green tamarind or too much fish sauce. So I immediately ordered something else. Then we had a battle over whether we should pay for the uneaten Tom Yum. I wouldn't have minded paying for it (after all, I chose it), but the waitress then spent the evening ignoring us (I had to order additional drinks from another waitress), claimed to intercede with the manager (who never showed their face) and finally conceded that we hadn't actually eaten the Tom Yum, took it off the bill, but then more or less demanded a 15% tip! Beware. You had better like the food. Or else!

08/04/09

Fantastic Food Hates Service

by CSMobileUser2

The food is great and inexpensive. Have been going here for years. Love it. I use yo love the staff also but they had some changes and I just don't like. They are not friendly and full of attitude. If you don't give the tip they want they are very disrespectful and make you not want to come back. Only the food keeps me coming sadly.

10/30/08

got sick!!!

by fastroma

had a very very badly sick from their Tofu wok!

I did not even know that it was possible to get that sick from tofu.

Ended up at the hospital!

I would not recommend this place to my worse enemy!

09/20/08

Great food, but...

by piggy86

The food at Galanga gets 4 1/2 stars. I had sangria, calamari, and the shrimp drunken noodle. I am a drunken noodle aficionado, and theirs is in my top three. It was fresh and had just the right amount of chili. For dessert, try the fried banana with ice cream - mini spring rolls stuffed with banana, drizzled with honey with ice cream in the center. Delicious food, not authentic Thai, but it's great nonetheless.

The reason I am giving Galanga 3 stars overall is for service. The waitresses left something to be desired. We were seated and a minute later, came back and asked for our order. Obviously we weren't ready, so we ordered drinks and asked for a few more minutes. Another minute later, the waitress came by and demanded our order once again. Told her we needed a little more time, and she proceeded to roll her eyes and huff at us. Third time around (which was half a minute later), we ordered and she rolled her eyes at us as she was walking away. When our food arrived, she threw it on the table and some of the calamari flew into my lap, staining my pants with oil. Some may like this kind of no bs, ultra fast service, but I came there looking for a cozy place to catch up with a friend, and felt like I was waging war with Mean Girls.

To put it bluntly, their food is good but not that good for the attitude. The service made it feel like every other cheap fast-food Thai place in the city, which is a shame because the physical restaurant is quite lovely and intimate.

• Pros: food, location, decor
• Cons: waitresses