Pichai is widely praised for bold, creative Thai flavors and a shareable, neo-Thai concept that shines in dishes like scallops, pork collar, fermented pork belly, tapioca dumplings, and a memorable Thai tea tiramisu. Several reviews highlight standout plates such as papaya salad, tom yum, and the egg dish that became a showstopper, with many diners calling the flavors authentic, lively, and deeply satisfying. Portions are often described as small for the price, though the quality and variety invite tasting across multiple dishes. Service ranges from impeccable and knowledgeable with excellent wine pairings to rushed or inconsistent, with reports of staff miscommunications and, in some cases, a less welcoming atmosphere. The ambiance is noted as vibrant, cozy, and stylish, sometimes loud, occasionally a bit too dark for reading menus. The menu includes weekly specials and a chef tasting option, with vegan and vegetarian choices appreciated by many. Overall, Pichai stands out as a top Montreal Thai option and a memorable dining experience, worth a visit for those seeking bold flavors, while reservations are advised and expectations should account for occasional service inconsistencies.
Amazing as always! The food is absolutely delicious & the staff is so warm & welcoming. It's my number 1 spot to eat at when I wanna indulge & treat myself to authentic Thai flavors.
Que dire? Sinon que nous venons de découvrir un petit joyau sur la Plaza ! La cuisine d'inspiration thaï est très réussie, pimentée à souhait! Ne pas manquer la bavette en salade ni le crudo de pétoncles des Îles ! On nous a fait patienter 30 min malgré notre réservation mais nos cocktails ont été offerts, c'est trop classe.
We have mixed feelings about Pichai. On the one hand, we enjoyed good personable service (if a tad hurried) though none of the rudeness experienced by some other diners; on the other hand, the quality of the entrees were hit or miss so 100% satisfaction is NOT guaranteed. But perhaps what Pichai may be most faulted for is the poor price-quantity value ratio. It clearly attempts to be an upper-class, fancy, quasi fine tapas eatery but while the prices are premium (other words, expensive), the ambiance, service & overall feeling are not up to expectations & do not warrant these hefty prices. Also, at one point, there was a 25 min wait between the 3rd & 4th dishes which was awkward & broke the rhythm of the evening. The fish ball appetizer ($4/two balls so $12 for three diners, two each) while tasty, was way overpriced & terribly easy to prepare. One could easily purchase an entire 1kilo bag of fish balls for $8 (50-60 pieces) at the supermarket, dunk them in an air fryer, pour over some bottled Thai sweet sauce & sprinkle some fried onion crisps. With this ultra low cost, Pichai could have offered this appetizer as an amuse-bouche & utilized it to elevate the entire Pichai experience instead of it now leaving a bitter after taste. The raw scallops were delicious in every sense. Once again, though, at $28 for a plate of 8 mini scallops, it was way overpriced. The pork collar was absolutely delicious & acceptably priced. The pork belly was so overly salty to the point of being inedible so that was a clear miss. The shrimp with egg was divine & the shrimps were well sized. We were not unanimous on the green curry with bourgot because two of us felt that the curry was overly sweet. The grilled chicken thigh was tasty but not exceptionally so. They also charged us $3 for an extra little bowl of rice. In a nutshell, as much as we would have loved to walk out of Pichau, wanting again to return, we do not collectively believe that we would revisit as there was a serious lack in value. Most dishes, all tapas-sized & single bites, are $25-38 each so the bill piles up very quickly for what are simple snacks. At this price point, the service, ambiance & penny-pinching do not hold water & Pichai fails to entice us to revisit. Pity that.
Oct 17, 2024
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I had really high expectations for Pichai, since it was on my restaurant bucket list for some time now. Sadly, it wasn't as good as I hoped. That being said, the Raw Scallops with Mint absolutely blew my mind. The Smoked Hake was also amazingly delicious. If that kind quality continued, I would've easily given Puchai five stars. Unfortunately, most of the next six dishes were so salty that they nearly ruined our meal. With each dish, the saltiness multiplies on your taste buds, building upon the discomfort in your mouth. I've spent a good amount of time in Thailand, eaten in fine Thai restaurants all over the world, (& I really like salt), but I've never had such salty Thai food. On top of that, the music was so loud that it was hard to have a normal conversation. To make matters worse, the food came much too quickly, they removed our plates the minute we finished, & then the bill came immediately after. Of course, all this made us feel rushed, as if they were trying to increase their turnover & profits. Overall, it wasn't a horrible experience, but I don't think we'll be returning.
Excellent tasting menu at 70$. Unique flavors with fresh & seasonal ingredients. Not your typical thai restaurants. Glad we got to try 10 different plates. Desserts were surprisingly the highlight! Very accommodating for dietary restrictions/preference & allergies. A must try!!!
Jul 12, 2024
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The food here is probably the best Thai food you can find in Montreal. It is absolutely succulent. They have a permanent menu as well as a special menu they change frequently. It's difficult to go wrong, everything is delicious & they make a conscious effort to use seasonal products. Can't wait to come back & try more dishes!
1. Food is exquisite, authentic, & prepared & served with a high degree of thought & authenticity. I have not eaten Thai food like this elsewhere in Montreal. It would have been nice to have another noodle or rice item on the menu. 2. The service was good, especially considering the restaurant was at capacity. I was greeted kindly, & seated within a few minutes of my reservation time. The staff seemed happy to speak English or French, & offered menus in either language. It would have been nice to have the menu for daily specials be bilingual as well (it was only in French) but the server was able to explain everything. 3. My main hesitation to recommend this restaurant to others is that the other members of my party & I found the atmosphere to be claustrophobic & noisy. This is partly due to their being loud club type music playing. The other factor is the restaurant has too many tables for its space, especially in the rear section of the restaurant where we were seated. We were all the way against the wall & their was a claustrophobic feeling. We had to all raise our voices significantly to be able to hear each other at the same table. It is possible that if you sit outside on the patio in front or maybe in another area of the restaurant this could be alleviated, or maybe try not to go during Peak weekend hours & maybe it will not be as crowded. Still, I feel that if the music were lower, there were better cooling & Air conditioning, & maybe one or two tables were removed from this section of the restaurant to make it feel a bit more open, the atmosphere would be greatly improved.
It was our first time trying Pichai. The food was...incredible!!! The flavours were nothing like I'd ever experienced before. Everything tasted amazing. My Cocktail was so-so. There were only 2 cocktails available, & I wish there was more of a selection, but it didn't take away from my experience. We took a patio seating as the reservations fill up fast & that's all that was left for us, but holy cow it is a very tight squeeze & you almost feel like the other tables are in your personal space also. The heat lamps weren't working so when the sun went down there was nothing to keep you warm. We rushed through the end of our meal because it was cold. Our waiter was great but he was alone on the terrace so we didn't get to see him much. But he was fully available when he came to our table once or twice. I do wish he took more time to explain the menu though because if you've never eaten Thai food it's not an easy menu to understand. I'm sure there were other things I would have ordered instead. I would go back, but I would prefer to sit inside. It looked like there was more space. Again our experience did not take away from the presentation & flavours of the food.
Jun 8, 2024
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Very innovative dishes that we'd not had before at a Thai restaurant. Shrimp with shallots & asparagus with pork were both amazing. Massaman curry was vegan but incredible. Waiter was very helpful both in selecting dishes & how much to order.
The « tasting menu » isn't on the menu but be sure to ask if they offer it that night! You will not regret it if you do, we were so full & for $65 /per person it was an incredible deal. Truly an amazing experience between all the balance of Thai flavours. The only place that I could say is better than my mom's 🤫
Be prepared for a pricey, garlicky spicy experience. Authentic Thai plates in a cozy atmosphere. Quality ingredients a bit overpriced. Service is excellent
2024: friendly attentive service, was patient while I sampled different wines. Definitely recommend their Pinot Blanc from Alsace. Scallops were good but spicy. Duck yellow curry was delicious. Beef salad was pretty good. Swordfish was okay but the sauce was nice. Thai tea tiramisu was fantastic. Mango pudding was alright, might be better without the grass jelly. Cute decor. My sister enjoyed the music. 2022: Excellent service. Great food.
