James L.
Yelp
In retrospect, I spent more time in the Winter Park neighborhood than I realized, which is fine since during my recent brief stay in Orlando, I found the rest of the city to be very "corporate." Not totally a surprise since the behemoth conglomerate that is the Disney corporation is located here. But it seemed to be that much of the cuisine had the theme of "non-offensive" and "bland" trying to appeal to a wide audience.
Orchid restaurant is a small-ish Thai joint located off Park Avenue, and we stopped by since there was available outdoor seating. Unlike other reviewers, my local friends and I had GREAT service from our server, Ace. She was extremely helpful with suggestions and was always checking in on us during our meal.
Humorously enough, when she asked if we wanted our food to be "American" spicy or "Thai spicy," the three of us enthusiastically replied "Thai spicy!!!" However, when the food arrived, it was not Thai Spicy. My noodles on my drunken noodles were plentiful and had nice chew, but the chicken was a bit overcooked and on the dry side. Sauce was alright but tasted more like dark soy sauce with hardly any fish sauce flavor. Perhaps the biggest disappointment was the lack of spice and heat. I found a few chopped up bird eye's chilis, but I had to ask for the supplemental spice tray to add more chili powder and some sriracha.
The tofu curry was the best thing we ate. Stir fryed cubes of tofu were mixed in sugar snap peas, baby corn, mushrooms, bell peppers, and onions. The curry sauce had a deep rich flavor, and we could actually taste the spice in this dish. Slather some of the sauce atop of the accompanying white rice, and it was a satisfying dish.
All in all, not a bad experience, but also nothing stellar. It was nice to sit outside enjoying the typical sunny 75-degree temps in Florida while dining al fresco.