Twelve Spices Lao & Thai Cuisine

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

We ordered their ox tongue served with a spicy sauce which was grilled to perfection. Then we had some Laos sausages, served yet again with the same spicy sauce. We also ordered a big plate of soft shell crab, crispy, golden and oily but deliciously unhealthy. Finally, we also tried an interesting quail dish and had a Lao papaya salad which set our mouths on fire. Overall, a decent experience in Laotian food and a very busy, bustling restaurant.

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Apr 20, 2012 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

Went there about 3 weeks ago, after being recommended to try it, never knew it was there, it's amongst a very small strip of some old shops that have been there for decades, even though I've driven past there many times, I never had seen it before. Great little place, has a rawness to the enterior combined with beautiful modern decor.

Great quick service, although I have to say that it was our first visit and we were the only ones there. We ordered penang curry, red curry and chilli basil chicken (not sizzled), the red curry was Yummo as was the penang, I order the thai chilli chicken basil at another local restaurant and wanted to compare and at first I thought I preferred the restaurant's but as I was finishing my meal I realised that the aromas and flavours lingering in my mouth so beautifully, and the freshness of the dish had done it for me, I do prefer it from Twelve Spices now.

Looking forward to going back, but am interested in seeing what it's like when it's busy.

Apr 01, 2012 

4.3 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  6      Service  2      Value  4     

Food - Portions Ok, Presentation Good. We ordered: Grilled Ox Tongue, Lao Papaya Salad, Duck Salad, Vegetable Red Curry, Chicken Green Curry, Grilled Eggplant, Thai Milk Tea, Avocado Smoothie. The Salads were too salty and swimming in fish sauce. The Eggplant was good. The meat for the Duck Salad seemed a little old. The Grilled Ox Tongue came last of the meals and the Avocado Smoothie came last when the meal was half finished.

Service - Ok. After the initial order it was difficult to get the waiter's attention. When we requested our second rice refill (for a table of 6) the waiter seemed unhappy. Two waiters to take orders for the whole restaurant while two additional staff assisted with service.

Atmosphere - It's a small restaurant so got quite noisy. Decor is dark-themed and simplistic which is nice.

Warning - Their Menus are out of date. We ordered dishes from the menu and when we asked for the bill the prices were different. When we inquired as to why the prices were more their reply was "it has been like that for a year" and "we informed you on the menu". When we asked to be shown where on the menu, the wording in small print at the back of the menu was words to the effect of "prices subject to change without notice".

While I can understand that prices may rise occasionally, but to rely on this small disclaimer 1 year after you raise your prices is ridiculous. They seemed not too concerned that it's unethical and wrong to randomly raise prices without first telling the consumer that they have done so. When we requested a bill, that consisted of hand-written notes on a piece of paper, no name, no ABN, no date. When I asked where was their ABN, their reply was "come back tomorrow and I will give it to you".

Totally irresponsible and ruined what would have been otherwise a pleasant evening. I prefer the old management and food.

Jan 12, 2012 

1 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  1     

This place use to be half descent. They have a new chef who can't get the order right. My meal came out wrong 3 times. If you want terrible service then you should come here. Until they get a new chef I won't be coming back here. But if you do decide to come here ask for the chilli basil...

Jan 07, 2012 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

The dishes were all delicious and beautifully presented. Their staff are very attractive and friendly.

Dec 13, 2011 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Decided to go out for dinner last night, felt like Thai. A friend had told me about a relatively new restaurant in Canley Heights, so we decided to check it out. We arrived (2 ppl) with no booking, and were seated immediately. The restaurant was about 3/4 full on a wednesday night, and had a good atmosphere.

As we wanted to try something new, we asked for the waiters recommendation. He recommended the crispy chilli basil chicken and the sour pork rice ball salad. 2 dishes we would never normally order.

To my delight, the dishes were delicious. I am a picky eater, so for me to say that is a big deal! We finished our meal with an Avocado shake, their drink specialty - sounded weird, but was amazing. A must to order at Twelve Spices.

Oct 20, 2011 

7.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  8     

If you wish to escape the annoying parking problems at Canley Heights or Canley Vale then Twelve Spices would be a great place to try. A bonus would be the very attractive and friendly staff. :)

The food has never failed to disappoint as I've been here a couple of times since the renovation. My girlfriends and I had - pad thai, soft shell crab, laos papaya salad and the red chicken curry.My gfs adored the curry which I didn't try because I was full.

Although, the Soft shell crab was a huge serving it had too much batter and wasn't as great as the other Thai restaurants in the area. I would recommend this restaurant, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Oct 10, 2011 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  9     

Twelve Spices is amazing. After a word of mouth recommendation I arrived with some friends on saturday night without a booking and the place was truly packed. I was told straight away by the staff that there would be a 5 minute wait and within 2 minutes my friends and I were seated.

I have had my fair share of Tom Yum's over the years and this was by far the best, definatley follow this recommendation with the chilli basil chicken I had. Amazing. Fresh, spicey and enjoyable across the whole plate. The array of food I saw coming out of the kitchen was colourful and smelt beautiful.

This place was packed for a reason. The staff are both attractive and friendly, which always makes my meal ever more pleasant. I would definately recommend Twelve Spices to anyone, though I would suggest booking.

I will be back, with more friends. Twelve Spices is a gorgeous little place that is good value, coupled with personal service lacking at other restaurants.

Sep 19, 2011 

3.8 Below Average

Food  6      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  3     

Came here for a friends birthday and wasn't very happy with the experience.

We had a table for 10 already seated. Additional 2 people came in and when we asked if we can get extra seats or the empty table next to us to be joined to the current tables, we were rudely told by the senior staff (who also raised her voice) 'you guys only told me table for 10' and refused to help or accommodate us. We had to locate seats ourselves and squeezed into the table.

This was the same person who also worked somewhere else previously, who responded us with 'Do I look like I have enough hands?' when we asked for service. My guess is that either she deal poorly with her own stress, or customer service is not her top priority compared to the drinks and shakes she have to make at the counter.

At other restaurants, should we were to bring a birthday cake in and ask the staff to bring it out during our dinner, they would have taken the cake out of the box and light up the candles. Here? Unfortunately, no. They brought the whole box out with the candles in still in the packet. We had to ask for the cake to be sent back (before the surprise gets ruined for the birthday friend which it did anyway), and actually go behind their counter and organise it ourselves.

Saying that, the flavour of the food is nice, however, we can taste a lot of MSG. It made us really thirsty.

I definitely wouldn't come back here again, even though the decor is nice and the foods decent, but the poor customer service shows they're not focused on their customers. There are plenty of other Thai and Laos restaurants five minutes away from this restaurant which have better food and better customer service.

Sep 12, 2011 

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

Its isolated from all the other restarants in Canley Heights and thats probably why they have a niche where it is.

No lunch specials, prices seem to be the same for dinner and lunch. Prices though are reasonably and portion sizes bigger than expected.

Food wise its better than your average thai place. My spring rolls were thin but long in size, satay chicken which I think they forgot the satay sauce was nicely grilled. The pad thai was good and big in portion

Ambience wise it has nice decor but its dark and it was cold in there when I went in for lunch (its winter!). Food didn't take long to come out.

If you find car parking in Canley heights a hassle, this is a good alternative.

Aug 13, 2011