Golden Turtle is a great find for me in Mississauga. I have long wanted to find a Vietnamese restaurant that tastes like how things were 2 decades ago. I also like the aroma of fish sauce hitting my nostrils before I am seated. Golden Turtle delivers on both accounts.
I ordered a BBQ Chicken on Rice, and my BF ordered a Red Curry Fish with Bamboo and Eggplant. The BBQ chicken was actually grilled lemongrass chicken. The Chinese name more accurately describes this entree. The lemongrass chicken tasted *perfect*. It was tender, sweet and with an aroma of lemongrass. I wish there was more chicken, because there was about 2 bowls of white rice that came with the chicken. BTW, the fish sauce that came along was undiluted, which was exactly how it is supposed to be and how I like it.
The Red Curry Fish was tasty. I cannot attest to its Thai authenticity but it tasted bold and creamy. There were lots of bamboo and eggplant, but it could have more fish. It went so well with white rice that too bad you must order the rice separately. BF solved this problem by eating half of my rice. (And with this help, there still was just enough chicken to go with the reminding rice).
Both my BF and I were pleasantly surprised by the services. The waiters were very polite and well spoken. They didn't just place the plates onto the table; they tried to present the plates nice and neat in front of us. And after we had finished, a waiter asked us how we found the food and if we liked it. My BF and I were like "wow".
If only the portion of the protein (fish and chicken) was more in proportion with the overall entree and the rice, the food would be 4 stars on its own easily.
As it is now, food 3.5 stars. Services add 0.5 stars. Overall 4 stars.