I have been hooked on to Thai cuisine for some time now and I don’t miss the chance of trying a new place every now and then. As me and my friends were running through the list of restaurants to try around the Barsha area, my eyes landed on The Royal Budha and we looked no further.

Located at the Holiday Inn Hotel, Al Barsha, the restaurant has a Chic decor. I really love the use of red colour; it just gives the entire ambiance such a lift. The restaurant has won plenty of awards from What’s On and displays all the trophies proudly.

As we sat down to place our order, we were greeted with a welcome plate of Prawn crackers. This is something that is common among Thai and Chinese restaurants.

I usually try to avoid spice as my threshold for spice level is not very high, however I dwell into the territory of spice once in a while. This was the reason for me ordering a Tom Yam Goong soup. This is a traditional Thai Prawn soup with chili, lemongrass, galangal and lemon juice. The soup was darn good and was a big relief to my cough and blocked nose. It was really spicy but I couldn’t stop having it. Seeing me go crazy with the spice, the staff brought me some cucumbers (sweet of them to do that).

One thing I would also like to point at is the cutlery. The cutlery at the restaurant is pretty unique. I have never seen such huge forks, knives or spoons. Since guests have not been too comfortable in the past using the cutlery, the staff got us regular cutlery; I however didn’t let go of the chance to use the unique ones.

When it comes to Asian food, one dish I usually order is dimsums/dumplings. This is one of my all time favourites and I have never have enough of them. We ordered for Chor Moung which is Purple flower Chicken dumpling with fried onion, peanut and chili-soya sauce. I can swear that not only does the dumpling look amazing, it tastes great. One of the best dumplings I have had in a long time.

Bring on the main course! We ordered Gaeng Phed Gai, that is Red Chicken curry with Coconut Milk, Cherry Tomato, Grapes, Pineapple and Thai basil. After the spicy soup, we asked for a mild version of the curry (lightning doesn’t strike twice baby or does it?). The curry was good; maybe not the best I have had in terms of Thai but good nevertheless.

The curry is served with steamed rice. I really liked the cute little basket the rice was served in. If you are really hungry, you might want to order more rice. I and my friend weren’t too hungry, thanks to the Chicken Shawarma I had and the Falafel he had a few hours back and therefore didn’t order more rice.

My overall experience was a good one and I really liked how friendly the staff was. Something like this does make your experience a better one.

One thing I would like to mention is the All you can eat Dim Sums Friday that The Royal Budha has. One can have unlimited dim sums and ice teas for AED 78 per person. This is something I am bookmarking and I shall be visiting the restaurant for the dim sums soon. You can also use Entertainer vouchers on the main course.

For more offers visit: https://royalbudha.wpengine.com.php73-37.phx1-1.websitetestlink.com/offers

Cost for 2:

1 Tom Yam Goong soup – AED 65
1 Chor Moung – AED 45
1 Gaeng Phed Gai – AED 85
1 Bottle Local still water (1.5l) – AED 16

Total (without discount) – AED 201

Details:

Restaurant: The Royal Budha
Location: Holiday Inn, Al Barsha (Ground floor)
Contact: 04 3234333

Source : Baggageanddish