The Royal Budha Reviewed by Mark my World
The Royal Budha, Al Barsha
The Royal Budha is an award winning Thai Restaurant residing at the heart of Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha Hotel. For more than 5 years, the restaurant has upheld a reputation for its quality & service and tonight we checked if all of these were true.
As we entered, we were greeted by the waiter who immediately looked up our names on the guest list and guided us to our table. I believe you need to book in advance just to be sure you will be seated when you arrive because I was told that it gets really busy most of the time. Their guests usually are not the ones staying in the hotel but mostly walk-ins who are looking for authentic thai food. I would describe the setting as intimate and has this feel as if you were in Thailand. There is this huge buddha in the middle and there were red lights all over. It’s quite nice, lights were dim but just right. I really liked the ambiance and the soft music that they were playing added to the Thailand “feel”.
He gave us the menu and left us for a few minutes. When he came back, he brought with him complimentary crackers and thai ginger tea. We then ordered their house iced tea with milk and this sampler which was a combination of all their popular appetizers. I liked the chicken satay and the calamari the most out of all of them however, I didn’t quite get how the chicken dumpling tasted. They said it’s supposed to be sweet and salty with a hint of mayonnaise. It didn’t taste bad, it’s just not for me.
The menu offers a wide variety of mouth watering dishes that are cooked by their chefs who all came from Thailand. I liked the fact that the kitchen is open and you can see how they maintain the cleanliness and you can watch them as they prepare your meal. The waiter suggested one of their specialties, pad thai and the chicken with cashew nuts. I also have to mention that they offer the option to mix chicken and prawn if you prefer to have them both in one dish. I must say I like everything that they have served so far.
As we continued eating, we can’t help but notice how fresh the ingredients that they used are. The chicken was tender, the prawn was tasty and the noodles in the pad thai were cooked just about right. I asked Robert, the store manager and he told us that 95% of the ingredients are directly imported from Thailand thus the good taste. We ordered a dessert called Gluay Thod which is a deep fried banana with coconut milk and honey. You also have the option to add a scoop of ice cream if you like so I asked for one. When it came, I felt like one scoop wasn’t enough so I asked for 2 more and they happily obliged.
When it comes to service, I only have good things to say about it. The waiters, although it became a bit busy were still attentive and made sure that we have everything that we needed. They were offering us more food to try but we just can’t eat anymore. For the price, I can say that it is reasonable. It’s not low priced but you cannot say that it’s also expensive. I think for the quality and taste of the food, it’s justified.
All in all, we had a wonderful dining experience at The Royal Budha. No wonder they keep on winning all these awards. (They are nominated again this year and if you want to vote, just click here) If I could sum it up in one word, it would be “authentic”. From the atmosphere to the high quality of cooking to the taste of the food to the service, I’m more than sure that anyone who eats here will enjoy themselves. I even saw one couple was given a cake only because the staff heard that it was her birthday. These little things show the level of customer service that they have in the restaurant. I would highly recommend you try and visit The Royal Budha. I can’t wait to come back to try their unlimited dumpling offering every Friday and the other items on their menu. It’s an absolute gem in Al Barsha that I’m sure won’t be hidden anymore as more and more people are discovering it everyday.
To book, call +971 4 3234333 or visit https://royalbudha.wpengine.com.php73-37.phx1-1.websitetestlink.com
