Laurence Civil enjoys a night of traditional Thai cuisine with a twist of the modern

This enchanting restaurant in the compound of the Rose Hotel is housed in a delightful golden teak wood building constructed over 100 years ago during the reign of King Rama V. Origi­nally it was the home of a herbal medical doc­tor whose name has been lost in the dusts of time. Today, as a nod to its heritage some of the medical herbs once used by the doctor are used in some the dishes.

The Rose Hotel was acquired by the Vitayakul family in 1960’s and then a decade later they purchased the adjacent plot of land where the golden teak house stands. In its day it was used as a storeroom and housed exclusive guest accommodation on the first floor.

A couple of years ago the teak house was completely renovated to make it into a Thai restaurant. Guests have a choice of dining on two floors. The ground floor is air conditioned with floor to ceiling windows allowing an open view of the swimming pool and gardens. The feel is contemporary with clusters of dark wood tables topped with lime green cotton placemats and lounge areas tastefully woven together to create a residential feel. Up­stairs the setting is more formal, classical Thai with a collection of antiques and classical paintings. As it was a cool balmy winter’s night we decided to dine al fresco on the first floor terrace – the tranquil environment adding to the dining experience.

The taste of the food is modern Thai, designed to be an authentic Thai taste balanced and not overpowering. The introduction of non-traditional Thai ingredients such as salmon, soft shell crabs, scallops and broccoli doesn’t mean fusion food. This is simply taking advantage of what’s now available in the market to improve the quality. The cooking technique adheres to tradi­tional Thai methods.

All of the furniture dates back to the 70’s. Some sets of chairs are Chinese style from the middle of the decade, others are heavily carved teak from Chiang Mai, all had been originally used in the main hotel building and have been restored for their new role in this restaurant. The cutlery is con­temporary western with simple cotton placemats and napkins on dark wood tables.

The first dish we tried was a crispy seafood crepe, a modern Thai dish with an authentic taste. This was followed

by a selection of appetizers; among them spicy shredded chicken and giant prawn cakes with a superior texture. Dipping sauces to match were served in small round bowls.

It seems that almost every restaurant these days are using white chinaware to showcase their food but here the colorful Thai food is served on black chinaware, a presentation decision that works very well.

The soft shell crab was deliciously light with the perfect crunch to the taste-again not the purest of traditional ingredients but another example of how new ingredients are being successfully integrated into the Thai menu.

The lemongrass infused chicken with a delightfully unique and subtle Thai flavor was refreshing and light. Again there was balance in the taste allowing the guest to enjoy the freshness of the ingredients used. I appreciated the fact that burning chili wasn’t the dominant flavor.

Tom Som is one of the lesser known Thai soups but has a delightful taste. Their version was served with small cubes of fresh salmon, with the sweet taste coming from tamarind sauce used in the preparation. It didn’t smell fishy due the amount of fresh ginger that had been used together with shal­lots and Kapi, a Thai shrimp paste. It is very refreshing and wonderfully fragrant.

The queen of Thai desserts is mango with sticky rice garnished with flakes of gold leaf to enhance the presentation.

The contemporary residential setting blended modern paintings with Asian artifacts and was complimented by a selection of light instrumental music with a slight Asian twist. Dining at Ruen Urai isnt just about eating food – it’s a complete dining experience, feeding the need of all the senses.

The dinning experience is superb, to describe it as fine dining would create the wrong impression of too much stiffness and formality. This is not the case. Its best described as elegant casual, something stylish yet comfortable that just feels right. A small sanctuary of calm in a sea noise and chaos, proof that small is beautiful.