Royal Thai

Krisia calls Royal Thai her comfort place and goes back far enough to have shot a music video there. Only friends who have gotten to her soul, as she puts it, get an invitation. When the restaurant moved to its new location in June 2026, nobody told her. At the table she let them know how worried she had been. There's a garden at the new place. The night was too cold for it, even with blankets on offer, so we sat inside. An entrance hall washed in gold leads in, with Thai parasols in reds, yellows, greens and blues hanging open overhead. The same ones hang in the dining room, which is otherwise kept simpler. Archways between the rooms and white walls set with small lit niches, each holding a figure against a gold backdrop. We began on som tum mamuang, a green mango salad. Green mango and carrot sliced thin, peanuts for crunch, a dressing that stopped just short of too sour. At level two the heat was mild but present underneath. Toong thong followed. Golden bags, fried pouches of chicken tied at the top. The knot is spring onion, which makes everything on the plate edible. Except the spoon, as our waiter joked. Crisp outside, cooked through and well seasoned inside. A chili sauce on the bottom brought enough sourness to balance the fry. They reminded me of my mother's fried dumplings. Panang came next, with beef. It was the most liquid curry I've had. More soup than sauce, with spinach floating on top. Egg fried rice came on the side to soak it up. I hadn't expected beef this tender. The coconut milk pushed the heat and the aromatics forward instead of smothering them. Well spiced, though I'd have added heat. Krisia said she has never seen anyone else make it this way, and that for her this is how it should be made. Khao niao mamuang, mango sticky rice, was my pick of the night, and I came to it biased. It arrived blue, and To, the chef, told us the color comes from butterfly pea flower. Coconut chips on top, fried. I'd had them before, never fried. The mango was ripe and aromatic. Salted just enough, the rice never turned cloying. Nothing on the table surprised me, and nothing missed. Spice comes in levels, printed on the menu, and you pick one when you order. "Thai spicy" is the fourth and last. I'll be back for it.