Ruen Urai or The House of Gold is 14 years old and is named after its owner, Urai Vitayakul, the proprietress of the Rose Hotel Bangkok. The menu is entire gamut of Thai cuisine, an amalgamation of dishes from all over the Kingdom, albeit each with their own twist.
Set in a hidden spot off Surawong Road, Ruen Urai is in a restored century-old traditional Thai house built from golden teakwood, originally owned by an herbal medicine practitioner during the reign of King Rama V. Surrounded by a tropical garden on one side, with outdoor seating, and the Rose Hotel's swimming pool on the other, it's a good location for a quiet lunch or romantic dinner.
Begin your meal with Saengwaah Kratong Tong, which are crispy cups filled with prawns and a lemongrass herb salad. A dish from the Central Region, the cups are made using different types of flour, coconut milk and are salty, sweet, spicy and bitter. A surprising addition of capsicum is added for colour.
Another signature dish is the Lha Dtiang, which takes 20 minutes to prepare but is well worth the wait. The dish means "to hunt for beds", which refers to slutty behaviour, which I am all for! A Chinese-influenced Thai dish, the egg lattice is made to look like a pillow filled with minced pork, prawns, chicken, preserved radish, peanuts and palm sugar.
From left: Saengwaah Kratong Tong; Miang larb phet yang; Tuna pun samunphrai.
Sino-Thai wok cooking is at its best in Mhoo deang bping or barbequed Cantonese-style red pork. Don't forget the Miang larb phet yang (B300) or spicy salad of diced barbequed duck served in a betel leaf. Traditional flavours are retained and so this larb packs the punch it is associated with. Do try the Tuna pun samunphrai or raw tuna rolls filled with fresh herbs in chilli dressing. Yum, yum, yum.
The soup of Tom yum gai bai makham orn (B350) or spicy and sour soup of chicken and young tamarind leaves has a lovely, but not overpowering chilli kick, tamed down with the addition of the young tamarind leaves. #Protip: The leaves come from the tamarind tree on the property. The Pla ghapong (B400 for fillet, B580 for a whole fish) can be prepared in three ways but I chose my favourite: neung manao. The fillets are steamed in a sauce of lime, garlic and chilli and has the perfect tang to it.
The Mhu bpaa pad phed (B380) or sautéed wild boar in spicy curry sauce goes well with jasmine rice and a side of Hed ruam pad nahm mun hoy (B250) or sautéed mixed mushrooms in oyster sauce.
End the meal with Thai desserts like Bua Loy Ruen Urai (B80) or Ruen Urai boiled glutinous rice dumplings in coconut milk. Named after floating lotus buds, this house-made sweet is made using the natural colours of carrot, pumpkin, pandanus leaves and taro. If that doesn't do it for you, there is always a scoop of mango ice cream nestled in khanom la.
A meal at Ruen Urai reminds us all that food equates love.
Ruen Urai Fine Thai Cuisine, 118 Surawongse Road, Bang Rak / Call 02-266-8268--72, visit ruen-urai.com.
Bua Loy Ruen Urai. (Photos: Ruen Urai Fine Thai Cuisine)
