I just realized that we never called this The Villa Restaurant. We have always called it Thai Villa Restaurant. I am not sure whether it used to be called Thai Villa but it’s highly possible being that this is one of the longest running restaurants in Riyadh. It practically only serves Thai Food but they had to include Pinoy (slang for Filipino) at the signage because most of their customers are Filipinos given that Thai population in the Kingdom is quite small due to the embittered diplomatic relations triggered by the 1989 theft of gems by a Thai employee.
My favorites are their tom yum, spring rolls and beef garlic and my husband’s favorites are pad thai, rad na, hor mok and calamari.
Their restaurant isn’t fancy, the plates are not matching, somehow cheap looking and the restaurant interiors aren’t super inviting. They have refurbished their sign after 10 million years but the overall feels still seemed so old school.. but I guess that’s where the appeal comes from ergo the longevity.
It’s the taste that matters, I guess.
*The above five photographs were grabbed from Google Images
Review: RAVE
Taste: 4 out of 5
Service: 3 out of 5
Ambiance: 2 out 5
Price: Average
We have Thai food over here, which is okay, but… not my favourite. We used to love it when we went to France when we ate Vietnamese food. Similar, but possibly a bit spicier? I suppose every country has its specialities – Indian restaurants in France are generally poor.
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I like both Thai and Vietnamese food. I guess it’s the Southeast Asian blood in me 😀
BUT yes, not all would give justice to the taste.
Really? I haven’t tried Indian cuisines in France. That bad?
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Our Thai restaurants seem to be of a similar approach here. Great food, but very interesting decor and service. Many years ago there was one Thai restaurant we used to go have dinner at when on holiday in our South West wine region. It was like being in an episode of Fawlty Towers. Wonderful food if you could get in, but you were always at the mercy of the chef’s whim and temperament 😊
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Hahaha! Indeed quite similar!
There are times when I hesitate to pay my take out when the owner is at the counter – I would sometimes wait for an attendant to relieve him or ask my husband to pay instead. He wasn’t rude but definitely not pleasant… apparently, that was just his front.
We’ve gotten to know him better over the years.. He never changed his disposition, it is our opinion of him that changed 😀
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I love calamari!!! Haha ❤ Wow, It's amazing that they serve Pinoy food! :))
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Their calamari is especially tasty and I am sure you’d love it too!
They say it’s Pinoy 😀 but it does taste awkward and not Pinoy enough 😀 So we’d rather think it’s Sinigang with a (Thai) twist…
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Would definitely love to try that and that sinigang with a twist too XD Sinigang is my favorite, love it when my elder sister cooks it. Hihi
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That’s my favorite too! Sinigang of almost everything 😀
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I absolutely love Thai food. I am lucky that I have an excellent but affordable Thai restaurant near my place.
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Thai food is super awesome right? You are truly lucky!!!
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Enjoyed your review. I was waiting for a photo of the plates. Haha! I had to learn how to cook Thai food because I enjoy it so much. Fortunately, I spent many months in Thailand and got a grasp of the flavor. The best part is it is not difficult to cook Thai food.
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Unfortunately, we don’t dine in these days… so I didn’t get to take new photos of the interiors but I am sure I have old photos from my archive being that this is one of our most frequented places in Riyadh way back!
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Of course! How can I forget corona? I love old places like this. You know it is good when it has been around since forever.
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Oh you’d love it here then! There are thousands of new brands that come up but it’s the classics that stay strong.
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I am really not sure how I feel about KSA. Knowing you has educated me more but I am still on the edge.
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Well, we’ve been here for more than 20 years and we’re still on the edge 😀 Can’t blame you 😀 😀 😀
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Do you want Brook to grow up there?
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If I am to dream, I want him to grow up in Bulacan… have friends like my friends…
He will not grow up here. We are desperately trying to make sure of that. This place won’t give him the proper EQ for the real world.
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Thanks for this, Janis. The sign above in the Google pic reads “The Thai Villa Restaurant” so maybe that’s why you call it that! I make a lot of Thai food when I’m on my own. Unfortunately, my life partner is not a big fan. 🌞
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Oh yeah, that’s right!!! I was more surprised to see the signage saying “The Villa Restaurant” — it must have been it’s original name…
Thai food is one of our favorites! Which Thai dish do you usually make?
With regard to our loved ones, sometimes, our influence on their taste buds take awhile to kick in… like how long it took me to love Vietnamese dishes?!! My husband almost gave up 😅😅😅
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LOL! I like making all kinds of vegan curries. Penang is my favorite! 🌞
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I’ve seen that on the menu but I am not sure whether I’ve tried it or not… my husband orders different dish every time so that we’d get to taste everything on the menu
My sister is vegan and curry is her staple dish. I remember when she wasn’t vegan yet, she would curry everything! Luckily, it works well on vegetables 🙂
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