Ruan Kao Thai — Restaurant in Newcastle-Maitland

The food was really really bad which makes no sense as it's been great before and the reviews are great.. We have both travelled throughout Asia dozens of times and this was the worst thai meal.

Duck curry was stale and tasteless with old dry duck maybe reheated and diluted too many times? gave me a belly ache.. Chilli basil seafood was mostly onion so we didn't even touch it. I am surprised my partner ate the tom yum as it was bland, sweet and the seafood was overcooked but we were starving after trecking all day plus they were closing.

I really did not want to leave a bad review as a small business owner myself I know how much it hurts. The interaction with their very negative attitude towards me giving honest feedback AND being as kind about it as possible was not okay. We actually called hoping for fresh food and were not interested in a refund at all however they suggested it as they were closing when we called.

I was so understanding considering how disgusting the food was as I am sure there was a good reason for it hence why I didn't call for a refund or suggest it.

There is no good...

So new owners. Used to be my favourite. Not now. Have had twice and not going back. It's not bad food, but when your charging $20+ for a dish it needs to be amazing. Bbq meat (2 dishes on two occasions) were tough and dry. $25 seafood fried rice was....ok, massamen curry wasn't balanced...too sweet...and didn't have enough meat to make it worth the money. Satay skewers....pretty bad... tough, not enough fish sauce or lime juice, Laab was bland and didn't have enough fish sauce and lime juice and I suspect there was no toasted crushed rice, an essential ingredient. ....it also was 50% "salad" (carrots and lettus), again, not worth the price.

Summary, definately not authentic anymore and it's way more expensive than it should be. Sure, it doesn't taste bad, it just need to be better.

I guess my quest for good Thai starts again.....and ITS JUST DOWN THE ROAD. AM THAI...

We were advised of a Thai place in Newcastle, and it was closed. Then we lucked upon this gem of a place. It was clean, with efficient service and a comfortable environment. The prices were reasonable and the serving sizes are moderate. The food arrived, and WOW! Authentic and flavour packed! The Green Curry Chicken with Boiled White Rice was just the right kind of slightly spicy. The Peanut Sauce Chicken with Coconut Rice was good enough to fight over! If we were not driving for 5 hours we would have gotten more Peanut Sauce Chicken and the most amazing Coconut Rice I've ever had to go for dinner! This definitely is a talk about great meal!

Update after another visit.

Just fantastic!!!! Another visit, two dishes, two smiling faces, and a desire to replicate this place closer to where we live. I really wish I could give this place another star for...