Chekiang Royal Thai — Restaurant in Rome

As someone that has been travelling south east Asia many times, and keeps Thailand especially close to the heart, I can tell you that the disappointment with the food was huge. It was the first time in my life I have sent back a plate to the kitchen. The thing is, I have traveled pretty far to get to this restaurant, because of the good reviews it has and my absolute passion for Thai food. I can imagine Italy is a tough market, Italians love good stuff and are still pretty stiff when it comes to authentic Asian flavours, however this was just another Chinese (nothing against it, just stating it for honesty) pretending to do something else entirely. I ordered the most basic things you can get in any Thai restaurant to play safe (chicken satai, papaya salad, pad Thai and sticky rice with mango) and all of them were below expectations and fairly far away from the authentic Thai flavours. The pad Thai especially didn’t have any tamarind nor fish sauce or eggs, rather an heavy amount of oil and powdered garlic instead. The service is good, the people are nice, but as an Italian who owns an authentic Italian restaurant in Germany I feel like I need to tell you guys: strive for authenticity, don’t sell out the “expected” flavours to play safe in Italy. Italians are indeed opinionated but they know what good food taste like and if you dare to propose real authentic food you are only gonna do great, because none expects you to sell Chinese spring rolls and average “Italian-Asian” restaurant stuff.

Ps, don’t sell it for Chiang Mai cuisine because it couldn’t be farer from the truth and...

We found this place through TheFork and decided to give it a try, but unfortunately it didn’t live up to expectations. When we mentioned our reservation through TheFork upon arrival, the server awkwardly asked if we “cared about the points,” which gave the impression they were trying to avoid honoring the platform’s system.

The service was slow—we waited quite a while before anyone took our order. The menu itself was sticky and disgusting to touch, which didn’t inspire much confidence in cleanliness. When it came time to order, the young server was overly pushy, suggesting random dishes we hadn’t asked about just because one item we wanted was unavailable.

The food, once it arrived, tasted ok (except the peanuts had gone rancid!). Nothing particularly memorable in terms of flavor, especially compared to other Chinese or Thai options in Rome. The biggest letdown was the portion size—very small compared to what you’d get elsewhere, so you end up ordering (and spending) much more than expected.

To top it off, we found a hair in the fried rice. When we pointed it out, the waiter just shrugged and said the chefs wear hats—no apology, no recognition. We still ate it, but the attitude was disappointing and unprofessional.

All in all, between the service, the portion sizes, and the lack of cleanliness, we won’t be returning—and I wouldn’t recommend...

The food is ok BUT... portion and price is off. The portions are tiny and we're told when we order a starter plus another dish that it won't be enough (first time I've seen Primo/Secondo in Asian restaurant). When we order we were warned it'll be slow service. This is ok as long as the food is good and they deliver the food in the correct manner. Serving one dish to one person and then the other person waiting 20 mins is incompetence. Having spent €60 for two people we're still hungry. The girl doing service has an attitude which others might describe as rude or brash. I didn't like seeing the dishes piled up by the cashier desk either - it didn't look so organised/hygienic.

Overall, the food is good but the concept and delivery aren't.

Reply to restaurant:

1. This is not my first Thai in Rome and was my second time in your restaurant after many years.
2. This is first Asian restaurant I've seen with primo/secondo menu layout. I'd rather pay more for one main meal with decent portion than 2 tiny ones that left me hungry. Your menu is confusing because you consider noodles a 'primo' but not everybody takes noodles at Asian restaurants. My Roman companion found it equally so.
3. I thought your food was good. The rest was disappointing. I don't doubt you're hard working and I hope my...