Nara Thai Cuisine Terminal 21 Asoke — Restaurant in Khlong Toei Nuea Subdistrict

After finishing our sightseeing in Bangkok, we visited this restaurant for an early dinner. It is located inside Terminal 21 Asok, with a wide entrance and an open design that allows you to see inside the restaurant easily. The interior is very clean, and the tables are set with plates, knives, forks, and napkins, giving off a high-end feel.

We ordered the today's special, Grilled River Prawn (1,890 THB=US$58), and the Poo Pad Pong Curry (2,490 THB=US$76). The curry tasted good, but it wasn’t just lukewarm—it was actually cold. I’m not sure if they always serve it at this temperature, but for a dish that costs 2,490 THB, is this really acceptable? The prawn was very large and tasty, which was satisfying.

However, both of these dishes require you to use your hands, yet they did not provide any finger bowls or wet towels. It was only at the very end, just before we paid the bill, that they brought out BABY WIPES! (see photo). I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief. We only ordered these two dishes plus water, and the total came to 4,822.17 THB(=US$148). In Thailand, this price range puts the restaurant in the high-end category, but providing baby wipes instead of proper wet towels(or finger bowls)—how does that align with being a high-end restaurant?

Despite the price, the waiters and waitresses never came to check on us during our meal, nor did they provide any care, yet a 10% service charge was automatically added to the bill, which was disappointing.

My disappointment largely came from having assumed, based on the appearance and price range, that this was a high-end restaurant, which raised my expectations. However, if a restaurant charges these prices, it should naturally provide food and hospitality that match the price point.

I will definitely never return to this restaurant, but I decided to leave this review because I don’t want others to have the same experience I did. I hope this will be helpful for anyone planning to...

The last time I visited Bangkok was before COVID. Last time I dined at the branch in Central World and had a great experience—it really suited my taste. Most importantly, they had mine and my mom’s favorite dish: Thai-style charcoal-grilled pork neck.

More than eight years later, I brought my mom to the branch at Terminal 21, only to find that the Thai-style charcoal-grilled pork neck was no longer on the menu. In fact, most pork-based dishes were gone, which was quite disappointing. It turns out the restaurant has since become a halal establishment.

The menu now features many dishes with river prawns, but unfortunately, my mom is allergic to shrimp and couldn’t try any of them. Also, perhaps because it’s not durian season, there was only one hot dish made with durian available, which was a bit disappointing.

We ordered a few dishes, but personally, I felt the flavors weren’t as good as before. Only the salt and pepper squid stood out as tasty and flavorful. The tom yum soup with coconut milk was far too salty, and the crab omelet was overcooked and too dry.

So overall, the dining experience was rather...

As a lover for Asian cuisine, i must say this place for food is terrible and extortionate for what you are getting. 🗑️ (And i have ate in many low and high end restaurants, for this price of the food you are getting is really poor, standard wise)🤢🤮

Comments:

Very very steep in price for thai food. Had about 4 main dishes, starters and dessert. Total bill inc VAT 7% and Service charge 10% was approx $4500 baht

Service charge for what? I mean apart from bringing the food to your table (which is what their job is) what am i paying for? Bare in mind it isn't even optional to pay🙄

Food was at most, mediocre. All the food came to the table "warm". We even ordered the signature $1500 baht "crab meat with curry". (And that came warm) feels like the food was heated up / already prepared and just microwaved.

I think as they are in a shopping mall (Terminal 21) their rents must be high, but that doesn't justify the poor quality of food served.

Wont be coming back or going to any of the Nara branches again..... one bad experience is...