Rim Talay Restaurant — Restaurant in Patong

Disappointing Experience at Rim Talay Restaurant

My recent dining experience at Rim Talay Restaurant was nothing short of disappointing. As someone with extensive hospitality experience, I rarely write negative reviews, but the series of service failures and operational issues warrant sharing.

The Problems Started Early: • 45-minute wait for entrees in a quiet restaurant • When questioned about the delay, we were told the kitchen was "overwhelmed with room service orders" - information that should have been communicated when ordering • All entrees and mains arrived simultaneously (except for one main dish that never arrived) • Ordered at 6:45 PM and watched as other diners who arrived after us finished their meals and left

Service Issues: • Zero table check-ins from staff • Had to search for our server to inquire about missing food • When found, we were promised "5 more minutes" after already waiting over an hour • Attempted to bring out a bowl of chips when we were ready to leave

Management Response: The most concerning aspect was the confrontational approach from all levels of staff: • Server was dismissive • Supervisor argued instead of resolving • Manager insisted we pay for food we never received • Staff became defensive rather than solution-focused

Food Quality: • Subpar quality for the price point • Meat dishes were notably fatty • Overpriced menu items • Kitchen appears overwhelmed by their extensive menu (89+ items)

Positive Points: • They eventually agreed not to charge for the unserved meal (though only after significant disagreement)

Verdict: The combination of poor service, subpar food quality, and unprofessional management response makes it impossible to recommend this to anyone. The extensive menu seems to be stretching the kitchen's capabilities beyond their limits, resulting in significant delays and quality issues. For a hotel restaurant, the standards fall well below expectations.

Advice to Management: • Streamline the menu to ensure kitchen efficiency • Invest in staff training, particularly in customer service • Improve communication between kitchen and front-of-house • Develop better protocols for handling service issues

Would I Return? No Would I...

Was really hungry after a full day out at sea and after coming back so late,most of the resorts places were closing so decided to just wing it and go for the only feasible option open at that time,which was Rim Talay. Imagine our suprise when at almost 9.30pm,people were still strolling in there with us as well.. 1st off,may I say that the night views were very stunning,really took our breadth away. It was worth it just to order a promotional seasonal cocktail (at a very affordably priced 200baht++), just so one could enjoy the scenic expansive views. The phuket curry with crab meat that was recommended by our very warm nd friebndly server, Sai, was really darn tasty..it really hit the spot as we mixed it with their vermicilli noodles provided. The steamed whole fish,though not the freshest i have eaten,was still pretty decent with a special chilli dip sauce that was a fine balance of spicy,savory,sweet and just a tad sour,enough to whet your appetite for the next bite. The wonderful thing about the steamed fish dish though,was that it was entirely de-boned,which was a more than skillful and thoughtful gesture. The 2-egg Khai-jeow was really huge..taste was spot-on with their pre-seasoning of fish sauce. However,it could have been a tad crispier around the edges which i had requested. We polished off our 1st 2 servings of lychee mojito which their bar did such a great job off that we ordered another 2 more just to sit by the waves to take in the expansive views after dinner. A huge shout-out to Sai,who we could see was rushing all over the place to cater to huge tourists groups,yet still managed to pop by our table every so often to do courtesy checks on our well-being. She was one of the main reasons our night ended on such a lovely note.

Food Rating: 7.8 Ambience: 8.8 Service:...

We ate here twice in one week and had two very different experiences.

On the first evening, we had the most fantastic waitress named Yumi who was attentive, kind, and funny. She noticed my friends face turning red from a spicy dish and offered to to have more coconut added to make it more mild without my friend asking. It came back still delicious but less spicy and my friend really appreciated it. My salmon on pumpkin puree was absolutely delicious. The drink called Tiki on the Beach was a group favorite, especially with the happy hour deal, plus there was a fantastic singer providing live music. The outdoor eating area is beautiful. The only critique was that my dessert, fried ricotta over ice cream, wasn't very good because the ice cream was melted by the time it reached the table just because it was too hot outside.

Our second night was a bad experience. We spent nearly 2 and a half hours at dinner simply because our food was delivered so late and no one came to check on our table. Our four meals came at different times so that two people were finished before the other two started. We thought the dessert order was forgotten because we waited 30 minutes for it. One of our dishes, the fish and chips, was not properly cooked. The fish was raw and mushy in the center. We would have asked for it to be cooked slightly longer or just ordered something extra to eat but it took so long for a waiter to come that we gave up. Your experience at this restaurant may be the luck of the draw based on your waitstaff or chef that happens to be...