Thanying — Restaurant in Si Lom Subdistrict

I have had probably 100 meals over the past 3 years in Thailand. They ranged from super high end (eg gaggan), to widely respected establishments catering in part to tourists (eg cabbage and condoms) to low end authentic Thai restaurants (eg Hai Somtam convent) to lots and lots of street food (on soi 38 when it was open, in front of central world, etc.). I am sorry to report that the lunch i had with a friend two days ago at this restaurant was number 100 on the list: the worst meal I have had in three years. It also combined poor quality with high price: 1680 baths for two. I do not make this judgment lightly. I add that it may well be that we were incredibly unlucky, a distinct possibility hearing all other reviewers raving about this place. But I was really impressed by how bad the food here was. We had a prawn salad, a squid and basil salad, a papaya salad, a chicken and coconut dish, a pork and egg dish, and a tom yam soup. The quality ranged from disastrous (the squid and basil salad) to mediocre (the egg and pork dish), with nothing clearing the bar for 'very good'. Why do I care enough to write a review? Because I want to warn potential customers interested in a pricey but fully satisfying traditional Thai meal that this may not be the place for them. Thai cooking is one of the national treasures of this great land, but Than Ying fails to live up to this long tradition of...

"Than Ying is a conversational address to the title of Mom Chao Ying (Her Serene Highness Princess, the usual rank of granddaughter of a king)."

The dishes here are recipes used in the royal kitchen in the past and be prepared to have a royal communal meal experience. The dishes here are better shared with family or closed ones to enjoy a better variety of food together.

The tom yum goong is exceptionally flavorful with a nice finesse to it as you savor each spoonful of the rich clear broth. Each bowl comes with one river prawn in it together with some mushrooms to garnish.

The basil beef was very tasty with the flavors of basil, garlic, fish source all blended into one awesome dish.

Curry crab was filled with fresh crab meat, balances with egg and coconut and curry.

The prices here are at the upper middle range but if you could spare the time and money, do come here to have an experience of what a "royal"...

This one should be given 6-stars rating if possible since it is the best and most pleasant dining experience we had in our last holiday in Bangkok. Their specialty is royal Thai food and it really serves the more sophisticated and exquisite Thai dishes compared to other small casual restaurants we had in Bangkok. We had an impromptu lunch there on our last day in Bangkok and we're glad that we took the trip there. It was easy short walk from Surasak BTS Skytrain station. Everything we had were excellent but the best dish is the deep-fried sea-bass fish with crispy garlic and pepper (Pla Ga-Phong Tod Gra-Tiem). Their green curry beef and som tum salad are decent too. Don't miss their selection of Thai desserts also and we picked the simple but nice coconut ice-cream. This is one of the best selection from the Bib Gourmand list of the 2018 Michelin Guide. One to re-visit if we're back...