Rosa's Thai Edinburgh — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

Rosa’s Thai Edinburgh – A Frustrating Experience

After a terrible experience last time, we were invited back to Rosa’s Thai with a gift card as an apology. We arrived hopeful for an improved experience.

We started with the veggie platter to share, which was excellent. It was nicely prepared, hot, fresh, and well presented. This was definitely the highlight of the meal.

For mains, we ordered the cashew chicken, the chilli and basil chicken, and a chicken Pad Thai on the side. The waiter mentioned a promotion: a free iced tea with any three-chilli dish. He said he’d check how many iced teas we qualified for. He then returned to say we’d only get one iced tea for the entire order. This felt a bit odd given we were ordering two stir-fries and a Pad Thai to share. He brought out two waters and one iced tea with a single straw. Personally, I’d have provided two iced teas or at least an extra straw – it just felt strange, especially when you’re spending over £60 on food, and iced tea costs so little to make.

The mains arrived and were all nicely presented. The cashew chicken was the standout dish, with plenty of cashews, which was a nice touch. However, the chilli and basil chicken raised questions. Earlier, we were told there was no chicken mince available, so it would be made with regular chicken. Yet, it arrived with minced chicken after all. I asked a different waiter how that was possible, and he explained the chicken mince hadn’t been ready earlier but was now available. It seemed like a reasonable explanation, but I couldn’t shake the feeling it might have been minced pork instead (my partner doesn’t eat pork). It was hard to tell, as it was minced and heavily sauced.

The Pad Thai had a good flavour, but the alternative noodles they used were chewy rather than soft, which affected the overall dish.

Another issue was stock availability. The table next to us tried to order a starter (possibly the Som Yum?) and were told it wasn’t available. Combined with our own substitutions, it makes you wonder about how the restaurant manages its stock, especially on a quiet Sunday.

When we came to wrapping things up, we asked for the bill, but it didn’t come, which was frustrating. We went to the till point to ask for it, and I explained I had a gift card to use and would just pay the difference – a simple transaction, or so I thought. The waiter brought the bill to me, showing the gift card deducted from the total. When I checked the bill, I noticed our veggie platter was listed separately rather than as one item, which seemed odd. Upon questioning, the waiter realised he had printed off the wrong bill and applied our gift card to another customer’s order.

He and a colleague had to restore the £40 gift card at the till and reallocate it to the correct bill. We were finally given the right receipt and paid the £30 extra, which was less than the other table’s bill we were initially asked to pay. Had I not noticed this error, we would have been overcharged. Our bill included an £8 service charge, which we paid, but in hindsight, we should have asked for it to be removed given all the issues.

This was the final nail in the coffin. Before the billing fiasco, I’d have given 3/5 for the experience, but now it’s more like 2/5. While the waiters seem like nice people, they clearly lack experience. With better training and attention to detail, this restaurant could be so much better. Unfortunately, I don’t think we can justify a third attempt at getting it right. Rosa’s Thai in Liverpool is excellent, but the Edinburgh branch is struggling with stock, communication, and service –...

Rosa's Thai Restaurants in the UK (there are 21 of them) serve up Thai cuisine using fresh high quality British ingredients coupled with Saiphin’s (aka Rosa) Thai recipes. Rosa’s Thai opened in Edinburgh recently and I went along to try a set menu.

The decor is vibrant with warm and welcoming staff, and a menu bursting with a promise of traditional flavours.

Thai prawn crackers (£3.75), also known as "krupuk" in Thai cuisine, are a delightful snack that bursts with bold flavours and crunchy texture and served with a sweet chilli dipping sauce. These prawn crackers are light, airy crisps that are incredibly addictive.

Next to arrive at the table was the Homemade Veggie Spring Rolls (Por pia tod) (£6.75) Hand rolled with crunchy vegetables, celery, mushroom and glass noodles, crisp-fried and served with sweet chilli sauce. A nice starter packed with subtle flavours that got the belly rumbling for more.

One of my favourites from the small plates menu was the Pandan Chicken Parcels (Gai Hor Bai Toey) (£7.50). Marinated chicken thigh, wrapped in fragrant pandan leaves and served with their homemade spicy Sriracha dip. Don’t eat the leaves! Enjoy the pleasure of unwrapping these gorgeous food parcels. The chicken is soft and succulent, lightly spiced and utterly delectable.

For mains we chose the Massaman Beef Curry (Gaeng massaman Nua) (£15.50) and the Chicken Pad Thai (£13.00)

Both these dishes were delicious and I could seriously devour them again. However, they were very well suited to my palate which doesn’t cope well with a lot of spicy heat.

The Massaman Curry was mild and fragrant with a harmonious blend of sweet, savoury, and aromatic flavours. The curry boasts a velvety sauce that showcases the dynamic interplay between savoury and sweet notes. It was complex enough with the tender chunks of beef having absorbed the essence of the spices. The Chicken Pad Thai is a typical Thai dish. A flavourful stir-fried noodle dish effortlessly combining the aromatic and vibrant flavours of Thailand into a harmonious medley that leaves you craving more. Rosa’s Pad Thai is quite sweet and savoury but with few sour notes. A lot of robust noodles coated in the tamarind, fish sauce, lime juice, and palm sugar blend but lacked the spiciness that you’d expect from a Pad Thai.

Desserts were Chocolate Brownie (£5.00) with coconut ice cream, drizzled with their homemade sweet and sour tamarind sticky sauce; and Thai Churros (Pa Tong Go) (£5.00) served with condensed milk.

How I loved the Churros with condensed milk. It’s everything you want it to be. Doughnut batter, sugar sprinkles, sticky sweet condensed milk. Mmmmm. It will satisfy any sweet tooth.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my dining experience at Rosa’s Thai in Edinburgh. It would be perfect for lunch, a quick dinner, or a great place to catch up with friends and family over yummy dishes of food that are ideal...

I like Thai food. I’d already had it once this week, but when I saw there was a Rosa’s just down the road from my hotel, I knew I was going there.

I know people can be a bit snobby when it comes to chains serving this type of cuisine. For a long time, I didn’t go into one of these – for some reason I assumed it was like the Chiquito’s of Thai Food (sorry…) I eventually went into the Liverpool one and discovered how wrong I was. The food here is excellent and is towards the better end when eating Thai food in the UK – they blend being faithful to authentic recipes with a twist that makes it their own.

Is it going to be the same, or better, than the independent restaurant you’ve been going to for years? No, probably not. Like everyone, I have my own independent favourites who do things a particular way. That shouldn’t put you off though, in the same way it wouldn’t put you off trying a new independent Thai restaurant. The fact they are a small chain really just means they are doing well and are good at what they do.

This restaurant is in central Edinburgh, not far from Princes Street and is quite large – they have a couple of doors, which is odd. The door to the right is for you, unless you are an Uber person, in which case take the left. Inside, the feel is rustic – there are baskets of cutlery on the tables and riotous colours on the walls.

Seated straight away without a reservation (Thursday evening), the menu here is decent, with a good choice. They had an issue with their fryers on the day I visited, so could only offer the meat dishes and not the vegetarian – this was well explained and didn’t bother me at all, as I tend to always order meat dishes... I’m glad they didn’t choose the other way around. Hadn’t even occurred to me they’d use separate fryers, but I suppose that makes sense… 😃

The beautiful prawn donuts to start – spiced and minced prawns in breadcrumb, deep fried until golden. These are pillowy and gorgeous - they go very well with the dip. For a main the green curry with chicken – this has a good level of chilli heat to it, although with a three chillies symbol, I expected hotter. Firey, rather than fire. Lovely flavours though and I’d certainly have it again. Egg fried rice on the side – rice is rice, I guess. I think, in hindsight, roti bread would have been a better option. For the mopping up of the sauce. We live and learn.

I didn’t have a beer this time, as this was my final day this week of honouring my liver. However, they do Singha, which really is ‘the’ beer to have when it comes to Thai food. You can’t go wrong with Singha.

Overall an excellent meal, well cooked and with excellent service throughout. I will definitely come here again when I get a chance. Recommended for a visit and firm...