Ruan Siam

My original review for Ruan Siam found its way to Street Box’s page… so until we get that sorted, here it is in all it’s glory (plus a star, because for a few weeks this past year, I basically lived off this.):
The Lazy Gal’s Bible.
Entry #50:
I go to great lengths to avoid cooking on a regular basis, so I feel like i’ve become a bit of an expert when it comes to take out/​delivery options. Of the thai i’ve tried, this place currently ranks in my top spot.
It’s a tiny little place, tucked under the stairs as you make your way into Stockbridge. All of five or six tables, I was pleasantly surprised when I popped my head in the door last week — it’s cozy and cute. Would make an excellent little date spot, if you aren’t like me and a lazy sod who prefers pad thai to be accompanied by pajamas.
My first go round, I wasn’t overly impressed. I got the vegetarian spring rolls and a stir fried option with crispy chicken (the name escapes me and I can’t seem to find it on their online, so just keep «crispy chicken» top of mind when you peruse) and I would pass on both in the future. The spring rolls were half decent, but definitely nothing special and the stir fry was kind of like the microwave stir fry options you get at the shop (and remember: expert on this stuff). It was decently tasty but entirely unmemorable and definitely not enough to coax me back.
Except, as stated time and time again: i’m lazy.
Which means, on a Thursday night when i’m craving thai food and this is the closest/​offers online ordering/​delivery spot in the neighbourhood? I’m going to give them a second chance.
Gosh, I’m glad i’m lazy sometimes! My second take out experience from this place was miles better than the first.
For my second go round, I kept it safe with chicken satay, vegetarian pad thai and sticky rice. Let’s break it down:
Chicken satay: this may be the best satay i’ve ever had. It comes with a peanut sauce and a cucumber sauce and just go ahead and dump that all over your meat on sticks. It’s delicious and well balanced — but extremely messy. Hence why this would make a perfect take out (anyone who sees you dribble sauce, already likes you enough to watch you eat in your pajamas) but a pass for date night munchies (dribble privileges come later).
Vegetarian pad thai — i’m one of those obnoxious people that roll their eyes when people order pad thai because it’s so «unadventurous» but consider me smacked upside the head. This dish is incredibly tasty. It’s also nice to see they’re making it with proper tamarind sauce.
Sticky rice — ok, this is going to sound loopy, but this was my favourite. It’s surprisingly easy to mess up sticky rice and this was both a good portion and an excellent midnight snack. Throw some left over peanut sauce on that bad boy and you have snacking excellence. I will definitely swing by for more of this in my lazy future.
So consider me turned — I am definitely a fan of this little spot and am quite happy that I gave it a second chance. It’s a solid choice for lazy guys/​gals everywhere (within 5 miles…)

My cousin brought me to one of her favourite Thai restaurants in Edinburgh when I was visiting. We popped in for lunch on a Saturday — it was rather quiet and we were the only customers in that day. Apparently it is usually busy in the evenings for dinner, whilst most people just order takeaways for lunch.
We ordered a few small dishes to share. I of course ordered one of my favourite Thai dishes, Som Tam. It was served with a wooden mortar and pestle. Deliciously refreshing.
We also ordered the Thai Green Curry, and a bowl of seafood Tom Yam Soup to share.
Instead of rice, we each had a plate of Mee Krati, rice vermicelli in rich and creamy coconut milk.
I saw that they had sticky rice with coconut milk and mango on the dessert menu, and just couldn’t resist ordering one to share. It is one of my favourite Thai desserts and this one was quite tasty with the sweet and ripened mango.
Overall a simple and pleasant meal.

This is a solid choice for Thai takeaway in the neighborhood (you can place your order online and go pick it up at a specified time). Pad thai is our go-​to. And the soups, the soups! Get the soup.
Good weekday lunch deals to be had.

Truly excellent Thai food. We walked passed 2 other Thai restaurants en route to this one based on the reviews promising delicious authentic dishes. I’m glad we did — the ladies working there are so sweet, the atmosphere is funky and welcoming, and we cleaned our plates. May head back here for Round 2 before we leave town tomorrow.

Really great food at a reasonable price, but slow service.

My barefeet gently caressed the warm sand, in the distance the ocean waves could be heard rolling on the shore, there was faint, friendly Thai chatter and beeps from motorbikes whizzing past in the background with the occasional whiff of the ocean or a sewer (if you have been to Thailand, you will know what I mean). The sun’s rays were kissing my neck as it was setting and I lifted my fresh coconut to take a sip but was rudely awakened when I missed my mouth with a forkful of food and stabbed my cheek instead. For a moment I was dreaming I was back in Thailand and this feeling stayed with my while I dined in Ruan Thai.
Thai food is my favourite and I was pleasantly surprised to discover this wee gem tucked away in a basement on Howe Street. For some reason I often overlook restaurants at basement level — preferring to opt for somewhere I can see into the window but never again will I do this and perhaps this aided my daydreaming — not being able to look out onto the street.
The dilema I experienced here was choosing what to eat as I wanted it all and amazingly they do a dish, combining two different curries on one plate which complimented each other so well — winner! To start with I chose parcels of chicken marinated with honey, Thai whisky and Thai herbs, wrapped in pandan leaves, deep-​fried and served with sesame soy sauce. After a mouthful of leaves I discovered they are not in fact for eating but for presentation only so I looked like a panda which had been caught with a guilty pleasure of something that was not bamboo. My main dish consisted of sea bass topped with sweet and sour sauce of pineapple, tomato and spring onion on one half of the plate and I think soya bean sauce, Chinese mushrooms, ginger, celery, coriander and cashew nuts on the other half. To finish, my favourite Thai pudding — sticky mango rice which I could eat all day every day. This was the best Thai meal I have ever had outside of Thailand. What also contributed to my daydream was that the food was truly authentic as sometimes I have felt when eating in other Thai restaurants, it is Westerners imitating Thai or making do with the ingredients available in the UK, which just doesn’t give the same experience. I even loved that the vegetables were so chunky — typical of how they were presented in a dish in the East.
I also like that in addition to using real Thai ingredients from Thailand, Ruan Thai hand pick vegetables from local markets and source other meats and fish from suppliers in Edinburgh so I feel that what they serve up comes with extra love.
Thai people are the friendliest people I have met so far and even on a miserable day, the staff here are always lovely. I really like the cosy, charming feel of the place and appreciate the Thai artifacts and furnishings decorating the interior. Personally I missed the sound of Thai music playing in the background — it was of a jazz sound but it was pleasant.
I can’t wait to look up their restaurant in Thailand the next time I go back!

Food was excellent — lots of choice on the menu. Staff were nice and service very speedy. Quirky layout which added to the charm.

thai food is one of those simple pleasures in life that makes me so happy. and this restaurant down a short flight of stairs and cosied up in a stockbridge basement just does it right and i always leave with a smile.
sunday night and a quick dinner needed by me and the boyfriend. i immediately knew i want some sort of asian food, leaning toward wagamama, but suddenly my brain and my stomach shouted THAI! and off we went. we were greeted very warmly upon entering the restaurant and shown to a table right next to their very pretty christmas tree. one of the things that i just love about ruan thai is that the tables in the front room go into these little alcoves, clearly indicating that this used to be the basement of a grand house. but i think the alcoves just make the place look cosy and intimate.
i couldn’t resist my favourite thai dish and order the pad thai with king prawns. we also shared the crispy chicken spring rolls with some green tea to drink. the spring rolls arrived quickly and were very crispy, piping hot on the inside, and very delicious to eat! i was sad that the portion was a wee bit small, only three to spilt between us but it would have been a good size for someone that wasn’t sharing.
after another short wait in which a very nice waitress wiped down our table and refilled our tea pot with hot water for more green tea (free of charge!) our mains arrived. the boyfriends spicy chicken curry looked yummy, but i have to say my pad thai was the star! lots of noodles, five huge king prawns perfectly cooked, bean sprouts and springs onions all wrapped up in a perfectly cooked omelette with a side of peanuts and hot chillis. i’m a wimp so gently pushed the dried chillis away from my delicious noodles but scattered the peanuts across the top, squeezed a bit of lemon over it all and dug in. oh my, pad thai you make my heart and my tummy happy. i think i said about three times that this was the best pad thai in edinburgh. this restaurant just seems to get it perfect everytime! the sauce is super flavour with just a touch of spice, the noodles are well cooked, and the prawns… oh the prawns! huge butterflied king prawns that were fresh and delectable and just simply glorious. i’m reliving this meal typing the review and it’s just magic really.
also something needs to be said of the service here. the waitresses are so nice and so helpful and seem to just appear right when you need them. they bring food quickly but don’t make you feel rushed and are so warm and welcoming that you could probably stay all night if you wanted.
i seriously love this place! it may be a bit expensive, but thai food generally is. and the quality you get is so worth the price. i just wish i could justify ordering that delicious pad thai for my dinner again tonight!

Great food. Great service. Will be returning. Coconut rice and red curry with pineapple are to die for.

Where do I start? My whole experience of this place was disgusting. My partner and I ordered a banquet for 2 for delivery. After charging an obscene amount money, actually more than it was advertised the website, our food arrived. After 15 minutes. The food was vile, tasteless & the meat in the meals was so tough I couldn’t actually swallow it because it needed to be chewed so much. I suspect the whole lot had been put in the microwave. We sent the food back & the manager offered a 50% refund. Which was unacceptable for the quality of the food we had received, however given the managers awful attitude towards unhappy customers, we took it so we didn’t have to speak with him again. A month later this money had still not gone back in to our account. He said it was a fault with OUR bank, who had not accepted the payment. After another call absolutely nothing was solved. Later that night we received several calls from the restaurant manager of a threatening & abusive nature. Would not recommend to my worst enemy. Horrible food & horrible management.

Charming little place — if slightly odd staff! Its an old cellar and has a great feel to it, looks small, feels small but actually has about 100 covers.
They have it has to be said a great wee wine list very reasonably priced — nice cote du rhone for less that £20! You wont get that in many places in Edinburgh.
For the meal I went for the Duck speciality — seared duck served on pak choi in a soy sauce served with jasmin rice. Great flavour — nice pink duck — fantastic meal for a Wednesday evening!
2 main meals — 2 side dishes and a bottle of win for £50 is a massive winner in my book!
Highly recommend for a munch! Happy JD!!!

I think this is a lovely restaurant, with the nicest ambience in the Stockbridge area, for either a romantic dinner or dinner with friends.
As being fairly tall, it does take a bit of time getting your head around being in a basement, but once you’re sitting down you don’t notice it at all and can enjoy the meal. The décor is lovely, and this restaurant has the most fancy forks and knives in Edinburgh!
The staff are extremely pleasant and welcoming. I’ve dined on a number of occasions here. One time, in the summer, I must admit you could tell they were snowed under and some people had to wait a while for food. However we were lucky and experienced great service.
The whisky flavoured chicken parcels are seriously delicious (especially if you have a hangover!) We often go with work, and it’s a great lunch time pick me up! The Pad Prig (A Ruanthai speciality chicken dish stir-​fried with fine beans in an unusual sauce made with Thai red curry paste and tomato tangy sauce and lime leaves) is divine! you can have any dish with a variety of meats, so the selection is endless.
I would certainly recommend booking at the weekend but it’s usually really quiet at lunch times and they do a 2 course for £10 lunch deal which is great value for money and excellent portion sizes.
Down your meal with a glass of Sing Thai beer — you couldn’t ask for a better combination!

Fanastic.

I was in Edinburgh for the festival and found this restaurant through it’s listing here. I was very impressed, fantastic food, great service, and wonderful surroundings.
An all round great experience, i had the salmon curry and would recommend this to anyone, it was delicious!
As for the price, I always say you get what you pay for!

I went to Edinburgh to visit my family for a week. Whilst down there, we went for a meal here for a change. I must say, we definitely enjoyed the food here more than most restaurants we’ve been too.
I definitely recommend this place, it’s very expensive but definitely worth spending the dosh!

Great venue, great food and the staff are the best around. They will make your visit one to remember!!!

I have never had a delivery from here but if you sit in it is wonderful.
The venue is romantic, the food is lovely and the service is fantastic.
The only reason I did not 5 stars is becasue there is prob cheaper and just as nice thai places around — a little pricey!
I love Thai food — prob my favourite kind of food and I did enjoy it.

I love Thai food and have tried a lot of Edinburgh Thai restaurants and takeaways, so thought I’d try somewhere I hadn’t been before. I ordered a takeaway from Ruan Siam… unfortunately I was really disappointed.
First the good points about Ruan Siam — the website is nicely designed, online ordering is quick and easy, they deliver to a wide area, there is a good choice of veggie meat and seafood options, and the food was delivered quickly.
However, it was one of the most expensive Thai takeaways I’ve tried in Edinburgh. Therefore I was expecting something pretty nice, but when the food arrived I was really disappointed — it was bland, it didn’t taste authentic at all, and had nothing about it that would make me go back.
I’m afraid overall it’s a thumbs down — there are plenty of other better and cheaper Thai takeaways in Edinburgh.

This is best the Thai restaurant I’ve been to in Edinburgh and has quite a unique take on a few classic dishes that works out really well in my opinion. Their Pad Thai is the best I’ve ever had. Being a basement restaurant it has a nice dark, cosy atmosphere.