Nara Thai Cuisine| Central World, Bangkok

Nara is one of the famous Thai restaurants in Bangkok, or so it seems. At least, that's what we have read from many blogs, so we decided to try it out on our second trip to Bangkok. This time, we went on an early weekday evening. Although there wasn't much of a wait, the restaurant was surprisingly full, nevertheless we were very excited as we were escorted to our table.

As you can see, "Best of 2014"award.

First impressions are, Nara is a fine dining Thai restaurant. The ambience feels "expensive" and there are nice little touches here and there in their decor. However, we were unfortunately seated right in between some tables, and there's really very little privacy for everyone. We were all seated so close that we can practically hear what everyone says. That's quite the opposite of what a fine-dining environment should be. Nevertheless, I guess it depends on individuals'preferences, so we just overlooked this part of the experience.

Coconut

Just a few shops away from Nara, we had the best coconut drink we ever had before, you can read about that review here. Here in Nara however, it's a bit bland and not as cool as we wanted.

Thai Jasmine Tea

It tastes just like Chinese Ice Tea, which is a good thing because I prefer to drink it without sugar and it's a great thirst quencher. 

Chicken Pandan- 180 baht

The pandan chicken was the star of the night. It was grilled and fried to perfection and the sauce... the sauce really just take things up to the next level. I couldn't tell what kind of sauce it was, it has a hint of smoked barbecue flavour, yet it doesn't overpower the taste of the chicken. Definitely a must try!

Soft Shell Crab (Can't remember the price)

We were craving for soft shell crab, so we ordered the Thai Soft Shell Crab. It turns out to be quite similar to the ordinary Japanese soft shell crab, as it didn't have any special sauce to go with it. It wasn't extraordinary, but it's worth the try.

Tom Yum Kung -370 baht

River Prawns in Spicy Lemongrass and Lime Soup

Their Tom Yum looks super spicy, but surprisingly it wasn't. It tastes rather good and the prawns are fresh and cooked to be just right. We just wished that it is slightly more spicier, and more sour, that'll certainly add to the punch of the soup. Nevertheless, we love this Tom Yum and finished every last drop of it.

Stir fried Kang Kung

It is just like any ordinary stir fried vegetable. It's not outstanding but well, we needed some vege to go along with our dishes. 

In conclusion, I'd say that Nara is a rather nice Thai restaurant. However, I'm not so sure whether they're worth the award as they described. For me, the title of "Best" isn't only limited to the taste, the decor and the service, because the "price" plays a very important role as well. I would say the price here for the food and the portions I got was rather expensive; although they were delicious, it certainly makes me think twice about whether I want to revisit this place the next time I'm back here. I will continue to search for the Thai restaurant, which I think is the "best" in the next time I'm here in Bangkok.

Nara Thai Cuisine
4, 4 / 1-2, Central World, 7th Floor,
Rajdamri Road, Pathumwan, Khet Pathumwan,
Bangkok, 10330, Thailand
Tel. no.: +66 2 613 1658
http://www.naracuisine.com/