This restaurant’s name refers to the fifth king of the Chakri dynasty to rule then-Siam, Chulalongkorn, who ruled from 1853-1910. He’s notable for fending off colonial efforts to absorb Siam (through cessions and treaties), for progressively abolishing slavery, and fathering at least 77 children. He’s now honoured by an upmarket Thai eaterie almost universally known as Rama Vee.
It’s a very well set up place, with extremely professional staff, pleasant surroundings, and some useful outhouses (for want of a better word) to give privacy if you need it. Once you walk through the restaurant, there’s a pond at the back with about 4 little huts. You can reserve them for private dining.
I’ve been a few times for work, and once with the family. Each time, the food has been good and it’s been a decent experience. Last time I was there, I had a mango salad which was sharp, spicy, and a bit of a wake up! It’s shredded young mango, carrot, and a few chillies, with a lime dressing. A very strong flavour. The papaya salad I have had on other occasions honestly tastes pretty similar!
We also tried a tom yam goong and a vegetarian tom yam soup. Both were salty, sour and savoury; and we enjoyed our versions a lot.
Wife went for pandan chicken, to share with daughter, which she thought was alright. Not the most interesting dish, but certainly acceptable.
I had the vegetarian pineapple fried rice (note if you have the seafood version, it isn’t served in a pineapple). It had an almost Indian spice smell of cinnamon and cardamom to it, and the tang of pineapple and the richness of cashews worked really well. I have had this dish a couple of times, and would be happy to go for it again. Simple but done well.
I’ve also tried a couple of the vegetarian curries. Both their yellow pumpkin curry and green tofu curry are creamy and a little spicy, with lots of flavour.
I like Rama V and intend to go back to try a bit more of their vegetarian range. Luckily work keeps providing me the opportunity to do that! However, if you’re not a guest or on expenses, it might be a little bit pricey. That said, it’s definitely worth trying.
Address: 5 Jalan U Thant, 55000 Kuala Lumpur
Telephone: 0321812488
Website: http://ramav.com.my
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