Friday night and I was ready for date night!
Recently, we’ve heard friends rave about this Thai restaurant in Guildford called Rum Wong. Eager to know what it was like, we planned to have a date night there. There are two parts to the restaurant, the main area with standard tables and chairs and then there is a little seating area up a few steps where you are asked to remove your shoes, pull up a cushion and dine on the floor at low tables. We were feeling adventurous so opted for the cushions! After about ten minutes of trying to make ourselves comfy, we were ready to eat!
The tables were beautifully laid and very traditional. We perused the menu and eventually plumped for Tod Man Pla (that’s Thai fishcakes with a cucumber salsa to you and I) and Keow Grob (crispy pork wontons with a sweet chilli sauce) to start. My other half absolutely loved his wontons.
And my fishcakes looked delicious.
At first bite, there was a coriander explosion in my mouth. NOT what you need! But the salsa… Oh, the salsa…
Cool cucumber to balance out the coriander and a nuttyness that just went so well all together. I literally want that salsa in my fridge at all times. The wine was flowing and at this point, I was very excited about my main.
I opted for Gung Tod (deep fried prawns marinated in a special sauce served with sweet chilli sauce) and Koew Tiew Pud (noodles, soya sauce, beansprouts and seasonal greens). My partner in culinary crime ordered Pud Thai (chicken with noodles, crushed peanuts, beansprouts, eggs and salted turnips).
I couldn’t help but feel a little underwhelmed when I saw my prawns. They looked delicious but I thought they looked more like a starter. Thank goodness I had ordered the Koew Tiew Pud to go with it.
Hmm, that looks… Plain. Still, I thought that after my starter this was all going to be very tasty. Wrong. I bit into my prawn which was rubbery, flavourless, and not very fresh. I have no idea what the prawns were marinated in (if anything) and the batter was almost soggy. I was so looking forward to a real crispy prawn with a bit of a kick to it. Noodle time.
Plain noodles, very al dente veg (I’d say undercooked) and beansprouts. I found I had to douse the whole lot in my sweet chilli sauce to get at least some flavour from my meal. It wasn’t terrible. Just bland. And at around £8 for each separate dish, I get more for less at my local takeaway.
Other half LOVED his Pud Thai. Easily pleased? Or was it really delicious? Who knows. I really didn’t want to leave a negative review as the restaurant has a great buzz to it and was very clean with really traditional decor and crockery and very friendly and professional staff. But I just don’t feel that the food was up to scratch for the prices they charge. If and when we come here again, I will try a Thai curry I think and have it with one of the many rice dishes on offer. We washed our meals down with a bottle of their house Sauvignon Blanc and that was lovely. Crisp and clean with a bit of zing to it.
But then again, surely you can’t go wrong with a bottle of Sauvignon?!
Elle's Kitchen Diary 
Hi Elle, I work just up from this restaurant and have to say last time I went I felt the same. Usually their food is wonderful. There is another Thai in Guildford called Sir and Madam which is yummy and slightly cheaper. Maybe that is worth a try? xx
Hi Lou, thanks ever so much for this info. Definitely sounds like its worth trying out! x