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Restaurant Review: Ruan Thai, Reykjavik Iceland

April 18, 2014

The cold was biting and the snow was falling down in sleets as we trekked across the white streets of Laugavegur, the main shopping street in Reykjavik Iceland. I badly needed some hot soupy stuff to warm me up, and so it was like a lifeline when we saw the sign board of Ruan Thai (hot Tom Yum soup flashed across my mind).

Readers of our blog would know that besides being a coffee addict, I am also a lover of Thai food. Although I would say that Iceland is one of the most un-likeliest place on Earth to have Thai food, what’s stopping me from trying when I see one?

Ruan Thai – Iceland Fusion Thai Food

Situated above the Bonus supermarket, Ruan Thai, also known as Núðluhúsið, sits on the second storey of a low building along Laugavegur. It is like a small eating house or coffee shop, but its interior although not posh, is clean and spacious.

Most of their tables are lined along the windows, and so we got a nice Christmasy-view of the snowy streets of Laugavegur below.

Deep fried shrimps, served with rice, sweet and sour sauce and coleshaw (ISK $1650 = SGD $18). I would say that this dish is not authentic Thai cuisine, it is more of a fusion between asian and western food. It is nevertheless great-tasting. The portion is also huge enough for 2 persons to share.

This is my starter serving of Tom Yum soup (ISK $990 = SGD $11). It is smaller (and cheaper) than the full main course version, but it is large enough to make it a meal for me! Taste wise, I would say that though it is not the best, it is still way above average and is a very good value for its price. Plenty of ingredients in there as well. It is also done to the style that l prefer – clear broth instead of the milky version served in Satang Thai Exclusive in Sydney.

We chose the Banana split as a desert to share after our meal.

Final Bill

Our dinner consisting of one main course to share, one starter, one desert and 2 drinks came up to ISK4040 (approximately SGD$45). This is considered relatively cheap for Iceland’s standards.