Thai House Restaurant used to be a popular haunt for the expats living in the Khobar, Dammam area but it has since fallen on hard times. I used to frequent the restaurant while at school here but a lot has changed since then. The Thai owner Somchai, who had helped plan our family trip to Thailand in 1998 left long ago.

The restaurant was recently renovated, adding more space upstairs but with the same low ceiling. The difference? I would have heard a needle drop since there wasn’t anyone else in the restaurant. With the Sharqiya running out of good Thai food joints, I was left with no choice but to drop by for a meal. Dear Mark Wiens, if you ever have plans of starting a restaurant, please consider Saudi Arabia.

The menu has also gone through some changes and revision with the old Thai names removed. We ordered the “Galangal Seafood Soup with Coconut Milk” (SR. 35 – Medium), “Red Curry Beef” (SR. 25 – One Size) and a portion each of “Sweet Chili Fried Rice w Chicken & Beef” & “Basil Leaves Fried Rice w Chicken & Beef” (SR. 35 each – Medium).

The Galangal soup was surprisingly good and the seafood was quite fresh (including the prawns). It wasn’t warm enough and turned cold soon after. I would have liked a little less coconut milk but the Lemongrass and Kaffir lime cut out the sweetness. I could get a hint of the fish sauce which really enhanced an already delicious soup. Don’t confuse this with Tom Yum!

The Red Beef Curry was also quite good and went well with the fried rice which wasn’t upto par. The portion is really small for the curry but they make up for it with generous portions of fried rice. Overall a better experience than from my last visit. They still need to pick up their game to stay in it.

Location : https://goo.gl/maps/sWF21Dgsx8D2