A Taste of Thailand
If someone had told me that there’s decent Thai food in Riyadh, I probably wouldn’t have believed them. Who would have thought it was possible to get good Southeast Asian food in Southwest Asia?
A while back a Pakistani taxi driver told me:
“Exit 14, Thai restaurant.”
Of course I had to give it a shot.
The area around exit 14 turned out to be colossal. After over an hour and a few kilometers of walking around aimlessly and asking around for a Thai place, my friend and I were just about to throw in the towel and settle for something else. That’s when we ran into the first Filipino of that stroll. He pointed us in the right direction. Then two Thai women aided us further and boom: we were eating good Thai food in Riyadh.
After telling people about the experience, I was told of yet another Thai place that’s only a 40-minute walk or 5-minute, 10 Riyal cab ride from my apartment/hotel.
After discovering the second Thai place, I thought: One of my favorite cuisines on earth is down the street from my abode and it’s authentic. I’ve struck gastro gold.
It turns out that the second Thai place has a much wider selection, more pleasant presentations, and better taste.
I’ve now eaten at this second Thai discovery at least six times.
The following photos are from my favorite restaurant in Riyadh so far, the Thai place that’s very close to where I’m temporarily residing.
ENJOY!
This Pad Thai has shrimp, egg and various veggies. This quintessential Thai noodle dish has peanuts mixed in, adding to the cornucopia of flavors that makes this a plate I’ll never get tired of. This mammoth mound of goodness cost 15 Riyal or $4. If you haven’t had it, I suggest that you head to a Thai restaurant close to you and give it a whirl.
This Stir-Fried Mixed Seafood dish is wonderful served with red peppers and goes down as well as it’s presented. I typically prefer brown rice over white but with Thai food I’m more than happy to consume the white as it goes so well with this signature South East Asian fare. This photo shows about one-third the amount that came with the dish that cost 35 Riyal or $9.33.
This Stir-Fried Green and Red Chili with Beef isn’t something I’d typically order as I’m not a fan of chowing down on bovine flesh. But, I prefer to eat community style when I’m out with others, especially if the cuisine calls for it. I’ve never seen Thai people ordering their own dishes. They always share. So, I had no qualms about ordering this collectively. I’ll admit, I enjoyed the two or three bites that I had. It cost 20 Riyal or $5.33.
This Stir-Fried Eggplant with Chicken digested fantastically. The spicy green chili pepper certainly didn’t hurt the taste equation for me either. It cost 20 Riyal or $5.33.
I was in awe when this Sizzling Mixed Seafood Dish came out. There’s an allure to be felt when the food is still cooking in front of you. As this restaurant specializes in seafood, you can see that there’s no shortage of marine dishes on offer. This one cost 35 Riyal or $9.33 and was well worth it.
This Penang Curry Mixed Seafood dish is as tasty and spicy as it looks. Fortunately I remembered to say
“Thai Style.”
This ensured that they didn’t hold back on the chili peppers. Luckily my eating buddies like it this way too. I like to think that I prefer the dish as most locals of the cuisine would favor it. In this case, I’m refering to locals being people from Thailand, including the Thai cooks. Of course Penang is in neighboring Malaysia, so maybe it’s really a Malaysian dish. Regardless of which country it’s from, I enjoyed it immensely. This soup concoction cost 35 Riyal or $9.66. 
This is the famous Northern Thai specialty Tom Yam. Last week at work, there seemed to be many people sneezing and sniffling around me. Because I also felt a cold coming on, I made a special trip down as soon as I got home, with this dish exclusively on my mind. I asked the Bangladeshi waiter:
“Please make it super, extra spicy. Ziada sharta min falak. Tell the cook to make it as spicy as he can.”
I said it in whatever Arabic I could muster up and in English to make sure he’d understand.
They probably thought I was nuts but they delivered. I couldn’t taste much as my mouth was on fire and and I was hacking. But it was well worth it as I didn’t have a cold the next day. This painful but effective method really works. NOTE: I drank four cups of strong ginger tea upon returning home so that my stomach would be soothed and I wouldn’t be on the toilet in the middle of the night because of the intense spice factor. This method really works too.
The small bowl of Tom Yam cost 20 Riyal or $5.66.
I pulled this hunk of crab from the super, extra spicy bowl of Tom Yam Soup.
Seefa Seafood Thai Restaurant is on Dammam Road in Riyadh. From Khalid Bin Waleed Street, it’s in the same little plaza as the third gas station on your right.
I know that the sign also says Filipino, but only the last page of the menu has Filipino food, a small fraction of what’s offered. Also, the cooks are Thai. I haven’t tried the Filipino fare yet, so I consider the place Thai and not Filipino, despite what the sign says. It’s surely not Thai/Filipino fusion.
My name is Mike, aka Earthdrifter. I managed to travel on and off between work, from the mid-90s till the mid-00s. At the start of 2011, after a five year exploration hiatus, I eliminated a home base and started traveling indefinitely. Now I combine my love for travel, writing, and improving my personal culture. As I enhance my existence, I hope to help you do the same. 
Looks so good! I’m in Thailand now for the first time and will be seeking it out on the rest of my trip for sure!
Alissa: Thanks! Hope you’re enjoying the great cuisine that you must be discovering daily.
Oh man I want that sizzling seafood dish!
AYNGELINA: While the waiter was bringing it out, all I could think was: I’m so glad we ordered that dish.
Tom Yam is a Southern Thai dish made with seafood – not much seafood in the North of Thailand
Just sayin…
Looks delicious however.
ANGSTA! Thanks for the clarification! I could swear that I’d eaten a version of Tom Yam in Chiang Mai where there are lots of rivers (probably fish and not Seafood up there though). At Seefa in Riyadh, the seafood one is just called Tom Yam. However, upon researching this I found that Tom Yam with seafood is called Tom Yam Thale. It makes total sense that the Tom Yam above is from the south as the Thais that migrate to Saudi are probably from the southern Thailand.
Yum!! We’re so lucky to have so many great Thai restaurants around where we currently live, coz we both love Thai food sooo much!
JILL: That’s great. The Thais have done so well in spreading their food throughout the world. It’s not surprising that it sells so well considering it’s as flavorful as any cuisine out there.
Why do I always look at your posts before I’ve eaten? Now I’m starving and there’s nothing similar in my neighborhood. *laugh*
MARIA: Thanks! I’m so happy to have the ability to post delectable looking eats. Seems to me like there’s a huge demand for Thai food in your neighborhood. Ideally, some Thai entrepreneurs will realize that one of these days.
Your posts never cease to amaze me… and thank you for the tips on where to find more good Tom Yum soup. I’m quite aware that I could make this myself, but for some reason it’s like good naan – it just needs to be eaten out.
MARGYLE: One thousand thanks! Realistically, I don’t envision you visiting that restaurant.
However, I’m happy that I was able to reinforce your mindfulness of the ultra-delectable Tom Yam.
Looks delicious, as usual. I’ve been craving seafood for awhile; haven’t had it in ages. I just discovered a great Thai place nearby, which I’m excited about. I didn’t think there were any around here.
PRU: As seafood is by far my ‘flesh food of choice’, I prefer to be by the coast. Good luck with that Thai place, feel free to put up a slide show of the food on Picasa, I’d love to check it out.
Mike, you have a talent for whetting people’s appetite!
I’m quite sure there is something Thai around here, although I’m a bit scared about the Swiss price.
However, it’s time for us to get to know Thai food, and to understand its differences from Chinese food (which is itself varied).
As for spicy food, a couple of times I’ve answered the cook “challenge me” when they asked “how spicy”. Nobody has ever done it too spicy so far.
Thank you for the ginger tea tip, I had no idea about that.
TUSCAN: Thanks so much. Here in Riyadh food is the main attraction. I like to think that that works for me. Ideally there are Thai immigrants with restaurants in Swiss cities. If it’s anything like Oslo, (Norway’s the other ridiculously expensive country of Europe) then somewhat authentic Thai is one of the most affordable types of food to eat. Since you like it spicy, don’t forget to emphasize “Thai Style” to the server. Good luck! Ginger tea has many great benefits, please let me know how it works for you.
Hi mike. You look great. I will be following your blog so I can see what’s up in the rest of the world while stuck here in boston. Love Thai food…theresa oneil
THERESA: Thanks! Great to hear from you. I’m so happy that you like the blog. Isn’t Thai food just an assault on the taste buds?
This post (aside from making me hunger a nice plate of Pad Thai and a bowl Tom Kha) made me think about spicy food. Here in Uruguay, gastronomical options are not abundant. Mostly Italian and a mix of Spanish, French, and other European styles. Thus, spicy food is almost unknown. If you tell someone that you like spicy food, they don´t think about a particular dish, they just think of plain table ground pepper, which is pretty much the only source of culinary “heat”. Chili pepper-based condiments are virtually unknown to 90 percent of the population, and can only be found in the “exotica” section of grocery stores. In the U.S., I always ordered my dishes “mild”. In Uruguay, I always have to watch how much pepper I use when cooking or people go running for water after the first mouthful. Anyway, here is an informative link for spicy food-lovers http://www.lifeslittlemysteries.com/2892-spicy-food-taste-buds-myth.html
AL: Thanks! Your link confirms what I believe from experience. Spicy food hasn’t killed my taste buds.
. I find that your experience in Uruguay is similar in all of South America. Spicy food just doesn’t fly, except maybe to a small extent in Perú. My advice to aspiring spice aficionados, start very small and slowly build your tolerance, it’s well worth the pleasure you’ll derive.
You sure eat well, it’s making me hungry!
MAMMA: Thanks! I try.