Rakhang Thai Kitchen
“You Gotta Thai And Try.”
Sweden is like the capital of Thai food. Everyone loves it here, and there are plenty and plenty of Thai restaurants out there. The thing is: most of them are just making up dishes anyways according to the Swedish taste, so authenticity is lacking severely. Rakhang Thai Kitchen in Majorna looks at least more authentic, but does it hold up?
Located at a quiet street in Majorna, Rakhang Thai Kitchen gives a cosy vibe when entering. Everything is a bit cramped and small, but cute decor and the Asian pop music makes you feel like you are in fact in Asia. That’s a good start!
There is a take-away menu as well as a sitting menu, which is essentially the same, just that the former is slightly cheaper. Get food and GTFO makes less work for the restaurant, I suppose. But the prices are all in all very fair with main dishes at around 125 SEK for tofu as your chosen protein.
The menu itself presents itself sorted by type (soup, stew, stir-fry) and Thai names. From experience, these names of the dishes are just whatever they want it to be in Sweden. They do resemble real names of real dishes in Thai cuisine, but the list of ingredients also shows that’s just buzz. In any case I went for whatever they think Pad Kaprow is, while my wife went for the vegan Tom Yam.
Short time later, the food arrived and at least the Pad Krapow didn’t look at all like it, but just like a random stir fry with some veggies, chili and some thai basil. It’s okay. The Tom Yam looked okay as well.
As for the taste, it was alright. The Tom Yam was generally quite nice from the composition and had that tangy tomato acid taste next to the coconut milk. But the vegetables were mainly onions, so that’s a bit of a downer. The “Pad Krapow” was just a random stir-fry. Nothing that resembles the original in any way, but acceptable for the price tag. The vegetables are clearly canned or frozen ones, but I don’t expect more at this price tag.
In the end, the price tag was around 300 SEK for the two of us, so nothing to complain on this side. But also, whether it’s Rakhang Thai Kitchen or any other random Thai place somewhere in Sweden. It doesn’t really stand out. It’s okay to eat here, and should I be around and crave a random stir-fry, I will go back, but nothing I’d recommend intentionally seeking out.
Price:
Main dish with Tofu: 125 SEK
Soft Drink: 25 SEK
The Verdict
Rakhang Thai Kitchen is your typical Swedish Thai place. Dishes have Thai names, but they have nothing or very little to do with the actual dishes, but are Swedified stews and stir-fries. The ingredients are usually canned or frozen, but overall the price tag is very fair, so you get what you pay for. The atmosphere is definitely nicer than in most other Thai places of this type and if you are around and craving some random stir-fry, they will provide you with that. But, if you are looking for somewhat authentic Thai cuisine, this is probably not the place to be.
3/5 Leaves
Pro
Nice atmosphere in the restaurant
Easy vegan options
Fair prices
Con
Average quality of ingredients
“Swedish” Thai food, so dish names don’t correspond to the actual Thai dishes
Location
Almänna vägen 42
Opening Hours
Mo-Th: 11:00 - 20:00
Fr: 11:00 - 20:30
Sa: 12:00 - 20:30
Su: 12:00 - 20:00
