I place Thai food in my top five favourite cuisines, and normally after I eat good Thai food I want to call a travel agent and book the first flight to the Land of Smiles. My recent dinner at new opening Ayuthaiya (the latest offering from the Aqua Restaurant Group) did not leave me with that feeling. One dish did have me craving more, much more and gasping with delight, but unfortunately all that followed left me thinking that the food had been adjusted for its location. Instead of authentic cuisine many of the dishes tasted more like a novice's idea of Thai food.

A second visit, less than two weeks later, revealed inconsistencies that had me rethinking one dish, and sampling a new hit. It also revealed some hefty price hikes, but more on that later.

Dipping and Drinking

As I like to dine at a leisurely pace we decided to order a plate of three dips from the 'Relishes', Nan Prig Ong, Prig Pla Salid Heang, and Tao Lon Jiew, and two of the signature cocktails, while we looked at the menu to decide what we would order next.

The two cocktails were both garnished with thai touches, in the case of the refreshing Watermelon Waterthrow (vodka, watermelon juice, orange juice, sweet & sour) the straw was crafted from a piece of lemongrass. My Tom Yum Tini (chilli infused vodka, cointreau, lime juice, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, apple juice) had a suitable kick, preparing my palate for more spice to come.

The dips came served with deep-fried rice cakes (delicious), deep-fried and fresh betel leaves (providing an interesting flavour contrast; the deep-fried leaf was a tad too oily, but this was disguised once the dip was added), and a deep-fried wonton wrapper cracker that quickly became soggy due to the humidity (the downstairs seating is open to the street). We started with the mildest dip, the Tao Lon Jiew (yellow bean sauce with minced shrimp, shallots, coconut milk), which had big coconut notes and flavours that you associate with Thai food. My friend found the signature Prig Pla Salid Heang (pounded gourami fish, caramelised shallots, garlic, palm sugar) pleasant to eat, but I found it too sweet; it too quickly suffered from the humidity. Our favourite was the Nan Prig Ong (classic pork and tomato chilli from Chain Mai). The pork was tender and the chilli kick was suitably strong, but measured enough that the last taste left on the tongue was lemongrass. It was more complex and layered than expected from a dip. There are 10 dips and the servings are small so two people can easily share a few dips and still eat a two-three course meal after. Or alternatively, would be good to snack on if just having drinks. For us the dips acted like an amuse bouche, the chilli kick-starting the endorphins, and the small bites of flavour stimulating the appetite.

Dish of the Night

From the Appetisers we ordered the Miang Khem Ayuthaiya, the signature Chor Moang, and the classic Pla Hou Bat Tuey. The Pla Hou Bat Tuey (deep-fried chicken in pandanus leaf) was neither great nor bad...it was what it was and definitely needed the sweet chilli sauce. The signature salmon dumplings (Chor Moang) in our mind should not be a signature and I could only manage one (even though they are small) because I did not enjoy the taste, which I found insipid, and it was visually unappealing too. We also found the skin to be too thick, overwhelming the salmon, which lacked flavour and could have been any fish.

The Miang Khem Ayuthaiyaon on the other hand was an unexpected surprise and in our minds should be a signature it was so good. A common street-food snack consisting of fresh betel leaf with a filling of galangal, ginger, peanut, chilli, shallot, lemongrass, palm sugar and chilli jam. This version had the perfect balance of spicy, sweet, sour and salty (a hallmark of Thai cuisine)  in the mouth simultaneously. A fantastic symphony of flavours and textures and despite its many components was light and clean. On my second visit it was equally as good, although a little heavy handed on the fresh chilli.

On my first visit I had the Yum Pla Dook Foo (traditional crispy catfish, with cashew, green mango, shallot and mint). It was not as good as I have had at other places in HK, and the floss-like treatment of the fish meant that it had little flavour. The spicy green mango element of the salad its redeeming feature. On my second visit I had the Yum Som O (pomelo salad with shredded chicken and shrimp). It was impressive, bursting with flavour and textural harmony.

Disappointing Inconsistencies

We also ordered the visually appealing Goong Tod Kratiem Prig Thai, erroneously described as peppercorn king prawns with crispy garlic - there is only one prawn. Unfortunately the first time the prawn was slightly overcooked, easy to do with prawns, seconds making all the difference. The second time it was cooked perfectly. On both occasions I found the prawn to be lacking in the flavour stakes with garlic the predominant taste.

The signature Gang Kue Nua (cardamon braised beef cheek curry) was an inconsistent dish. On the first visit some pieces of cheek were soft and succulent, while other pieces were chewy and tough. We found the visually-unappealing liquid of the curry to be one dimensional and lacking complexity that I expect with a Thai curry. It was also over-seasoned, after a while becoming too salty to eat and we wondered if they had used both salt and fish sauce. The second time I wondered if the recipe had been changed, it was more red in colour and the flavours were spot-on, as was the seasoning; most of the cheek melted in the mouth. On both occasions the cardamon was not distinguishable.

A Final Bad Taste

We also order the Pad Yod Kha Naeng, sauteed cabbage sprouts, as we had not come across cabbage sprouts before. We are still waiting for that experience as we received young cabbage, not sprouts. Besides that one small criticism the veg were tasty, with good crunch and that typical flavour that one associates with stir-fried Thai mixed vegetables. Pad Thai was also ordered, in many ways a test of a Thai restaurant. This version was passable, but something about it was lacking and for both of us there were notes of wet cat (the smell not the taste).

To finish we had a scoop each of the Ginger and Coconut and Pandanus Ice Cream. Both were true to the flavours that they represented and were a refreshing way to end the meal.

My first overall impression was that the food did not have that, "can't wait to return to try more" factor, but that I would go back for more dips and more of those amazing betel leaf bites. My second made me think there is too many inconsistencies, and although the curry was good on the second visit, would I risk a potential bad experience on a third visit? No, because the price increases have left a permanent bad taste in my mouth.

Service, Ambience, Price

I found no fault with the service and the staff are happy to recommend their favourite dishes, as well as explain the signature dishes.

The restaurant had a buzzing vibe on the mid-week night we visited and can see it getting crowded on the weekends, especially in its early days. Like Tivo there is more a sense of eating in a bar than a restaurant...all diners were seated downstairs and imagine they only seat people upstairs when downstairs is full, so that to the passerby the restaurant looks to be constantly busy. During peak hour it can be noisy with its open front as buses roar past at a constant rate, later on it quietens down. It does provide a good spot for people watching.

On the first visit I thought the prices for the food were one of the restaurant's redeeming features, but not on the second. The stated menu prices include the price on the first visit and the price on the second in brackets in order of dishes described above - $88 for two dips, $108 for three ($45 per dip, min. 2); $65 ($88); $42 ($68); $38 ($50); $55 ($80); $48 ($70); $98 ($110); $55 ($95); $75 ($90), (pad thai only second menu price $95); ice cream $38 ($55). When I later enquired about the price increases I was told that the portion sizes had increased. I am skeptical about this response. To check for consistency and comparison I had five dishes on the second visit that I had also eaten on the first and there was no discernible difference in serving size.

Related Restaurants

• Ayuthaiya