I visited Greyhound Cafe last night after a recommendation from friends in Thailand who like the original venue there. Greyhound classifies as a Thai restaurant although it has a significant fusion influence. Decor has a bit of a New York restaurant feel to it.
We ordered pomelo salad, waterfall lamb (three lamb skewers with Thai seasoning, accompanied by thinly sliced cucumbers also on skewers), tom yum goong, and fusilli phad thai. Portion size here is small. We ordered a four dishes on the recommendation of the server, who said that three would likely not be enough.
The quality of ingredients is very good, and I can honestly say this is the first Thai restaurant in Beijing, with the possible exception of Patara, that actually offers Thai food, instead of Chinese food made with some basil or Thai chilis.
Greyhound must have a shortage of dining ware because during the meal, I felt that our plates were in danger of being snatched off the table at any moment. The server came by numerous times to ask if she could take this plate or that, when they were clearly not finished. We did have a larger number of plates, each with its own serving fork and spoon, but it was manageable, and the server did not need to hover in this annoying manner.
We had noticed the rather high prices when we arrived and looked at the menu, but that did not mitigate the sticker shock when the check arrived: 378 RMB, for two people, with no alcohol and no dessert. I had a Thai iced tea, which was very good, that was 35 RMB. So even subtracting this one beverage, the food bill was still almost 350 RMB. For Thai food, in Asia, that's just ridiculous, no matter how good it is.
Because of this, I couldn't say when I might go to Greyhound. It's not an issue like service that might be resolved over time. I like Thai food, but at those prices, I think I'll just wait until my next trip to Ko Tao or Bangkok and have the real thing for a fraction of the cost.
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