11th Wedding Anniversary Dinner at Royal Orchid Restaurant at Downtown Dubai

Ferald and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary last month and chose to take the whole family out for dinner instead of just the two of us. If you follow me on Instagram, you must have seen the voucher I've won during the Amazing Taste of Thailand 2014 Launch at the Armani Hotel.

We put it to good use and took the family out to try some authentic Thai food at the Royal Orchid Restaurant in Downtown Dubai.

Royal Orchid is a fusion of Chinese, Thai and Mongolian cuisines serving dishes prepared by highly trained master chefs specially flown in from China and Thailand. The restaurants interior is distinctly Far Eastern with ornate wood carvings, high ceiling with hanging lamps that replicate the famous sky lanterns, orchids inside clear glass vases, and a display of fresh fruit - mangosteen and rambutan from Thailand in one corner.

There is also a glass window to a live cooking station where you can see the chef stir-frying, tossing and turning, and creating delectable dishes. One curious cat watched while waiting for our orders

The food finally arrived and as usual the family already knows the drill, mommy needs to take photos of the food first before everyone can dig in, even my big bro get the hang of it, he too was taking loads of photos :D lol!!! 

We ordered a mix of Thai and Chinese dishes and shared it home style. Although the place was busy and we were seated right in the middle of the restaurant, it didn't feel crowded, in fact it was cozy. I like the proper amount of lighting, I really hate to eat in places with very poor lighting. I have been to some restaurants with very poor lighting (I know it's romantic) and I admit that it is one of the downside of dining for me, I like it bright enough to see and adore the food I am eating.

Egg fried rice

 Bok choy was cooked just right, still crunchy without the raw taste of the leaves. We love it.

bok choy

 The sweet and sour chicken although one of the family's favorite did not get all the votes though.

sweet and sour chicken

 Pad Thai wrapped in scramble eggs, my all time favorite Thai noodle dish. Two thumbs up

Pad Thai

 We are bias when it comes to the chicken/veg spring roll, this is the vegetable dish that the family will simply devour all the time, any time without complaints.

Chicken and vegetable spring roll

This one is a winner, tender juicy duck meat, properly prepared without the fishy smell and taste, the orange lemon sauce has a good consistency, not too sweet nor too sour

duck in lemon orange sauce

happy faces with happy tummy

but there was a short protest because someone cared for some dessert

While the little guy got his request, we chill with out with a glass of Thai iced teas

Our overall dining experience at Royal Orchid was good, ambiance was great, staff and service was excellent and price wise it is budget friendly I promise won't burn your pockets (I got it for free this time but it is a place I will surely visit again) plus it is situated in one of the posh place in the city

11 years and counting. 

our love story as a couple was short but sweet, we were boyfriend and girlfriend for a few months before tying the knot. I was 22 and he was 26 back then but it doesn't matter how short our relationship was, what matter is that we will grow old together doing things that we love and that our love will lasts forever.

Here's to forever.