FYI - there is another Ruen Pair on Nogales and Fullerton. I think its technically in the City of Industry but its really Rowland Heights. The same menu and just as good as the Hollywood outpost.
It’s the best Thai for anybody in the North OC.
1 Like
Chinese olives aren’t cured like the olives you’re used to seeing. They are dried and preserved, usually with a sweet flavor to them. I grew up eating them as one of my favorite Asian snacks. They are still one of my favorites to nibble on.
1 Like
Never really had it taste super salty so seems like they probably fucked it up rushing it out or something.
But I also have higher salt tolerances than most people.
Real shame. I will say that service and consistency on certain items are issues at Ruen Pair. The curries do have variance especially versus most other stuff.
I’ve just been so often and usually eat at least a few items I enjoy and don’t know where to get elsewhere, so I keep going back.
If you can’t tolerate harsh service it’s not going to be fun generally. Service isn’t exactly bad but not what I would call great either. They once fucked up our order really badly and refused to admit it when we called them on it lol
I guess I have Stockholm Syndrome 
User beware: Using this term yields very different results in various Asian countries.
2 Likes
Thanks for reminding me that this was there (it’s technically at Gale and Fullerton). I usually go to Remy’s Noodle Palace in that same strip mall and Ruen Pair is around the corner on the end so I forget about it. Took a vendor there today for a free lunch!
How was it? I haven’t been in a few months due to holidays and I’m due for a trip soon.
There were just two of us so we only got the egg and salty turnip, papaya salad, chinese broccoli with crispy pork, and beef pad kee mao. All done as well as I’ve gotten at the Hollywood location. Bonus points for taking credit cards!
2 Likes
Why the hell cant the Hollywood one take credit cards then??
Probably because they don’t have to
They CAN, but they DON’T. Those of you who don’t know (and the companies DON’T want you to know): merchant card processors (i.e., the credit card companies) hit the merchant for fees which are anywhere between 2 and 8 percent of every transaction. Generally, the more “bonus-y” the card, the higher the cut the merchant pays. If your restaurant is running on a thin margin, that chunk can be the difference between making payroll or not. The Hollywood RP seems to do pretty good business without taking credit cards.
I don’t understand why companies agree to this when Square does 2.75 - 3.5% + 15c?
Had dinner here a few months ago, thought it was beyond underwhelming. This place really really sucks.
Go to luv2eat or jitlada for good thai.
What did you have and what did you think specifically sucked?
What a detailed and mesmerizing review!
The 3-4 times we’ve been there we thought the food was on par with the Ruen Pair Hollywood branch. The food at Ruen Pair in Industry is much better than anything else you’d get within a 20 mile radius especially if you’re talking about North OC. We’ve enjoyed
Chinese brocoli with deep fried pork
tom young goon
pad see ewe
larb
papaya salad
Based on other reviews we are going to try the egg with salty turnip and ground pork with Chinese olives the next trip.
1 Like
Per Jonathan Gold (25 years ago), it’s Thai-Chinese.
Went for lunch on Monday. Had great service, I think partly because there was just a few patrons. We got wine by the glass, which was a very decent chardonnay. They also have a $10 corkage fee.
Ordered their pork larb, medium spicy, which my husband loves. I think they add roasted rice powder, which gives it a hint of smokiness.
I love their papaya salad with dried shrimp, medium spicy! Tried it once with raw crab - not a fan, but folks who like raw crab seem to love it.
Tried a new dish this time - the fried pompano. We asked for sauce on it, but they brought it on the side. I’d order it this way next time, makes it it easier to pick off the crispy bits. We both really liked the fish, and it was the only dish we finished.
Lastly, we got my fave dish here, the stewed intestine. Excellent as always!
We enjoyed the leftovers for lunch the next day. I’ve gotten the food spicer before and I think we’ve settled on medium spicy for a nice balance.
3 Likes
Also, everyone who was in the resto with us eating lunch ended up at Bhan Kanom Thai after - no kidding, everyone.
1 Like