Where to find Royal Thai food in Metro Vancouver, BC

There’s a shift from the stream of contemporary pop muzak across the sound system and after a brief bit of silence the delicate, distinctive strains of Thai music beckon. Inside the high-ceilinged light-filled restaurant the servers have retreated from the dining tables as a solitary woman, dressed in traditional Thai garb, steps into view and begins to dance.

She turns to each filled table to connect with the diners, who, understandably are perhaps a mix of enchanted and uncomfortable. After all, it’s not every day that you sit down at an elegant restaurant in Metro Vancouver that includes this kind of entertainment with your meal.

The meal is, in fact, a feast, done as what amounts to a 13-course tasting menu, showcasing “Royal” Thai food. The restaurant is Baan Lao, which opened in 2021 in Richmond’s Steveston area, and while they’ve had to do some pandemic pivots,…