A veritable Shangri-La, Royal Thai Restaurant, located at 514 S. Stratford Road, has been the place to score some quality authentic Thai cuisine in Winston-Salem since 1994.

While generally speaking the city lacks a variety of outstanding ethnic restaurants, Royal Thai proves to be a blazing exception to the rule, and I must admit I hope to become a regular at this joint because I found my dining experience extremely satisfactory.

The tale begins when an adventurous, Thai-loving friend and I decided to investigate whether or not this establishment lived up to the exquisite praise I had been hearing from more than a few people.

Buried in the basement beneath a depressingly mundane office building, Royal Thai made me feel as though I had stepped into a dazzling exotic paradise ­ a colorful splash of imagination in an otherwise dull 9 to 5 world. Bright, ornate and glittering artwork as well as photographs from Thailand deck the walls. Tranquil music from Thailand filtered in from the stereo, further enhancing the surreal yet soothing atmosphere.

We arrived around 8 p.m. and immediately were seated by the hostess, who promptly took our drink orders and asked if we were interested in any appetizers.

For beverages, I recommend the delicious and unique sweet flavor of the Thai iced tea, a native-grown red leaf tea spiced with star anise seed. Usually, the tea is strongly brewed and then blended with evaporated milk.

As far as appetizers, my friend and I split the spring rolls, which consisted of fresh mixed vegetables rolled in various spices and a light crepe and fried to perfection. This appetizer fed two and came accompanied with a sweet sauce.

When glancing at their menu, I couldn't help but notice the sheer number of choices of entrees available to order.

Moreover, the menu of Royal Thai has a three star system, with three stars indicating highly spicy meals that might leave one on the verge of tears, as well as blander and milder dishes.

Most of the options on the menu consist of a meat accompanied by either rice or stir-fried with noodles. The flavoring, however, is the essence of Thai food and most items on the menu include traditional ingredients such as Thai basil, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, galanga root, ginger, rice noodles, jasmine rice, curry pastes and hot Thai peppers.

I finally decided on the milder Pad Thai, stir-fried rice noodles with tender chicken, lime juice, chopped roasted peanuts, green onions, a fried egg, chili paste and chopped garlic. This dish is a staple of any Thai restaurant and at Royal Thai goes for .95 at dinner.

Other notable entrees on the menu included the Gaieng Gai, chicken curry with bamboo, which includes red curry sautéed in coconut cream with chicken, bamboo shoots, red bell peppers and Thai basil, as well as the Priew Wan or stir fry sweet and sour, a combination of cucumber, pineapple, celery, tomato, onion and roasted garlic served with pork or beef. Both are .95.