In all the years I lived in Rye I probably visited most of the shops and businesses at some point but for some unknown reason, never the Thai restaurant in Tower Street, despite it being just around the corner from where I lived.
With a special family occasion to celebrate, we booked a table and paid it a visit on Saturday night, an incognito visit which has now become my first restaurant review as part of our new monthly feature in Rye News.
It was getting cold outside so we were pleased to find it warm and inviting inside and were made very welcome by our waitress.
The Thai House has changed its appearance in recent years, gone is the bright red façade and livery (see photo) and instead the battle grey fascia and paintwork seem to be very much on trend now, the restaurant now looks so much more inviting and slick.
Our table was near the door and although we felt the draft each time another customer arrived, it was not enough for us to ask to change tables and even if we had, it seemed there were enough available tables further inside if we decided to move.
A younger member of our party knew his way around Thai menus and we followed his recommendations. Within minutes of arriving, our waitress supplied us with complimentary Thai crackers to share whilst she took our drinks order.
Personally, I’m not a fan of lager but when in Rome… (or Thailand in this case) I plumped for Singha, ‘the original Thai beer, premium lager’ as it said on the label, not bad I thought, ice cold and it tasted as described, like lager. The driver in our party had apple juice but there was a good selection of drinks available on the menu to suit all tastes, as well as a bar.
Our waitress (who seemed to be the only one running front of house) was very bubbly and enthusiastic and was coping well in what was becoming a busy restaurant. Our orders taken we didn’t have to wait long until the food arrived, whilst waiting, we were all entertained with background music of 70s and 80s classic hits which went down well.
Our menu choices included Thai green curry, chicken and king prawn Pad Med (wok stir fry), fried noodles and coconut rice, all served piping hot and the generous portions were enough for all of us to feel well fed without feeling we had eaten too much.
We were left to our own devices throughout the meal without being pressured to buy more drinks even before we have finished the first, but, the waitress was always at hand if needed.
The soft lighting and ‘tap along to’ music made for a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, the food was reasonably priced, very tasty and lots of variety available and if there is one criticism it is that the website needs updating. Under the heading “About” the blurb describes the address as being “in the heart of St Leonards” which of course it’s not, “We have two floors for dining” there is only one, “there’s plenty of free parking around the area, so no worries about picking your car up the next day” this certainly needs deleting!
Overall a very nice evening in comfortable surroundings, a varied menu, reasonably priced and tasty authentic Thai dishes, served quickly by a very pleasant waitress, what is there not to like?
Why not give it a try, don’t do what I did and ignore the Thai restaurant, I have been missing out for years but you don’t have to, call direct on 01797 222327 to book or visit www.ryethai.com for more information.
Image Credits: Nick Forman , The Thai House .
Visited The Lemon Grass last week with my family, great Thai food, well looked after and nice atmosphere, by the time we left the restaurant was full, a recommendation indeed.