As you step inside Rice Thai Cuisine in Downtown Ventura, the warm, spicy smells from the kitchen immediately get your mouth watering. If you’re looking for dinner at peak business hours, expect to wait, as more people want to enjoy a delicious meal there than the small dining room can accommodate.
Lining two walls are long benches, and bamboo tables are set with white plates and bright green chopsticks giving the room a crisp look. The restaurant opened in 2010 replacing former Thai restaurant Cholada. With its menu featuring items such as curries of every color of the rainbow as well as exotic specials such as deep fried beef jerky and sauteed pumpkin, it was difficult to pick just a few dishes to try.
To start off our meal, we ordered the pomegranate green tea ($4). This fruity hot tea tasted as good as it smelled and got even better by the end of the meal when the tea had been steeping longer, making it much for flavorful.
For our main dishes, we ordered the Pad Thai with tofu ($9), Yellow Curry ($9), and the Vegetable Delight with shrimp ($12). A classic Thai dish, the Pad Thai was the perfect balance of sweet and salty. One of the standouts of this dish for me was the way that the tofu was prepared. It was fried without being over cooked and had a very light and airy texture. The Vegetable Delight with shrimp was prepared just right with the vegetables lightly cooked in a sweet sauce. The mild flavor of the dish allowed the freshness of the vegetables to show through.
When we ordered the yellow curry, the waitress gave us the option of mild, medium, or hot spice. Not being a fan of very spicy food, I opted for the mild choice which turned out to be the perfect amount of spice without being too hot. The sweet and spicy flavor of the coconut milk and Thai spices were excellent and although it is difficult to choose a favorite, I would say that I enjoyed the yellow curry the most out of all three dishes.
As the night went on, the restaurant grew busier and busier. The wait staff, though accommodating and friendly, were stretched a little thin. However, that was no problem for us as we were busy enjoying our delicious meals.
Although we were already stuffed, when the waitress came by asking if we would like any dessert we couldn’t refuse. We ended up ordering the mango with sweet sticky rice ($7). This dessert was a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. The bright yellow mango contrasted with the unique pale green color of the rice. It was served warm and was the perfect way to end our meal. The rice was sweet and had a mild milky flavor which complimented the bold flavor of the mango perfectly.
The mouthwatering flavors and inviting atmosphere make Rice Thai Cuisine a great place to eat even if you are hesitant about trying Thai food. Next time you are downtown looking for a good meal, you’ll know where to go.
