Rain Thai Bistro is located at 6933 Lee Highway, next to The Rush.
photo by Janet Wilson
Chattanooga now has the area’s fifth Thai restaurant. Rain Thai Bistro is located at 6933 Lee Highway, next to The Rush.
The interior of the restaurant is very nice, albeit a bit noisy. The center room has the bamboo, legless chairs, with low tables. The area to the right as you enter is made up of booths down both sides of the aisle (there is an outdoor seating area on this side), while the area to the left is the bar with numerous tables. At the back of the restaurant is the sushi bar.
On the evening we were there for dinner, there was a continuous flow of customers and it appears the restaurant was a hit with most of them.
When our server asked to take our drink and appetizer orders, I ordered my usual Thai tea and had hoped to order a cup of my favorite soup, Tom Kha Kai, but that wasn’t to be. It seems they do not have cups of soup. The Tom Kha Kai on the menu is priced at $7 and our server informed me it was a HUGE bowl that would need to be shared with about four people! Why would it only be served this way? What a disappointment. There was also no Nam Sod, Wayne’s favorite.
So, after looking over the appetizers, we settled on Spring Rolls ($7). Rain’s version and preparation reminded me somewhat of egg rolls. The six rolls contained mixed vegetables and were fried very crispy. We really enjoyed them and I absolutely loved the tangy sauce served on the side.
When we noticed scallops on the sushi menu, of course we had to place an order; and we were happy to see they listed the scallop mix ($5, two pieces), which is our absolute favorite. The scallops arrived and yes, they were prepared exactly the way we like them. We each had two pieces to savor.
Afterwards our server brought us two small Crispy Rolls made with beef and mixed vegetables, as a sample, I assume for their special opening week. These were quite good and we would definitely order them ($8).
It wasn’t easy narrowing down our choices for dinner. The menu has a Noodles & Rice section featuring Pad Woonsen (vermicelli noodles sautéed in Thai sauce with eggs, snow peas, mushrooms, green onions, carrots and celery - $12) and Rain’s House Noodles (pan fried wide rice noodles with beef, green onions, cilantro and bean sprouts in a dark sweet soy sauce - $12), among quite a few others.
Under the Main Course menu there are eighteen different offerings including Pad Pik King (fresh green beans stir fried with a spicy curry paste, Thai seasoning and lime leaves with chicken, beef or pork [$12] or seafood [$15]), Panang Curry (authentic Thai curry in a peanut and coconut milk sauce cooked with bell peppers, peas, carrots and fresh basil with chicken, beef or pork [$13] or seafood [$16]), and Mandarin Chicken (crispy chicken breast topped with oranges in a sweet mandarin sauce – [$12]).
I finally decided on Cashew Chicken (stir fried chicken with cashew nuts, onions and bell peppers - $12). In addition to what was shown on the menu, the dish also had plenty of snow peas. I found this to be a delicious meal – and more than plentiful.
Wayne ordered the Crispy Duck (lightly battered duck breast topped with a choice of basil or curry sauce - $17). He was quite impressed with the duck and it, too, was a sizeable portion. The slices were larger than he has been served at most restaurants, and the presentation was very nice. The carrot on Wayne’s place had been sliced and cut into a rose, while the one on my plate was a tulip (I noticed the people across from us had a tree).
There are several desserts – fried ice cream, fried bananas, Thai custard, sweet sticky rice with mango, and Bua Loy Ka Nom Wan (Thai rice flour pastry stuffed with sweetened yellow beans and simmered in warm coconut milk). Desserts are priced at $7 and $8.
Rain does have a children’s menu priced at $7 and $8, as well as a lunch menu with prices in the $8 to $14 range.
Overall, we loved the restaurant and the food, although there were a few little personal touches we were used to from our favorite Thai restaurant, such as handing the customer the napkins as they are seated, and serving the rice. Our server brought our rice (in a lovely silver container resembling an ice bucket) shortly after we finished our sushi. After that it was about 45 minutes before our meal arrived. I was certain they had lost our order. Our server seemed to be keeping well hidden and another server stopped and asked if we still had not been served. She said she noticed we hadn’t had anything in front of us for quite a while so she went to check on our food and reported back that it would be coming out next. We were disappointed when we saw plates coming up the aisle and they went to another table.
When our plates finally arrived our rice was no longer hot, but again, our server wasn’t immediately accessible. We went ahead and ate. He did return with a drink refill for Wayne, but by then, we passed on the rice. After finishing I decided to get a bowl of the soup to take home; due to the size he previously described, I thought it might last me maybe three meals. Our server was extremely attentive to the table behind us and every time I tried to get his attention, he went the opposite direction. Finally, after close to 15 minutes, we did get his attention and I asked about the soup. He said it would be half an hour! That would be for another trip as we had already been there almost two hours (and we didn’t have to wait to get a table!).
Of course, since the food was so good, and they offer great sushi, we will definitely be back. We’re assuming the server issue was not the norm, and for something this good, we’re willing to give them another shot.
Hours for Rain Thai Bistro are Sunday through Thursday from 11:00 AM until 10:00 PM and on Friday and Saturday until 11:00 PM. They are definitely worth a visit.
READER PET PEEVE OF THE WEEK:
“Why are so many restaurants on the stingy side with napkins, especially fast food or take-out? I am totally annoyed when I get one thin little napkin with my order and have to go back to the counter and ask for more napkins because there are none on the tables or at the take-out counter.”
Let us hear your suggestions/comments/pet peeves – cdojanet@chattanoogadineout.com