Hi,
Well my first visit to Rainbow Thai was quite interesting.
I learned the hours on the door are advisory. Since I am not the princess of promptness, I am forgiving of lateness. It was decided to wait 20 minutes before looking for another lunch destination.
Around 11:15, I saw a waiter walking in the restaurant. I called the phone number on the door. When it was answered, I advised I am on the street waiting to come in. The waiter opened door advising not all the cooks were present. The only cook prepares appetizers and curries. "No problem, we will order within his area and hope the others arrive." There was no certainty when the other cooks would arrive.
From my experiences with Spoon Thai and from reading prior posts, I ordered:
Catfish custard
Isan sausage
Tiny egg rolls
Thai fried chicken
The catfish custard was the first dish to arrive. Interestingly, it was the hottest dish ordered this day. I thoroughly enjoyed the catfish custard. I didn't recall the bok choy cabbage on the bottom of Spoon's catfish custard, but it has been a long time since I last ordered it.
jlawrence has had Isan sausage in Las Vegas, but was not impressed by his experience. Apparently what he had before was overcooked to the extent it arrived desiccated. This Isan sausage was a new leaf, an opportunity to reset his impression. Thankfully, he now has an improved opinion. No chilis were eaten, though they were took home to share.
The Thai fried chicken was a bit overcooked. We still enjoyed the flavor and ate it all.
Meanwhile, the remaining kitchen staff had arrived. While we could have finished with the appetizers, I wanted to try a dish described enthusiastically early on: Kao Kluk Ka Pi “fried rice with shrimp paste topped with sweet pork, shredded egg and sliced apple.” I had learned people seemed to order a fried egg on top, which I asked for, too.
This dish arrived presented in a way I did not expect from my quick read, though looking back on the pictures I should have expected. The rice was ringed by sliced onions, ribbons of cooked eggs, cilantro, slivers of green apple, two slices of cucumber and a lime slice. I moved the egg over to another plate, then began to mix all the ingredients together. It was a bit tight on this plate to pull it off, though I managed. I squeezed in the lime toward the end to lightly mix in. I then replaced the egg, cut it in several pieces and served.
By the time we finished this dish, there was little interest in more food. However, when I proposed fried bananas, there was enough enthusiasm to overcome responsibility.
A menu change saved us from further happy gluttony: the fried bananas have been removed as well as mango sticky rice and (I will insert later) . It was explained they did not have enough orders to justify keeping fruit that continues to ripen and spoil.
I did inquire about the 11 am start time to learn it is common not everyone is present. Those who know the staff may want to suggest they adjust their hours. It can be it is commonly known about their hours, just not to me.
Afterwards, I decided to stop by Thai Food Corporation on Broadway, just north of Lawrence. I was hoping to buy some savory tapioca balls, which I remember fondly when thaiobsessed brought them to the picnic. Alas I was out of luck, though they suggested I come back on Wednesdays for those.
I looked through their fresh cooked food for something else to try. I saw they had a variation of catfish custard for $6. I bought it to compare to Rainbow's. This catfish custard was in a plastic cup and not encased in banana leaf. It did have the same bok choy on the bottom, too.
Thai Food Corporation
4821 N Broadway St, Chicago, IL 60640
Phone:(773) 728-1199
Regards,
Cathy2