RICE & NOODLES THAI GOURMET
Address: 6111 Franconia Road, Alexandria, VA 22310
Well-executed Thai food is hard to come by sometimes. I’ve been very fortunate to have found some really good places both at home and at school. Now, after reading some online reviews, I’m very glad that I was able to find another place down here in Alexandria.
Rice & Noodles is located in a very unassuming blue building, adjoined with another Peruvian restaurant next door. The interior dining room is fairly small and can seat maybe 25 – 30 people. I decided to head over here for lunch today while I was out running some errands.
I decided to go with their chicken satay for an appetizer and the chicken pad thai for my main dish. Looking at the menu, however, I was very tempted to go with the pineapple fried rice or the drunken noodles (two other things that I read they do well). Those will give me an opportunity to try something different the next time I stop by!
For some reason, I always like to try the pad thai whenever I visit new Thai restaurants, similar to how I like to try fried rice when I sample new Chinese restaurants. Two Asian dishes that since I’ve been introduced to them, I just can’t get enough of!
The chicken satay appetizer had a robust flavor from the ground cumin and was served on the side with a sweet peanut sauce for dipping. I was definitely more excited for the arrival of the pad thai, which both looked great and smelled delicious. Served on the side with a heaping pile of crushed peanuts, the pad thai was a very well-balanced dish between the rice noodles, eggs, bean sprouts, scallions, and chicken. The sauce also had added some very rich flavor to the dish. The dish isn’t inherently spicy, although I think that you have to make a special request for that.
The waitstaff were very helpful and friendly, making sure that I had enough water and promptly removing any finished plates. I was also very satisfied by the lunch pricing and the amount of food that you get. While it might not catch your eye if you’re driving by on the road, Rice & Noodles is certainly a place worth a stop if you’re looking for some great tasting Thai food.
Let’s now take a look at the Rice & Noodles Thai Gourmet Dish Spotlight. Asterisks (*) below mark my recommended dishes.
** Pad Thai with Chicken **
Stir-fried flat rice noodles with chicken, eggs, bean sprouts, dried tofu, and crushed peanuts.
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Chicken Satay
Grilled marinated chicken skewers served with Thai peanut sauce.
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And finally, here are my rankings for Rice & Noodles:
Food: 5 / 5
Pad thai was spot-on with a great balance of flavor and texture. The menu also offers a good variety of rice and noodles dishes as well.
Atmosphere: 4.5 / 5
It’s a very pleasant dining area with lots of light coming in from the large windows. The smaller room also makes for the aroma of the food to drift out of the kitchen, making you even more hungry.
Service: 4.5 / 5
Waitstaff were very friendly and the dishes came out of the kitchen in a very reasonable amount of time.
Price: 4.5 / 5
I thought the pricing on the food was very reasonable. The food is inexpensive and tastes great, what more could you ask for?
Overall:
18.5 / 20
(93%)
Categories: Restaurants, Virginia
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