One of my beloved foodie/co-worker friend has been raving about this place called Rim Tanon for the last 2 months! Her passion and enthusiasm about this new innovative joint serving modern Thai street food totally peaked my interest. I finally got a chance to visit, on literally one of the most beautiful days Houston has seen in weeks, and It was everything I’d hoped it would be!
Rim Tanon opened last year and in typical fashion the first article I read was from the Houston Press. I’ve decided that in 2018 I am going to lay off my incessant need to gobble up every word written by the fine writers of Houston’s leading publications. Not because they aren’t well written, but because I prefer to formulate my own thoughts about a new restaurant first, before absorbing the sometimes skewed opinions of others. It’s also important that I give a place time to get it’s footing before shooting off at the mouth during its first week open.
“Street food” has become a popular word lately, and I can’t help but think about my time at the Chinese night market in Vancouver. Where the Chinatown streets are lined with an abundance of tents and carts serving up delicious skewered meats, smoking hot ròu jīa mó (tiny meat sandwiches) and shou zhuâ bing (roadside pancakes)! Because I’ve never visited Thailand or experienced Thai street food, Rim Tanon has me searching for cheap flights.
The restuarnat is small and oddly quiet, with the exception of some classic late 90’s pop hits playing in the background (Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be” had everyone at my table softly singing along). We were greeted by the hostess and decided that we’d like to sit on the patio. A couple tables had to pushed together to seat my group of 4. It wasn’t until we approached the table that I realized we were sitting smack dab in between two huge oak trees! The service was great and our waitress was the very sweet. We decided to order a bunch of different menu options and share. As my co-worker had been many times before, we let her lead the way.
STARTERS
Rim Tanon’s menu offers a variety of small bites, soups, curries, noodle and rice based dishes. We started with the fish cakes and salmon rolls. Both receiving five stars from the table. The Salmon rolls were on point. Bite-sized Thai fried rolls stuffed with salmon, spinach and cream cheese in a crispy wheat wrapper. We blessed ourselves with three orders. They’re only $5!
ENTREES
For entrees we all decided to embark on our own Thai street food paths, ordering a mash up of curries, rice and noodle dishes. I opted for the Pad Kaphrao & Khai Dao, a spicy mix of sautéed chicken with basil leaves, bell peppers and chilies. Served with fried egg. Because I’m pregnant I had to give my fried egg away. A bit too runny. The Panang Curry was delicious. I really enjoy Thai style curries, and find that coconut milk just makes everything better.
BEST DISH ON THE MENU
The best dish of the day was the Kahi Luk Koei. If you like eggs, specially hard boiled eggs you MUST ORDER THIS. I promise you will be so happy you did. I over indulged on these deep fried eggs with tamarind sauce, topped with fried onions and dried chilies. SO. GOOD.
I highly suggest visiting Rim Tanon with a group and experience an assortment of Thai street food dishes and beverages. Their traditional Thai beverages are highly recommended. Try the An-chan limeade soda or the Pandanus lemongrass juice for a real treat. ** They also have happy hour Mon – Sat @5pm – 7pm!!
