Rice Style

I’m a good person, I consider myself to be faithful and loyal. I give credit where credit is due and I ladle criticism with ego soothing positivity whenever I can. However Rice Style has turned me into an outright cheating traitor. Their main competitor, and you all know who I’m taking about, is so superb I’ve been dining there for some 10 years. Quite the love affair. But it’s taken only three visits to woo me in, turn my head and persuade me that Rice Style is without a doubt now the best Thai in York.
We all know it’s the attention to details that sets apart the men from the boys right ladies? A friendly smile (oh and so pretty waiting staff), check. Funky ‘new Notting hill Road’ location alternative & décor, check. Advance notice at time of booking that the only available table by the door might be a little drafty… check. Super fast service, check. And I haven’t even started on the food…
I have spent a fair bit of time in Thailand enjoying its sublime culture, people, vibe and cuisine. If you want a taste of the real thing Rice Style rather more conveniently located on Bishy Road is where you will unequivocally find it. From the familiar Pad Thai and green curry to their signature dishes (Mussaman Né is to die for!) Rice Style is easily as good as the dishes I had in the jungles in Krabi. They’ve kept everything fresh and entirely authentic. I’m not going to give away everything, that’s just going to spoil the need to know yourself firsthand experience! When it comes to Thai most of us know our stuff and Rice Style delivers a genuine unmodified authentic sumptuous menu that will undoubtedly have even the die hardest of Old Siam fans committing Thai cuisine adultery. But then life is short and only the best is deserving of your hard earned cash and Rice Style delivers 100%!

Another good place on Bishopthorpe Road? This lovely little street has come a long way in the past few years!
Above said, the review is for Rice Style… so on with it!
For the first bit of being open I actually avoided this place due to the name and yellow sign, but after walking by enough and finally peaking in one day it caught my attention… it has a neat rustic look inside that is in complete contrast to the signage outside which looks more chain oriented than it should.
The food here is pretty dang good if I’m jumping to it… the only part that I don’t crave is the soup, which is actually good, it’s just that no one touches the soup at Old Siam on Mickelgate a bit closer to town… world over I haven’t found better Thai soup than there, period.
I do LOVE the other dishes here however, they have a Scallop meets Fish and Chip starter that has to be shared… it’s just too big for one person, but quite good… and the Crispy Pork Belly Pad Thai (with a bit of requested extra heat) is often too good to be true! I’m sure there are other places that do this, but I haven’t come across Pad Thai down with Crispy Pork Belly before… even tending to avoid Pork Belly at other places, it’s never as good as it sounds, it’s hard to not get it here because it works so well and it’s actually crispy on the outside as advertised.
Regarding my love of spice, and referencing Old Siam again, this is the only other Thai Place I’ve been to in the UK that doesn’t mind cranking up the heat at request… all to often I just get some chillies on the side, or worse… dry chilli flakes… we all know throwing these on top of a dish isn’t the same as cooking with them. These guys even cranked up the fresh chilli on the previously mentioned scallop starter which worked quite well for a heat fiend like me… regardless, it’s nice to know that they listen and accommodate requests since everyone is different.
The only real downside I find to the place is that in the summer it gets scorching inside… small problem in the scope of things, and they have a few outside tables (albeit right off of the road), but it’s worth mentioning since on the warmer days it can have a dampening affect on a pleasant meal.
The service is friendly, although maybe not as personal as some Thai places, it’s never been bad.
As mentioned earlier the place itself is very cool looking inside… almost like a chic log cabin if that makes sense, but whatever it’s invoking I’m a fan.
If you like Thai food, or are feeling adventurous, do yourself a favour and pop in here if in the area… I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.