Peg Schwinger, The Fairways Courier
On a Sunday in February I introduced my guest to the newest restaurant in our area, RAMA THAI in the English Creek Shopping Center near A.C.Moore. The gentleman at the front desk arose to greet us with the traditional Thai greeting and bowed and escorted us to a table of our choice. He answered our questions about certain items on the menu, which was nicely varied with selections of lunches ($7.99) and dinner (starting at $10.99). We made our selections and while waiting absorbed the pleasant ambience and lovely decor until our cheerful, patient, helpful servers dressed in lovely attire, served us meals with bean sauce and brown sauce which enhanced our perfectly cooked selections even more. The desert, which we shared, was a work of art and we agreed this dining facility ranked higher than any other we have visited in the past and there have been excellent ones among them!
Stephanie S, Judy's Book
Rama Thai is located at 3003 English Creek Ave in the English Creek Shopping Center. This is one of the best Thai restaurants in the county. I was so impressed by the service (very friendly staff, family-run) and by the food. We order the Papaya Salad at every Thai restaurant we frequent and this one was delicious. You could taste the fish sauce and just a little "bite" of spice to it. My son ordered the Pad Thai with chicken, which was so yummy I couldn't stop stealing bites. It was heavy with chicken and tofu. A perfect Pad Thai. My daughter ordered the Setae (chicken on a stick with peanut sauce)-very delicious. My husband and I ordered the green curry and the yellow curry with beef. I couldn't say enough about the yellow curry (my order), which was creamy, spicy and made with lots of basil and peppers. My husband enjoyed his green curry with chicken and bamboo shoots. Very good. We ordered two desserts, the mango with sweet rice (heavenly) and coconut ice cream (homemade). A fantastic finish to the best Thai food outside of Thailand.
Joe Gorman, AC Weekly
After spending two years of diligent research to get ideas for a restaurant — both in the United States and Thailand — and another year implementing their ideas, Frank and Lek Michalik have managed to bring the best of Thai dining to Egg Harbor Twp. Rama Thai is more like a restaurant that you would find in a casino rather than in a shopping mall.
The restaurant, located in the English Creek Shopping Center, is gorgeously decorated. The waitresses wear long silk dresses, the waiters wear silk jackets and pictures of Thailand, King Rama V and Thai Angel statues decorate the sand-colored walls. Thai music plays softly in the background. The owners’ best idea was hiring Chef Sue, who has been cooking since she was nine years old. The result is delicious, authentic Thai cuisine.
They also brought the renowned Thai hospitality with them, so we were greeted with a bow and folded hands by hostess Lek Michalik. All entrées, five curry dishes, four noodle dishes and three fried rice dishes are similarly priced. Chicken, pork or beef choices are $7.99 for lunch, $12.99 for dinner. Shrimp or squid choices are $9.99 and $12.99 respectively. My wife Pat chose Pad med-ma-moung (chicken sautéed with cashew nuts, onions, bell peppers, scallions, carrots, celery and brown sauce). My selection was Pad preow wan (chicken sautéed in sweet and sour sauce with pineapple, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers and scallions). Both were excellent choices.
We finished our meal with Thai custard, made with coconut milk, egg, bean and brown sugar — an excellent ending to a fantastic dining experience.
Emily Weiss, EmilyScoop.com
I have gone to this new Thai restaurant at the English Creek Plaza in EHT. We've been there 3 times and the place has only been open for a few months. The food is absolutely delicious, the service was great, and the decor and atmosphere was divine. My 2-year-old son even likes the food. When he wants RAMA THAI rice, we know its time to go out to eat.
C.C. Hoyt, The Press of Atlantic City
The menu at Rama Thai promises a unique and wonderful dining experience. The staff insists they are committed to out dining pleasure and claim that Thailand is well known for its warm and loving people.
We found all of these things to be true at Rama Thai, the newest restaurant in the English Creek Shopping Center.
We jumped at the offer of a traditional beverage and had Thai iced tea. The drink had a layer of sweetened condensed milk on top that made it taste like a Creamsicle. We also tried coconut, a clear sweetened liquid with paper-thin slices of coconut meat that dissolved on the tongue.
Appetizer Satae Gai ($6.99) was marinated slices of chicken meat marinated in a coconut milk with a hint of Thai curry spice then skewered and grilled. The smoky flavor of the grilled chicken paired well with a smooth peanut sauce for dipping. A little salad of pickled vegetables, diced cucumbers and red peppers made an acidic counter point that helped to clear the palate.
The Rama combination plate ($12.99) had a little bit of everything, all mostly fried. Stuffed chicken wings were a bland blend of bean thread noodles, ground chicken, shrimp and mushrooms stuffed in wing meat pulled to one end of the bone, breaded and fried.
Triangles of fried tofu were light and airy but flavorless unless dipped into a sweet-and-sour sauce that was a chunky variation on duck sauce.
Fish cakes were little orange rounds with a springy texture, slightly spicy in taste. Calamari was crisp but mild tasting. Egg rolls were good with chicken and bean threads rolled in a thin spring roll wrapper.
Red chili sauce would have spiced things up, but we didn’t receive ours with the appetizers.
Tom yum gai ($10.99) was a flavorful chicken broth flavored with the citrus taste of kaffer lime leaves, lemon grass and lime juice along with chili and red curry paste with paper thin slices of mushroom.
A small star at the bottom of the page indicates a choice of how spicy to make the dish; mild, medium, hot or suicide hot.
We loved the Rama duck ($16.99), a crisp-skinned boneless half duck, sliced and topped with a wonderful sauce made of coconut milk, red curry paste, pineapple pieces, tomato chunks and lots of Thai basil.
How do they keep the skin so crisp under the layer of flavorful sauce? They somehow manage to pull it off.
The duck was moist and tender with a flavorful sauce spicier than we expected. Different, but very good.
A chef's special Rama seafood special ($19.99) was a stir-fry of shrimp, squid, scallops, mussels and fish with curry paste, onions, red and green peppers, green beans and basil.
The vegetables were stir-fried crisp and the spicy sauce complemented the fresh seafood. Both entrees were served with a large mound of fragrant rice on the side.
Desserts were an unusual Thai custard ($4.99) made from coconut milk, egg, bean and brown sugar.
Unusual because the texture was not smooth and custard-like, but more like a super moist-sweet spice cake cut into squares.
The garnish of carrot strings and parsley seemed unusual too, a savory garnish on a sweet dessert plate.
Crispy banana ($4.99) was slices of banana wrapped in a thin pastry skin, then deep-fried.
Served with a drizzle of honey and sesame seeds and a small dipping sauce of coconut milk and honey, the banana and crust was not sweet enough or moist enough to really enjoy.
We were intrigued by the use of tomato in so many dishes such as the soup and curries. While tomatoes are commonly used in salads, Northern cuisines tend to use them in their savory dishes.
Many of the ingredients that used to be considered exotic, like lemon grass can now be found at the most area grocery stores.
The dining area was a pretty room with gold walls, artwork of village life at work and at play and beautiful statuary.
The gracious staff was beautifully attired. The women wore traditional costumes of brilliant peacock blue and hot pink outlined in gold design.
The men were dressed similarly, but in darker colors.
Our water was refilled a half dozen times by several different staff members.
Music was traditional and just loud enough to hear but not overwhelm our conversation.
A customer celebrated a birthday with a rousing chorus of “Happy Birthday” sung in a thick accent that was piped over the loud speaker while the staff surrounded the table.
The whole dining room clapped and sang along. A good time was had by all.
In our book Rama Thai is golden.
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