Rhong Tiam, Plainsboro, NJ

[cranrob]

Rhong Tiam finally opened at the beginning of July in the Shopping Center in Plainsboro that also houses the Asian Food Center Market.

Apparently, it is associated with the Penang group, who has Malaysian restaurants in NY, NJ, Maryland, and North Carolina. The menu consists of a mix of some Classic Thai dishes, along with some Southern Thai and Malaysian items. It's a very nice looking place, but not at all formal or stuffy. Service was very friendly, but we had the typical "new restaurant' problems, which I'm sure will be straightened out soon.

But let's talk about the food. We have to visit a few more times to try more of the menu. My overall impression is that the food is very good, and we're looking forward to returning soon. I actually feel a bit premature with this review - we really haven't tried enough of the menu to really judge this place, so please take this as a first impression.

Here are some of the more memorable items:

- Roti Canai (Which is Southern Thai/Malaysian). It never arrived, so I can't comment on it.
- House-made "Thai Chorizo" - Porky and delicious, but a bit uninteresting. I was expecting Northern-style sausage which is made with Kaffir Lime Leaves, Galangal, etc.
- Tom Yum - Cloudy White Broth - we thought it was Tom Ka, but it wasn't. Very good balance of flavors, but definitely needed more heat.
- Pad Thai - Excellent, well balanced, great noodle texture, best we've had in the area.
- Larb Gai - The only real miss. Way, way too sweet. I believe it had quite a bit of tamarind in it. Maybe it was a southern-style I've never had before. Very odd.
- "Two Lovers" (or something like that) - Minced shrimp and chicken, stir-fried with basil, garlic, etc. Terrific.

In general, they don't make the food very spicy here... We know to ask for them to turn up the heat a bit next time.

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Rhong Tiam
660 Plainsboro Rd, Plainsboro, NJ 08536

[ambrose]

Recent review in Time Off, a supplement in the Princeton Packet.....

http://www.centraljersey.com/articles...

[Duppie]

Finally had dinner at Rhong Tiam tonight and was completely underwhelmed.
The decor is spare and modern with some vague Asian accents with good spacing between tables.
Service is friendly and efficient enough even if our waitress claimed that there was only spicy or not with nothing in between??????.
Roti Canai. The roti it self was fresh and hot with some of the crispy edges I like but the curry was too thick and overly seasoned with star anise and clove.
Spicy beef salad. Beef overcooked and cracked rice thickener was too coarse, not enough heat even after I requested it but after I ordered some bird pepper with fish sauce, much better.
Catfish Mango Salad. The best dish of the meal,crispy fish,crunchy green Mango and tart savory dressing.
Okra Belancan. Belancan toasted well and seasoning was very balanced but the okra was still cold in the middle and I had to send it back for the chef to toss it in the wok for a few more minutes.
The bill was $60.00 for two with a 18% tip and I will not be back.

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Rhong Tiam
660 Plainsboro Rd, Plainsboro, NJ 08536

[brownie]

cranrob, you rock. A big thanks from a newish mom who doesn't get to explore as often as she'd like--you're always out spotting the new stuff! I hope we can get there soon. I'm disappointed that the larb was too sweet, as i love that dish but like it spicy and lime-y. In fact, that's my biggest complaint with Thai, the too-sweetness that you so often get. Anyway, I'm looking forward to checking it out--thanks!

[cranrob]

It's a pretty kid-friendly place - we go with our 5-year-old and 9-month-old... we do go on the early side though.

We've been here several times now... love it! I find the best dishes tend to be the southern-style ones.

More standouts:

- Roti Canai
- Southern-Style Chicken
- Massaman Curries
- Satay (just like on the sidewalk in Bangkok!)

My 5-year-old LOVES the satay.

Enjoy!

[jolivore]

I've been twice. Lovely room, sweet people, a bit disorganized: their system, where everyone waits on everyone, means that I was always being asked if the food was good, and if I'd given my order. A pain.
The food was mixed: duck bins absent both times, the dumplings good but the listing is for six different kinds and only one came. The gha soup terrific, ditto the beef salad, but the mango sticky rice awful: the mango hard as a rock (not like a papaya salad, even: HARD) and the sticky rice hard and stiff, not fully thawed, certainly not freshly made and wonderful as it can be. Still I'll go back; the food is serious; only the serving is bad right now.

[GraydonCarter]

I'm sure this place is great but I had to laugh at the name "rhong tiam." Obviously the proprietor had never seen the movie Full Metal Jacket.

[amiga delmundo]

What a fantastic SPICY meal I had last night! The best Thai food I have had and I have tried many. I still love Penang, having visited weekly since its opening but Rhong Tiam is different.

I had a delicious Southern Chicken Lettuce Wrap - super spicy
I LOVED the Beef Salad, that was my favorite

I don't remember the name of the double flame (hotness) beef dish. It was delicious and we smiled through the tears.

To top it off, the Mango Sticky Rice was no ordinary presentation. It was beautifully dressed with berries, mint and chocolate. The rice was warm and sticky and the mango cool and sweet.

I can't wait to go back!

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Rhong Tiam
660 Plainsboro Rd, Plainsboro, NJ 08536