On a cool, blustery spring afternoon I was again faced with the dilemma of where to eat dinner. As I mentally flipped through all the restaurant possibilities that Capitol Hill has to offer I came to a place in my head where there still existed a blank spot. I had never tried Rom Mai Thai, a Thai food restaurant located on Broadway near Roy St. I remembered that it had recently been boarded up during a remodel that was very often confused with a going-out-of-business event. People told me that during the remodel it was still possible to order delivery and take-out orders, but I wasn’t the kind of person that was willing to trust a restaurant that was boarded up, let alone one I had never been to with providing my friends and I with sustenance. That idea seemed a little far-fetched.

Walking in the restaurant I found myself quickly ushered away to a nice table at the front window. I took a moment to survey the scenery, both inside and out. The street view was ok, but the inside of the restaurant was bright, clean, and the color scheme was very crisp and inviting, especially for a Thai restaurant. Except for the small display case immediately inside the front door, another annoying token of many Thai restaurants was missing, the kitschy Thai decorations. I found the interior to be thoughtfully and tastefully done, or redone I should say, considering it was recently remodeled.

The service at Rom Mai Thai was excellent from beginning to end. It’s the kind of establishment that has its wait staff running around refilling quarter sipped water glasses and asking three or four times during your meal if everything was to your liking. I know this type of service behavior really bothers some of my friends, but I like how the staff here really takes the time to honestly pay attention to the customers and their unique and sometimes very specific needs.

My food was brought to me after only three or four minutes of waiting. This impressed me even further. I ordered a Thai staple, and the only dish with which I feel comfortable judging all Thai restaurants on across the board- pad thai. I had the beef variety and I was more than impressed with the way the beef was skillfully cooked presented. Some places chop up their beef into tiny pieces while others give you one hand-sized cut of low quality beef in an effort to try and impress you with sheer size and not flavor, texture, and quality. I was thoroughly impressed at Rom Mau Thai though, as their pad thai was a solid 8.5 out of 10. It’s pretty rare to find a place that has such fresh ingredients as this.

I did not elect to order dessert as I was short on time, but all in all I would say that Rom Thai Tai is not your average Thai restaurant. They certainly exceeded my expectations and I will be stopping in again very soon. The prices were reasonable and the food, atmosphere, and service were all well above average.