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#SundayFunday: Traditional Thai at Rice Violet

Rice Violet on Main Street in Worcester, MA

Placing an emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components, Thai cuisine is famous for its balance of five flavors: sour, sweet, salty, bitter and spicy. While some dishes blend all of the flavors into a signature taste, others are served as compliments to the overpowering flavors of spice and bitterness. Thai chef McDang characterizes Thai food as demonstrating “intricacy; attention to detail; texture; color; taste; and the use of ingredients with medicinal benefits, as well as good flavor.” His description fits the mold of which Rice Violet was sculpted from.

Shrimp fried rice, chicken satay and crab ragoons from Rice Violet on Main Street in Worcester, MA
Shrimp fried rice, chicken satay and crab ragoons from Rice Violet on Main Street in Worcester, MA

Sitting on the corner of Main and Exchange Street in downtown Worcester, Rice Violet breathes cultural life into an area slowly shying away from diversity. From its bright colors that line the exterior of the restaurant – giving itself a pop of personality – to the ethnically hired staff, Rice Violet looks to remain authentic in a time where authenticity is scarce. Its fluid menu caters to a wide range of eating lifestyles including vegetarian and gluten-free dishes – an underserved market in the Worcester culinary scene. The menu, filled with recipes directly from the central part of Thailand – considered the Bangkok Style of Cooking – mix effortlessly with innovative modern Thai dishes, giving Rice Violet a broader audience of food aficionados.

Pork dumplings, chicken satay, edamame – seasoned Japanese snack of steamed soybean pods and seasoned salt, and samosa bag – a crispy wonton wrapper stuffed with potato and curry powder, are only but a few of the a la carte dishes that can be paired with salads like the famous Thai papaya salad (som tum) – a salad with green papaya, tossed with tomatoes, chili lime dressing and tin peanuts served with sticky rice or simply paired with shrimp fried rice – a universal favorite. The eclectic menu serves one purpose: to be the center of any social occasion, if not, the social occasion itself. As we know, American restaurants are about the individual experience – with a recent shift in the restaurant culture to mimic that of European ordering styles – and it focuses on each individual’s starter meal, entree, and dessert – in that order. While in Thailand, much like the European countries, ordering meals is about sharing and enjoying as much food together as a unit. As a general rule, Thai diners order the same number of dishes as people present; however, all dishes are shared and enjoyed together. Watching a table of six order five or six dishes and all serve themselves a portion from each dish is not a rare sight at Rice Violet, but instead, it is the norm. The best part of shared dinners at Rice Violet? They honor the “bring your own beverage” policy which makes them undeniably approved as a #SundayFunday destination.

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#SundayFunday – Next Door Café has a Lightbulb ‘aha’ Moment

Next Door Cafe in Allston, MA. (Source: Facebook)

Everyone experiences an ‘aha’ moment at one point or another but for Next Door Café of Allston, that ‘aha’ moment has captured a new trend for bubble tea lovers. Originating in Taiwan during the 80s, bubble tea has spread into a worldwide phenomenon – boasting its unique twist on tea, whether iced or milked – and Next Door Café has shed light on a new serving style.

Typically, bubble teas are served in a classic, plastic, “to-go” cup to show off all the fruits, bubbles and ingredients floating in the tea but with the current trend of the millennial market, clear cups seem a bit boring. And let’s be honest, there is nothing boring about bubble tea. It is a tea made in two forms: a fruity, iced tea, filled with fruits, tea, and crushed ice or a milkshake-like tea, made of combining teas, milk, creamer, water, and ice. With over 30 flavors of bubble tea, it can be hard to choose a favorite, but the most common flavors include green tea, lychee, passion fruit and jasmine.

Staying in line with the trendy, hip, and not-so-boring elements of bubble tea, Next Door Café takes it a step further and serves their tea it in a lightbulb-shaped glassware. That’s right. Their ‘aha’ moment resulted in serving bubble tea in an ironic lightbulb-shaped glass and its making waves.

While the talk of the town is their trendsetting style of serving bubble tea, Next Door Café offers roll-up Thai ice cream and cubed toast to complement their fast-forward menu. Go for the creative lightbulb-shaped bubble tea drinks and stay for the Thai ice cream because #SundayFunday at Next Door Café is anything but boring.