If you like Thai food the way Thai food is supposed to be made, then you’ll love Sawanya Conway’s tiny storefront near Capriotti’s on Savannah Road in Lewes. Sticky Rice does it right with a Thai tapas concept that lets you sample a lot of things at the same sitting. Like it spicy? Sawanya’s green curry will definitely get your attention! The not-quite-so-adventurous will love the deeply flavorful Tom Yum soup and the red curry bowl. Ever had your rice served up in a banana leaf? That can happen to you at Sticky Rice. She’s open every day.
Sawanya is a Thai native, and very sensitive to the geographical differences among various styles of Thai cuisine. [You might enjoy hearing her talk about that by CLICKING HERE to listen to the podcast of her June 12th appearance on my Beach Eats radio show.]
Like her menu, her concept is simple: Small plates are the norm, and she encourages diners to try several things. And that pays off. One of my favorites there is the Green Curry dish. She mixes coconut milk, eggplant, bamboo shoots, basil leaves and pepper together with a very spicy green curry paste. I got mine with chicken. If you like spicy, GET THIS. If you are a spice wimp (and you know who you are!) you can get a slightly less ambitious dish with the Red Curry (milder) or the Panang Curry which is actually rather sweet. All are available with chicken, pork, beef, shrimp, veggies or tofu. Check out the photos in the gallery.
We started with the summer rolls (regulars here know that I love the summer rolls at Minh's Bistro here in RB). Sawanya's are also quite good with the obligatory shrimp and cilantro. She gets creative with basil leaves, and that's a good thing. We also got the spring rolls. These fried delights are stuffed with ground chicken, onions, cabbage and bean thread noodles. A sort of fish sauce (sweet and tangy) accompanies both. Both are pictured in the gallery.
One of our party got the Pad Thai, and noted that Sawanya's version is a bit sweeter than what he was used to. The stir-fried noodles are combined with eggs, sweet pickle radishes (hence the sweetness), bean sprouts and roasted peanuts. Give this one a try! Take a look in the gallery.
Sawanya served us a little combo dessert with her sticky rice with mango and sticky rice with Sangkaya (a sweet concoction with a DELICIOUS Thai egg custard topped with … wait for it … coconut cream. These were strikingly delicious.
This was our first visit, so this qualifies only as a sneak peek, but we will return and post even more photos. Sticky Rice is at 1604 Savannah Road in the little strip center nect to Capriotti's and the car wash. You can call her at 302-703-2673. See their entire menu HERE. You can follow Sticky Rice on Facebook by clicking HERE.
Their current hours (ALWAYS CHECK) are noon – 8pm, 7 days.
