A Review of Rising Sons Deli

Today, Friday, September 21, 2018, I visited Rising Sons Deli, a Thai food restaurant on State Street. I was feeling pretty down in the dumps today. So, I figured the best way to self-medicate would be to get some of my favorite cuisine and write a restaurant review. I was a little confused when I first walked in because there wasn’t a hostess so I kind of wandered awkwardly around the bar until a man asked me if I wanted to eat for here or to go. The atmosphere was nice and there weren’t very many people. I don’t think there was any music playing which is uncommon for a restaurant. Maybe that’s why I felt so awkward. It smelled fantastic though. I did notice that a lot of tables had dishes on them still, though they weren’t that busy, however, I know how this goes in my experience. They seemed to be short staffed.

Pictures of all the major menu items were on a banner on the wall which sort gave of a cheap Chinese food place vibe, but I was still willing to give it a shot because they did have regular menus also. I did notice that their menu said that they don’t accept credit cards which was disappointing, but luckily, I had enough cash. I took a seat outside in their “Ally Cat Seating” which was unlike anywhere I’ve been seated before. I kind of felt like I wasn’t in Madison anymore with the traditional plant pots and wooden floor that were situated between brick walls. I was able to see the sky as I ate which was quite pleasant. It felt like I was inside and outside at the same time. The only downside is that twigs and leaves would fall into my food when the wind blew. A man with a South African accent sat with a woman two tables away from me. I was only bothered by the loud exclamation of an inebriated sounding man on the street. It was only 1:10 in the afternoon which was way too early to be drunk, but I digress.

When the man came to take my order, he was kind enough to tell me that I should move my phone to the outside of the table because many people have bumped their phones off the edge and have fallen down a gap in the floor to never have been seen again.

Unfortunately, they did not have my favorite dish, Pad Wun Sen, but they had Pad Kee Mao (Drunken Noodles) though, which I am also a fan of. I ordered it with tofu which cost me $9.95. I also ordered a Thai iced tea ($3.00) because I believe a Thai food restaurant is only as good as their iced tea. The man brought out my tea very quickly and it didn’t have too much ice in it. It was served in the traditional fashion with the tea on bottom and the cream on top, so you have to stir it to enjoy it. I really liked the iced tea. It was perhaps a little bit on the sweet side, but it had a good cream to tea ratio and the tea wasn’t super strong like it is at some Thai food restaurants where there is a very bitter after taste. I’d give the tea a 4.5/5 rating.

The man brought out my Drunken Noodles in about 5-7 minutes, which was not much of a wait at all. The food was piping hot and looked delicious. I could hardly wait to start shoveling it in my mouth, and therefore burned my tongue. Drunken Noodles is a sort of spicy and sour wide noodle dish with basil. This one also had egg, carrots, bok choy, and onion. It was well sauced and well salted (I’m picky about my salt. I have low blood pressure, so everything needs to have at least a teaspoon). The plentiful basil leaves were left whole which I enjoyed because I like having a lot of basil flavor in each forkful. It wasn’t too spicy like they’ve been at other restaurants where I could hardly eat them and had to send them back because they were just too damn spicy. I don’t think I’m a wuss about those types of things either. There was a good amount of food on the plate and I was left feeling satisfied after I finished. The one thing that I was missing was some broccoli and that’s just because I stan vegetables. I’d give this dish a 4.5/5 as well.

No one came to check up on me during my meal, which I didn’t really mind. I don’t like to be bothered and I didn’t really want them to see that I was writing a restaurant review. However, I do think that some people would have liked a little more attentiveness. I went up to the bar and paid at a register instead of receiving a check. I didn’t mind this either, it was just less formal than other sit-down restaurants. I offered to bring my dishes to the front since I wanted to do my due diligence because I am also a food service worker (ALWAYS offer to take your own dishes in restaurants like this!), but the woman at the register said it was fine for me to leave them.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this restaurant and I can definitely see myself frequenting Rising Sons Deli if I want to study in a chill environment and not be bothered. I’m happy that I found a good Thai food restaurant on campus that I like. I think I might bring my boyfriend, Chandler, here sometime or grab a lunch date. However, I was still very content just eating here by myself. Just wish they had Wi-Fi. 9/10 would recommend.