River Thai

This was one of my favourite places to eat, I have been going here for a few years now and in the past have been very impressed, but twice this year have been disappointed. On Friday I went with friends in a party of 6, the food was truly awful and the service was way off the mark.
The mixed starters were like Iceland party pack, awful! I ordered pad Thai as a main, in the past I have really enjoyed this, but this time it was mostly bean shoots with hardly any noodle content at all, my friend had ordered thai duck special, which arrived wrapped in foil shaped like a duck, when the foil was opened, the food looked like a grey water with sliced veg in it, I tried to find the duck, 4 small pieces! Tasted awful, dish left, I could go on, but out of the six meals, 2 were eaten, 2 were left and 2 were half eaten, when we commented to our waitress that only two of us liked our food, she said ‘glad you enjoyed it’
Add to that, the service, my pad Thai arrived a full 10 minutes after all the other diners had been served, wrong drink orders, and trouble getting attention from the serving staff, it added up to a very poor night, real shame, I DID love this place, but something has changed.

The River Thai is a stylish restaurant situated on the Broadway. From the moment you walk through the door until the moment you leave, you will experience top service and great food.
The décor is tasteful, but still retains an ethnic charm. All the staff are Thai and delight at my very bad attempts to order in Thai (this usually leads to laughter and good hearted jokes at my expense!) For starters I always go for the prawn crackers as they serve a mix of standard and Thai spiced versions. Tasty! It would also be a crime to not order a bowl of Tom Yum soup from here and the flavours are fresh and very authentic (I could easily order a giant sized bowl of this and be happy).
The main dishes are of a high standard and the Thai curries and very good (ie served with a thin soup that has a lot of flavour and some heat). The wine list is well picked and I usually opt for a crisp white to accompany the lighter Thai flavours.
If you are with a party you may want to consider one of the set menus. They will cost over £20 per person, but you get a lot for your money and will get to try more dishes than if you order separately. They also offer take out, but I would always save a trip to River Thai as an eat on location event. The staff make it worthwhile!

I’ve had several great meals at this place usually as part of a large group and they are always happy to move the tables around a bit to accommodate us. The atmosphere is really lively and the lighting is nice and subtle.
They serve an excellent green curry which I can highly recommend and I always think it goes best with their amazing pad thai noodles. Alternatively, I have had the two course set menu which is great value and has some really interesting options available. It does vary though so have a look when you sit down.

River Thai restaurant is the latest to join ‘The Broadway’ of eateries in Haywards Heath. It is fairly stylish, clean and comes with ample seating outside to people watch till your hearts content. It even has a canopy that is rolled out for when it rains which covers the outside seating area. The waiters are all polite and friendly and willing to takea group photo for you when asked!
They serve a great buffet for £6.50 which consists of a starter and main meal, although it does not compare to the american size portions, it is simply delicious. and enough to leave you feeling satisfied at lunchtime and not too sleepy for your afternoon work.
I am a creature of habit and on the four times that I have visited, I have chosen the pork dumplings for a starter and prawn pad thai for my main course each time. Mmmmmmm.
Well worth a visit.