NaRa Thai — Restaurant in Marion

Same cuisine, different flavors. I am thinking of my recent visits to NaRa Thai and Siamville Thai Cuisine, both in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

I am not sure if it is a regional style or the individual chefs interpretation of the cuisine, but the two restaurants taste quite different from one another to me.

I am planning a head-to-head comparison soon, I'll order dishes from both to go and try to taste the difference.

But for now, individual reviews, the first being NaRa Thai. I have visited a couple of times recently, both in the later evening after strenuous pickleball matches.

I only mention the pickleball because I find that my hunger and attitude sitting down to a meal just have a definite effect on my perception of it.

I enjoy Thai cuisine in general, and NaRa did nothing to dispel that. The restaurant is of the strip mall variety. I found it clean, comfortable, and not overly ornamented. The service was excellent! We were seated quickly and attended to just as quickly. And the food was delivered, you guessed it, quickly😅

A specific note on our server: sadly, I was too hungry to remember to ask his name. But one can not miss him as he looks very much like a superhero in civilian clothes. My visits were a week apart, and on the second visit,he called me by name, which I feel is a lovely and welcoming touch. Friendly and charming, he definitely set the tone for both visits.

On to the food! I have eaten (or sampled) six dishes;

Green Curry Garlic, lemongrass, Makrut lime, and Thai basil, green and red peppers, eggplant, basil and pea leaves, cilantro, and coconut milk. This is the dish that really made me think of the difference between the two restaurants. I enjoyed it very much. The flavors were very bright and pronounced, with the dish being savory and rich, but also fresh.

Basil Fried Rice This is a rich, hearty fried rice dish, totally suitable as a entrée. Unfortunately one of those I just sampled, but the rice is flavored with that scrumptious, salty, and savory combo of dark sauces, I can't pick them all out individually, but the likes of fish sauce, hoisin, oyster sauce, soy sauce and so on, delish! It contains veg and the aforementioned basil and is really very good. My next visit I feel like I would order it for the table.

Mango Fried Rice Thai fried rice and mango, with eggs and broccoli in a sweet sauce with a hint of spice. This from their menu Another tasty concoction, but I think that this one is far more suitable as a side dish. Another of those I sampled, but I felt that it flavors were far more subtle, and although delicious, would be better paired with a more flavor-packed dish.

Drunken Noodles NarRa's version of Pad Khee Mao. Noodles with fresh peppers, onions, carrots, and basil, all stir-fried with a savory sauce. I ordered it at a "5" heat level and was happy that it had some actual heat! Quite often, I find that chefs in the Midwest hold back on the spice to accommodate local taste, and I am always pleased to get a dish with an authentic level of spicy heat. Of course,it can also be ordered mild, and that certainly is a personal choice (I would go for at least a little heat, tho😁) Delish!! I love spicy noodle dishes, and this one is a winner!

And lastly, two appetizers, Fried Shumai & Hagao I have had a zillion servings of shumai. It is a go-to starter for me, super consistent and always tasty. This is the very first time I have had them fried, and they are fantastic! The flavor is familiar, but the fried exterior completely changes the complexion of the dish. This is one of those that all I can really say is, try it. Hagao, one of those dishes firmly in the family of dim sum dumplings. These are shrimp in a salty soy-based sauce and were gone in seconds! I would like to describe their flavor in more detail, but Big D and I were hungry, and I barely had time to snap a pic before the dish was empty. Yum!

I will definitely be returning. It might take me several tasty tries to figure out the differences😋 ...and I will make sure to get the incognito...

I will preface that I'm close friends and coworkers with one owners, but I will do my best to be completely unbiased with this review: NaRa Thai is an authentic Thai restaurant that has a great ambiance. You can easily tell that the food is prepared with love and care. I've only had authentic Thai twice before today, and one of those times was when this family hosted at a friends wedding a few years ago (so I've technically had their food twice). I'm pretty sure I had their Drunken Noodles then, but can't quite remember what all they catered. However, I do remember that me and a friend at the weeding ate their food until we were basically miserable; we just kept going for more and more! I'd say I'm slightly above average when it comes to spice/heat, so I had their Pad Thai for lunch today with the spice/heat at a level 2, and felt like I could've handled a level 3, possibly level 4, but I'm definitely gonna go with a 3 first to play it safe. I also had their egg/spring rolls and crab rangoons as appetizers. The Pad Thai was some of the most delicious food I've ever had, and I genuinely mean that. And I don't mean most delicious Thai dish, I quite literally mean it was some of the best food I've ever apart from my mother phenomenal cooking (I'm definitely biased towards her cooking 😅). It was extremely flavorful, which makes me look forward to trying their other dishes! The egg/spring rolls were great, but those crab rangoons are out of this world! They're packed with flavor! They aren't just puff pastry with minimal crab and cream cheese like countless other restaurants. That's just one example of how much tender love and care they put into their food. I honestly can't wait to try the many other dishes! I highly encourage you to try NaRa Thai. Look at their menu and the photos of their food. If you think the food looks good, then I can almost guarantee that you'll think it tastes even better!!! It's getting close to dinner and my mouth is watering just typing this out...time for the leftovers! Seriously though, I highly recommend...

Our party of three shared all three dishes we ordered which were the Racy Pad Thai, Drunken Noodles, Green Curry, Tom Kha Soup, and Mango Sticky Rice. If I were to say that all the dishes we ordered were delicious it would be the biggest understatement of my life.

The Green Curry delights with its blend of coconut milk, lemongrass, and basil, offering a rich and comforting experience. Meanwhile, the Drunken Noodles impress with their smoky and sweet brown sauce, enveloping every noodle and vegetable with its delectable flavor. The Racy Pad Thai surpasses expectations, its flavorful Racy sauce elevating it to the pinnacle of Pad Thai perfection. The Tom Kha Soup, reminiscent of the green curry but with a sweeter touch, provides a delicate mouthfeel. Lastly, the Mango Sticky Rice offers a sweet, warm finale, with decadent hints of coconut milk and mango culminating in a perfect end to the meal.

The owner, Lynn, came to our table as she recognized two of the regulars in our party. They informed her that it was my first time at Nara and she proceeded to ask me what I thought of the food. I was so awestruck by the depth of flavors I experienced in all the dishes that I found it challenging to properly convey to her just how amazing all the dishes I tried were. She was kind enough to bring us some ice cream so that we could enjoy the Mango Sticky Rice the way her husband likes to. What a kind gesture from a wonderful human being.

I have never had such a profound reaction to food as I did today at Nara Thai Cuisine. I am sure all their customers agree when I say you can taste the passion in the food. I could not have imagined a better culinary experience. My only regrets are that I don't have a bigger stomach and I didn't have the chance to take any pictures of this amazing food.

If you are looking for comforting, delicious, and reasonably priced Thai food, look no further. And if you had a great experience, please give all compliments to Lynn. This establishment is one of the gems...