On November 28th, Ricky’s Thai, Bernardsville’s new Thai food restaurant, opened its doors to the public in the strip mall in Bernardsville. Sat between Starbucks and Well Bred pet store, the new restaurant has caught attention. With one of their three fronts located at 80 Morristown Road in Bernardsville, Ricky’s Thai has replaced previous Thai restaurant, Thai Villa. With this new location, families and friends have swarmed the restaurant since the grand opening and considering the buzz it has started, the restaurant so far has been a big hit.
The owner of this new restaurant, Ricky Chai, came to the United States from Malaysia at the early age of 24 in search and hope of finding that American dream he has been yearning for. In the start of his career, he started just working as a waiter which would soon help him make his way up the chain of command. His determination and work ethic payed off, as he then moved up to managing a restaurant. From then, Ricky opened his first location in Hillsborough, New Jersey, with his business partner. Ricky Chai eventually took over the business with the support of his wife and expanded to a second location in Montgomery, New Jersey, in 2014.
When talking about his own restaurant, Chai credits a big majority of his success to his Head Chef Chai Yo Thongpanich, who helped to create the the tasteful and delicious menu we can see today. In fact, this same menu has been named “Best South East Asian Restaurant” by New Jersey Monthly Magazine for six years in a row. According to Alexis Tarrazi and the patch staff in patch.com, Chai states that “We not only serve our customers with the freshest ingredients and brightest flavors from Thailand but also share the pride we have in our beloved country of Malaysia.”
Since it has recently opened, buzz has filled the Bernardsville atmosphere with reviews as well as excitement to try the new and popular restaurant. The restaurant has been flooded with Bernardsville residents to try this highly, deliciously spoken Thai food that the town has seemed like they have needed and finally got. Jessica Hickman ‘23 puts her input on the restaurant as she goes to try this highly praised food; “I have never had Thai food before, but first time for everything! The chicken pad thai I got was really good and I would definitely recommend it to a friend!” Not only Jess, but Seolin Park ‘23 states that, “the food was extremely delicious and I will be coming back in the near future.”
With the introduction of a new restaurant and a completely different food pallet to this small community, people are buzzing to get their first taste.
