Rice Palace opened at 210 S. Barstow Street back in March. Above: A platter of “Drunk Noodles” (foreground) surrounded by a plate of spicy shrimp and rice noodle-stuffed egg rolls.

Eau Claire is getting a bit spicier with the opening of another Thai restaurant downtown called Rice Palace LLC, which will offer a portal to the warm, tangy wilds of Thailand at 210 S. Barstow St. Opened by husband and wife Kha Neng and Mary Xiong on March 15, the couple is hoping to bring more diverse, authentic Thai dishes to Eau Claire. Mary Xiong is running the restaurant full time while her husband works elsewhere. She is happy to finally be her own boss after working in a corporate environment for over fifteen years.  

Never having opened a restaurant before, this has been quite a learning experience. She and her husband have traveled extensively through Thailand and Laos, loving the food more with each footstep. Eager to bring Thai delicacies back to America, this dream became a reality when Kha Neng and Mary Xiong saw a space for lease. Since then, the couple, particularly Mary Xiong, have been working tirelessly to tickle the taste buds of locals here in Eau Claire.  

Rice Palace LLC offers a wide variety of rice, noodle, and seafood dishes along with soups, salads, spring rolls, egg rolls, papaya, and a wide variety of meats and teas. Customers are encouraged to customize each dish to suit their taste buds and Mary Xiong promises that she will make sure each customer is satisfied with their choices.

“If customers don’t like their choices, I’m happy to make the dish again in a different way,” Xiong said happily. “It is fun work.”

Their most popular noodle is the Drinking Noodle, a very big noodle served with lots of meat and vegetables. Another unique dish is called Tom Yam Goong, a spicy shrimp soup with scallops, fish, meatballs, and sauce served in a large pot heated by a candle. Mouth watering yet?