At the end of the meal, as I was pouring the rest of my noodles into the to-go container, I became sad. Sad because the amount of leftovers was far smaller than I wanted it to be. This was the only negative part of my experience at Rai Lay.
This was our first time here, and we lucked out, arriving at 6:30 on a Sunday and there were still a few tables available. Rai Lay is small, and I can imagine that on a night other than Sunday when it's popular, the space would fill up very fast.
The ambiance is dark but relatively casual! Flowers are on the table and waters are served in mason jars.
Thanks to Yelp, I ordered the Kao Soy, and The Lady ordered the Drunken Noodles (spice level adjusted to 2). The waitress had warned me that if I was going out after, I should put a napkin in my shirt because of all the slurping I was getting ready to do. I should've listened (shirt is currently sitting in the wash with spot treatment).
Rai Lay prides itself on serving truly authentic Thai dishes, served the way they would be in Thailand. The Kao Soy came out in a metal bowl with a side of spiced chili oil, and our waitress told me to squeeze the lime and mix it all together. The result was this awesomely sweet, slightly spicy dish that had crispy shallots, an amazing broth, noodles, and marinated chicken. I could not. stop. eating this stuff. Apparently it's almost impossible to find in NC, let alone the US.
The lady's drunken noodles were ordered with Tofu, which soaked up the flavors perfectly. Hers was more savory than mine, with a more soy type taste to it. The Lady was much better about saving her food for leftovers than I was....
I also ordered a Thai Iced Tea, which is a very sweet Chai tea on steroids. Such a great compliment to our dinners. There's a lack of reviews on a lot of the menu items, and I think it's my personal duty to find out just how delicious they are. So, Rai Lay, I'll be back soon.