Same Old Space, Fresh New Everything: Rum Thai Opens on Colby
If you remember Jasmine Thai in downtown Everett, located next to Eight Ball Cafe, then you know where Rum Thai is located. Rum Thai, while still a Thai restaurant (obviously) has a whole new everything.
Right next to Eight Ball Cafe // Garret Hunt
Ryan Crowther from Everett Music Initiative first mentioned Rum Thai to me in 2021, “Have you tried Rum Thai yet? It’s delicious, I’ve already been a dozen times!” Ryan shared. I don’t know if I recall Ryan ever being so excited to recommend somewhere before, so I definitely took note.
Last week I finally had the perfect excuse to meet a friend for lunch there. I hadn’t been to Jasmine Thai for a while, so I couldn’t remember exactly what had changed, but the vibe definitely felt fresh to me. Clay-style pots and beautiful photographs and paintings are thoughtfully placed throughout the small space.
Tea Time // Garret Hunt
We were greeted warmly and served delicious tea. My lunch buddy, yogi Roy Holman, had Pad Thai, which includes stir-fried thin rice noodles with egg, bean sprouts, red onions, green onions, chives, tamarind sauce and crushed peanuts. Roy gave it two thumbs up. Not literally, but he remarked multiple times how good it was, so we’re calling it a win. It certainly looked delicious!
Pad Thai // Garret Hunt
I ordered Massamum Curry, which is a frequent go-to for me. My protein options included chicken, pork, tofu, beef, or shrimp. I opted for the tofu, which turned out to be an excellent choice. The curry was perfectly flavorful and exactly what I hoped for with 3 stars on the spiciness scale. The peanuts were generous as were the perfectly cooked potatoes and onions. At first I didn’t think it looked like a very large portion, but it definitely ended up being two meals for sure (Though as you may know, I do have a bit of a reputation for not being a “big” eater). The curry to rice ratio also seemed proper.
Massamum Curry // Garret Hunt
I noticed Rum Thai had a pretty vast menu, so I was curious to follow up with Ryan to see what he likes to order. “The noodle dishes are really good. The Pad See Yew (#30, stir-fried wide rice noodles with egg, Chinese broccoli, and carrots) and the wide noodle dishes (which can be found under the “Street Food” section of the menu) in particular are super fire. The papaya salads are both delicious. And I'd recommend the Coconut sticky rice as well,” he shared.
There are a lot of other dishes I’m excited to try here. We chatted with the owner a little bit. There was a bit of a language barrier, but it sounded like things had been slow for them. I told him (Ning, I believe his name was) that we’d try and help spread the word. Stop by to say goodbye to Jasmine Thai, an old friend, and to say hello to a new one.
Rum Thai
2725 Colby Ave
Everett, WA 98201
(425) 263-9712
Garret is the co-founder + CEO of Live in Everett. He’s also journeying toward wholeness at GarretHunt.com.
