In the two years since he opened Rice in the historic section of Roswell, restaurant owner Kris Boonruang discovered an interesting fact: About 40 percent of his diners worked in the Sandy Springs area. Almost daily, he found himself delivering catered lunches to customers in that vicinity.

"These are people who don't have time to get to Roswell for lunch, " Boonruang said. "So, I started looking for a small place in this area. Almost immediately, Boonruang found a former deli space in the Hammond Center at 1155 Hammond Drive, Two months ago, he quietly opened the doors of Rice Thai Cafe, a combination quick lunch or dinner spot with a to-go market on the side.

Guests place their orders for soups, salads and Thai-inspired entrees at the counter, and the hot foods are delivered to their tables. On the way out , they can pick up prepackaged curries, fresh produce and fruit juices.

The main menu items, priced from $7.50 to $8.99, include grilled chicken with red or green curry sauce; Thai stir-fry noodles with shrimp or chicken; beef in a basil sauce; salmon with a roasted chili sauce; fried or curried rice; and stir-fries of chicken, beef, shrimp, vegetables or tofu.

The selection changes seasonally, the spring offerings are heavy on Asian herbs and Thai eggplants, pumpkins, fancy peppers, mangoes and more.