Thai Fusion Restaurant

Just a few short months ago, on what was one of many shopping trips to the 28th and Broadmoor area of Grand Rapids my wife and I discovered a new sign over what used to be the Adriatic restaurant and bar. 'Thai Fusion' it said, and certainly piqued both of our interests, as good Thai food is a rare breed of restaurant in the Grand Rapids area.

As we were out this evening trying to find some place to eat, a place that we either hadn't been to in a while, or somewhere we haven't been to at all, I remembered 'Thai Fusion' and drove by to see if they were open; indeed they were!

This being a Saturday evening, nearly 8 PM, there were a few groups of people and some couples seated inside, all seeming to be enjoying what they were eating. The restaurant is very nicely decorated and is large enough to handle a good sized dining crowd. We were greeted and immediately seated. Our server, Jenny, was very attentive and friendly and took care of us quite well throughout the dining experience.

We started with some soft drinks and instead of just getting the usual Spring Rolls, we ordered the 'Combo Appetizer' ($10.99), which included (2 ea) : Fried Tofu, Crab Wontons, Spring Rolls, Chicken Satay, Pineapple Skewers and Crispy Shrimp, with plum and peanut sauce for dipping. A small hibachi grill was at the center of the platter for grilling your pineapple, a novel touch to what is invariably a lackluster treat at most other dining establishments. Everything on the platter was excellent, and while I'm not generally a fan of peanut sauce, this was actually very tasty, and when Jenny discovered we liked it and were ordering our food spicy, she brought us out some spicy peanut sauce which really gave it the kick it should have.

We also ordered the Tom Yum soup for two with Chicken ($5.99) This was brought to the table towards the end of our appetizer platter. It is served in a rather large aluminum serving dish with a lit Sterno in the center to keep the soup piping hot. There is plenty of soup in this dish and it could easily feed four people dining together, especially if everyone is getting an entree.

As we were finishing our soup, Jenny brought out the rice and serving plates, and a few minutes later she brought out our entree's. Kris and I both have our favorite Thai dishes, and will usually order them when we try a Thai restaurant, as a way to gauge how good the food is. As we ordered our soup a 'Medium' spice level, we did the same for our entree's. Every Thai restaurant is different in how they interpret the 'spice scale', so Medium is a good place to start (if you like it spicy) when trying a Thai place for the first time. Kris ordered the Sweet and Sour (not breaded), ($9.25, with Chicken) and I ordered the Gang Gai ($9.50, with Beef).

Both entrees were seasoned to perfection and the serving size was more than enough and served with plenty of Jasmine rice. The Sweet and Sour is a blend of Pineapple chunks, Spanish onions, carrots, red and green bell peppers in a Thai style sweet and sour sauce. Kris said this was the best she has had in a very long time of eating this particular dish. The Gang Gai, which by name should be served with Chicken, I ordered with beef instead, as I normally do. This dish combines bamboo strips, mushrooms, Spanish onions, red and green bell peppers in a red Thai curry sauce. The spice level could have been just a bit warmer for what I'm used to, but like I said, every Thai place is different with how they spice their foods, but the lack of warmth did not affect the robust flavors of this dish, not at all.

In conclusion, we each left with enough food to have a light lunch tomorrow, soup too! Oh, and something I have yet to see any other Thai place in the Grand Rapids area serve with your meal, 'Shrimp Chips'. Common to Thai places we frequent on the east side of the state of Michigan, Shrimp Chips, or Krupuk as it is know in SE Asia, are deep fried crackers made from starch and other ingredients that usually give the taste they are named for. They are very light, crispy and fun to eat, if you go, make sure to try them!

This is definitely our new favorite Thai restaurant in the Grand Rapids area. If you're a fan of Thai food, or even if you're not, you've got to check this place out! You won't be disappointed.