Detroit Free Press March 20, 2006
MATT HELMS
CHEAP EATS | LUNCH OF DINNER FOR $12 OR LESS
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Amarin Thai is a Great Find
THE VIBE: My cohorts and I didn't expect to find a reliable new option for Thai food in Warren, thinking this part of Macomb County is more about workaday diners and big chain eateries than locally owned, come-back-for-more Asian fare.
So we were pleased to find in Amarin Thai Cuisine an affordable gem of a place in a strip mall on 12 Mile west of Hoover.
Open just over a year now, the restaurant's interior is sparkling clean, the wooden tables in booths on a patio-like interior deck still shiny. The décor is a stylish mix of modern lighting and Thai knickknacks. Our server explained menu options and suggested, if we were of modest appetite, to try sizable lunch plates rather than much larger dinner sizes, both available all day. And the food? It's remarkably fresh and flavorful but with a light touch.
THE CHOW: We began with appetizers of spring rolls - good, hot and deep-fried. Everything else was well above par. A cup of Tom Yum soup came in a zesty broth chock full of mushrooms, onions, green pepper and tomatoes. It could have been served warmer but was still delicious. We were all surprised to see that even those of us who'd selected lunch-sized meals were given ample plates of the noodle or rice dishes we'd ordered. In my Pad Thai (I stuck with a familiar dish) all the noodles, shrimp, green onion, bean sprouts, and crushed peanuts looked so much more vivid and robust than at other Thai restaurants I've tried. The first bite assured me it was true: fresh ingredients in a lighter dose of the traditional sauce. The abundant lunch portion was with shrimp plus more for extra chicken. One companion ordered Pad Se'ew: sautéed noodles with broccoli, egg and bean sprouts in a light sweet-and-spicy brown sauce with shrimp. The broccoli was fresh and the shrimp and chicken ample.The two others with me, not familiar with Thai food, opted for rice dishes.
His was Pad Cashew with chicken, cashews, water chestnuts, onions, and celery stir-fried with a mildly sweet, punchy brown sauce. Hers was Thai fried rice with chicken, egg, peas, diced carrots and onions with a similar sauce. Both ordered medium spice level; he found it not hot enough, but it was a bit much for her. Pick the spice level wisely. The other diner and I ordered our meals at mild plus, knowing that mild can range from barely noticeable to tolerably peppery, and both dishes could have used a bit more.
THE TAB: Four people ate for just below what it costs to feed three people at the Cheap Eats.
DETAILS: Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. Credit cards are accepted, and the restaurant is wheelchair accessible.
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