Queens Tribune

70-15 Austin St., Forest Hills
(718) 268-1470
CUISINE: Thai
HOURS: Lunch M-F, 12-4 p.m.; Dinner M-Th, 4-10:30 p.m.; Fri 4-11 p.m.; Sat. 12-11 p.m.; Sun. 12-10 p.m.
CREDIT CARDS: All major
PARKING: Street
DELIVERY: $15 minimum

Snuggled between retail stores, salons and a few other restaurants on the commercial strip of Austin Street in Forest Hills, Thai Austin’s bold yellow sign stands out as it soothingly draws you in.

As you descend a level from the street, what catches your eye immediately about this restaurant are the many tropical trees used to decorate the dining room. A friendly hostess greets you immediately and offers you a choice in your seating – you can sit along the wall of two-tops that runs from the front of the restaurant all the way to the back, or choose a table for four close to the bar.

We immediately were offered drinks, which we did not hesitate to order. The Lychee Saketini was a refreshing way to wind down from the day, offering the sweet taste of lychee, lime and sake, garnished with a piece of lychee fruit. My date chose to have Sake-tub-tim, a combination of sake, lime and strawberry puree, which she described as perfectly sweet, and very light.

The menu offers a wide variety of dishes, ranging from a few traditional Thai dishes to many dishes offered with modern twists. A look around the dining room suggests that if nothing else, this will be an aesthetically pleasing experience as all the dishes on others’ tables are presented very artistically.

For starters, my date and I tried Koong Sarong ($6), an explosion of textures with shrimp wrapped in crispy wheat noodles over cucumber salad in a tangy sweet and hot sauce, all served in a martini glass. We moved on to Thai Mussel Cocktail ($6), steamed mussels served over napa with ginger, peanuts, red onions, bits of lime peel and a lemongrass dipping sauce. Finally, the Curry Puffs ($5) arrived, offering us a tantalizing combination of chicken, onions, and potatoes wrapped in a puffed pastry that was quite light.

For our main course we tried Koong Mamuang ($14), fried jumbo shrimp with glass noodles, served with onions and scallions in a spicy, yet sweet mango sauce that boasted of chunks of mango. We also had Siam Duck ($14), sliced crispy duck served with basil, chili, onions and bell peppers. The duck was incredibly tender, with the perfect amount of skin and not very fatty at all. The presentation for these dishes was incredible, with peppers shaped like lilies and basil leaves made to look like gardenias. The combination of color, texture, smell and taste did all the things good food does—satisfy.

We finished up our meal with a Thai Pancake ($3), which the chefs brought out themselves (I was not surprised to learn that the chefs are women, given the beauty of each dish that landed on my table). The pancake, made of wheat rolled with butter, was flaky, soft and a perfect ending to the meal. It was garnished with condensed milk, chocolate sauce and fresh strawberries, so beautifully arranged, that taking the first bite felt wrong.

The service was great in this place; no sense of attitude from any of the servers or being rushed, which is sometimes found in this area. Thai Austin is a great, affordable restaurant, and something very unique in the area that should be checked out by everyone.