| rev:text
| - As I was dining the other night at Ty Fun Thai Bistro, I realized the restaurant fits a category that's kind of on the rare side for Cleveland. It's not a dive bar/restaurant (plenty of those around) but it also isn't a "wow" restaurant that brings with it some sense of pretentiousness (Which seems like almost every place that's started up in the past 5 years).
No, Ty Fun is right in the middle with the relaxing atmosphere, very decent prices and welcoming dishes of a dive but with better care and thought put into the food.
The seating with run-of-the-mill chairs, tables and booths are slightly crowded but the staff is conscious of spreading out the sets of customers as much as possible while the replicated classic paintings get you in the mood for Thai food.
We had the Crispy Cup appetizer ($7.50) which consisted of six small pastry cups filled with diced chicken, shrimp, corn and curry powder. The chicken on its own could use more seasoning but as a whole it is quite tasty and I enjoyed the contrast of texture between the crispy cup and the soft insides.
For main courses, I had the Massaman Curry with chicken ($15). The sauce was a nice consistency and aromatic. The portion size was just right with plenty of chicken, potatoes and red pepper, though I wouldn't have complained if there was more of the perfectly cooked rice. The potatoes, on the other hand, were on the razor's edge of being undercooked but that was my only complaint.
If Pad Thai is on the menu, my wife will get it (except at Bac where Pho has to be the choice) and it was no different at Ty Fun. She said the Pad Thai with chicken ($14) was enjoyable though she wasn't exactly raving about it.
We did not save room for dessert this time, but I remember previously being blown away by a Key Lime Cheesecake. Yes, I'll definitely have to look that up again.
I also appreciated the drink menu with it's Pacific slant. There are beers from Thailand and China and wines from Australia and New Zealand while most of the specialty cocktails had citrus elements. We enjoyed how our cocktails each had at least four elements but did not taste muddled.
For me, Ty Fun is a great place to have a relaxing Sunday dinner or maybe to unwind during the week.
|