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Health & Fitness

For the Thai Restaurant Newcomer: What to Order on Your First Visit

Haven't eaten at a Thai restaurant before?

In this article, suggestions from Tyrynda Thai Restaurant's Sunny Soncharoen should prove helpful. 

This Thai restaurant's dinner menu has close to 100 items and that's a lot to choose from. But co-founder Sunny Soncharoen, a 40-year veteran in the restaurant business, has made the task of learning about Thai dishes easier for anyone not familiar with Thai food.

The dishes he recommends are not necessarily the most popular dishes offered at the restaurant as they represent his recommendations for best becoming acquainted with Thai cooking.

From 18 appetizers listed on the menu, Sunny narrowed the list of starters to four.

Appetizers for the Thai food newcomer

  • Curry puffs. Onions, potatoes, carrots and peas in flaky pastry with a side of cucumber vinaigrette ($6.95)
  • Grilled beef. With Thai marinade and a side of spicy tamarind sauce ($9.95)
  • Crab cake. A mound of lump crab meat and onions accompanied by yellow corn, lettuce and honey mayonnaise dressing ($9.95)
  • Combo House. A fully loaded, get-acquainted plateful that can be shared by two people. This dish has two Thai crepes, two chicken and shrimp dumplings, a pair of Thai fried shrimp, a small crab cake and a small house salad ($16.95)
Six soups and ten salads are on the menu. Sunny identified  a few especially for the Thai food newcomer. His suggestions include spicy and non-spicy soup and ditto for salad. Here are his recommendations:

Soup and salad for the Thai food newcomer

  • Spicy soup. "Tom Yum Goong." Shrimp stock, shrimp, red peppers, mushrooms and lime juice ($5.75) 
  • Non-spicy soup. "Tom Ka Gai." Chicken, coconut, red peppers mushrooms and lime juice ($5.75)
  • Spicy salad. "Som Tum" (papaya salad). Green papaya, Romaine lettuce, tomato, string beans and peanuts with spicy lime dressing ($8.95)
  • Non-spicy salad. Fried calamari with Romaine lettuce, red onions, tomato and scallions with spicy lime dressing ($8.75)
Sunny selected the following main courses for customers unfamiliar with Thai dishes.

Entrees for the Thai food newcomer

  • Salmon. Grilled salmon served over mixed vegetables with house herb garlic sauce ($19.95)
  • Shrimp. Four jumbo "Phrig Pao" shrimp sauteed in chili paste with bell peppers, onions, cashews and pineapple ($20.75)
  • Grilled chicken. Thai marinated sliced "Gai Yang" chicken breast, a small salad with honey mayonnaise dressing, stick rice and two dipping sauces (spicy tamarind and sweet chili). Papaya salad can be substituted for an additional $3. 
  • Duck. Crispy duck served over mixed vegetables with homemade honey mayonnaise sauce and rice ($21.75) 
  • Striped bass ($17.75), tilapia filet ($17.75) or whole red snapper ($21.75)
This restaurant is Sunny's first venture as an owner. He and his wife Darunee opened Tyrynda Thai Restaurant four-and-one-half years ago replacing Thai Garden Restaurant. 

The eatery is open on Tuesday through Thursday from noon to 9 p.m.; on Friday and Saturday from noon to 10 p.m.; and on Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. It is closed on Monday. Delivery is free for orders over $15 to Sleepy Hollow, Tarrytown, Briarcliff Manor and Irvington.

Located at 128 Cortlandt St., Sleepy Hollow, Tyrynda Thai Restaurant has 24 tables and a parking lot in back (enter the lot from College Ave., and use the Cortlandt St. entrance for the restaurant). Free and metered parking are nearby. 914-524-5003, www.tyryndathai.com.
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