Bites Nearby: Yum Yum Thai

Yum Yum Thai (great name, that) has been in the same spot for the last 16 years, on Lawrenceville Highway near the junction of Fellowship Road. It has developed a solid reputation and a bunch of regulars who keep coming back.

"Some families grow up with Thai food," Nuchanat Goonsantiviboon, the charming owner, told me. She pointed to a couple of elderly patrons sitting a few tables away who have been coming for lunch every single Friday since 2005. I resisted the temptation to go over and ask them the reason. They seemed so content, sharing nary a word, reading their papers and consuming some obviously tasty food.

About that food. I had the Drunken Noodles ($6.95) which was hot in more ways than one. You can, of course, request mild or medium as well, or, as it says in the menu, extremely hot. It came with either a nice, crunchy spring roll or the ubiquitous coconut soup. I asked for both. Good plan.

There are other noodle dishes to be had, at the same price, such as Pad See Ew and Pad Thai, all variations on the same theme and equally good. I've had them all at one time or another.

They have what they call "Famous Thai Curries" ($6.95) such as Red, Panang, Massaman, Wild and Green. Take your pick. There's a long list of "Authentic Chef Specials" that are served with steamed Thai jasmine rice and include Spicy Catfish ($11.25), Red Curry Duck ($14.25), Basil Squid ($10.75) and Pla Lad Prig (seasonal price). The latter is a fillet or whole fish with "sweet, sour and spicy sauce." Sounds intriguing. 

For dessert I had a Banana Delight ($2.75) which is fried, wrapped in rice paper, covered in honey with sesame seeds on top. Outstanding.

The menu is full of other potential delights that I haven't mentioned, such as soups, salads and appetizers, so you'll just have to go and see for yourselves. Another thing - on their most recent health inspection from the county, the restaurant scored a perfect 100.

recently won in Tucker. Goonsantiviboon said how pleased she was about this and how she looked forward to putting the framed certificate up on the wall, alongside all the other awards she and her late husband gathered over the years. These include Creative Loafing, City Search, Knife and Fork, Atlanta Journal Constitution and Atlanta Magazine. 

Well deserved.

Yum Yum Thai is located in the Town Square Shopping Center at 3977 Lawrenceville Hwy Tucker, GA 30084 Tel: 770-496-0307. Full menu, hours, and other details can be found here.

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