Taster Twins Try Thai!

Looking for a place to celebrate a birthday lunch, we serendipitously ended up at the newly opened Brown Sugar Fine Thai Cuisine nestled in the middle of downtown Lakewood. Occupying the space of the short-lived Somethin's Smokin' restaurant, the space has been transformed into a clean, tranquil looking dining room with simple decor which belies the intricate recipes served there. The menu is extensive, with seemingly endless choices! To compound the bounty of options, most of the dishes can be customized to your personal heat preference (or tolerance). Each member of the accommodating and gracious staff was nonplussed by having to explain the menu items and make note of the personal variations.

Because of the high ceilings, the dining room can become almost cacophonous with the echoing of patrons' conversations. Nonetheless, the cheerful staff never missed a beat delivering the multitude of appetizers, entrees, and desserts we ordered. The meal began with a piping hot cup of soup, scrumptious potstickers (of course, everything is delicious when wrapped in a noodle), fresh rice paper rolls (which we thought had too high of a cabbage to vermicelli ratio), and tasty shumai (another noodle wrapped treat). Yes, we were full before our entrees were served, but we pressed on and enjoyed scallops with crisp, colorful vegetables and a fantastic seafood noodle soup. Also at our table was a salmon curry, which we feared would be too spicy for our delicate sensibilities, because the menu displayed a double pepper symbol next to this item (but the kitchen kindly toned down the heat level as requested). The creaminess and richness of the curry sauce mitigated the spiciness and the dish was quite delicious, with the salmon perfectly prepared.

Despite the generous amount of food on our table and in our bellies, we could not resist ordering the mango with sticky rice and the won-ton wrapped fried bananas drizzled with chocolate for dessert. What a fortuitous decision! We cannot adequately praise the true pleasure of these decadent delights. From start to finish, Brown Sugar Thai Cuisine did not disappoint. We hope that their brand new Lakewood location is here to stay.