There are so many Thai/Japanese restaurants around Broward and Palm Beach counties serving the same exact menu that they may as well all be photocopies. With nothing to differentiate them but their cutesy names (Too Too Thai or Bo Thai or Thai One On, etc.), there's little to draw you into one over another. Still, when I spotted Anny's Thai, a small restaurant tucked into a strip mall in Coral Springs, the boutique eatery looked like it might have some potential. The upfront
sushi bar is lit smartly at night, with black stools in front of it for a front stage show. And the menu actually has
some diversity -- yes, it features the ubiquitous meekrobs, pad Thais,
and red curries but also plenty of Thai-inspired salads, seared wahoo
dishes, and even sushi made with fruit.
Owner Anny Hongnopkhun is ever-present at the front of the restaurant, making sushi to order or
chatting up her guests. Hongnopkhun previously worked at Jasmine Thai
in Margate -- she's sweet, charming, and is the real draw at her 4-year-old restaurant. Unfortunately, the food I tried tasted more
like it came from Cheney Brothers than an authentic Thai restaurant.
Panang curry ($16.95) had plenty of crunchy green beans and basil, but
the shrimp was overcooked and the sauce bland, oily, and runny. A
seared wahoo salad ($8.95) looked like a messy pile of roughly cut fish
being violated by a too-liberal splaying of soggy tempura flakes. The
dining room on my visits was empty too, accented by bowls of dollar
store wax fruit and dusty linens. (A recent inspection proved the décor is not the only thing in disrepair.) The prices aren't helping either.
It
hurts to pile on a restaurant so obviously in need of business as
Anny's is, especially when the owner is so sweet. But it's
clear that what Anny's needs is an overhaul if it wants to stand out
from the seas of other Thai restaurants out there.
Anny's Thai and Sushi
10288 W. Sample Road,
Coral Springs 33065
954-575-7900
annysthaiandsushi.com
Price: $$ ($10-$30)
Reservations Not Required
Parking: Lot, Free
Take Out, Beer/Wine
Open for lunch and dinner 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 4:30 to 11 p.m. Saturday, and 4:30 to 10 p.m. Sunday.
