Drunken noodles, red curry, sticky rice a hit at Lyeh Thai in Akron | Local Flavor

I've seen some social media posts among acquaintances that say the best Thai food in Akron is at Lyeh Thai Restaurant, located in the former Parasson's building in North Hill, so I decided to check it out.

My dining companions were my sister, Katie, who also hadn't been there before, and my daughter Elise, who enjoyed food from Lyeh Thai's former takeout-only spot with her cross-country team years ago.

Lyeh Thai owners Rot Sorn and husband Mehm Hapo opened their North Main Street restaurant as their second location in 2020, across from the former Summa St. Thomas Hospital. Sorn's sister, Yin Shwe, helps run the restaurant.

The couple's first, takeout-only eatery on East Tallmadge Avenue in North Hill has since closed.

Sorn and Hapo, who are members of the Mon ethnic group of Myanmar, came to the United States in 2004 as refugees. They lived in Thailand before immigrating to the U.S.

On a recent Friday night, the dining room was quiet, with just our table and one more occupied. Sorn, who said the bulk of the restaurant's business is still takeout, indicated that the dining room hasn't quite caught on.

The space looks a bit drab inside with the old Parasson's stucco walls and dark wood interior trim. But the Lyeh Thai owners have added some Thai art including small tapestries.

It's too bad the dining room isn't drawing many sit-down customers, though, because Lyeh Thai's food is very good.

Appetizers and entrees offer chance to get adventurous

We started out with a plate of four spring rolls ($6.99) made with potato, cabbage and shredded carrots and served with a tasty sweet chili sauce. This was a fun entrée into our Thai meal.

I decided to be adventurous and order something I've never heard of before: Burmese tea salad ($8.99). This crunchy salad is made with chopped tea leaves blended with vinegar and oil, crispy beans, tomatoes, nuts (including peanuts) and other "Burmese ingredients," the menu says, along with white rice.

I couldn't wrap my mind around the flavors, which included a vinegary taste and what Katie described as woody-tasting nuts. I agreed with her about the woody taste.

Although this salad wasn't my "cup of tea," it was still worth it to try some world cuisine that was new to me. My husband also enjoyed the leftovers, which were still crispy the next day.

For my entree, I also ordered something new to me: tom mama soup. It's made with thin, wavy Mama noodles, lemon grass and chili paste, featuring a comforting red broth that wasn't too spicy. I chose shrimp as a protein but diners can get ground pork or ground chicken for the same price of $8.99.

The noodles were so long and wavy, I had a hard time eating them with a spoon, so I switched to twisting them around my fork.

I was enthused that my soup was served in a beautiful single-serving pot with a cover. I really wished I could take that pretty little pot home.

Elise was satisfied with her drunken noodles, made with stir-fried spaghetti noodles, carrots, green beans, basil leaves, chili and red bell pepper with chicken. Her entree was served on a cool, wavy-looking white plate.

For some extra kick, she added some chili paste from our table condiments. I got to sample her dish and thought it had a nice zest.

The four condiments along the wall at our table were the chili paste, chili flakes, hoisin sauce and a chili vinegar sauce.

The red curry that Katie ordered actually had a yellow color because Sorn said the restaurant makes the dish with Thai traditional green curry paste. We don't think we fully understood Sorn's explanation, but boy was this entree good.

Thai red curry is generally known to be on the mild side, and Lyeh Thai's had a rich, creamy taste. The dish's other ingredients are coconut milk, bamboo shoots, peas, basil leaves and red pepper.

"It has a little aftertaste that I wasn't expecting," Katie said. "I wouldn't call it spicy, but it had a little zing."

Dessert options and other menu items

Lyeh Thai's menu, expanded from its early take-out shop days, includes sushi, chicken wings, dumplings, fried rice varieties, papaya salad, seafood salad, pho, miso soup, steamed fish, pan-fried fish, cashew chicken and much more.

For dessert, I knew I couldn't resist trying mango sticky rice topped with toasted sesame seeds ($4.99). It was a thoroughly delicious way to top off our big Thai meal. The sweetness was just right with this dessert's coconut sauce and fresh mango.

Other desserts were sticky rice ice cream and banana fried with ice cream. Lyeh Thai also offers five flavors of bubble tea.

At Lyeh Thai, most of the entrees cost $8.99 or $9.99, and nothing on the menu costs more than $12.99 (pan-fried fish). The prices are great, and my dinner companions and I agreed that we definitely recommend trying this authentically flavorful food.

Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

Details

Restaurant: Lyeh Thai Restaurant

Address: 501 N. Main St., Akron

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, closed Monday

Information: 234-678–0481 or orderlyehthairesturant.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: In the mood for Thai? Try authentic flavors of Akron's Lyeh Thai