Review: Thai food and sushi restaurant's sweet and salty flavors will leave you smiling

Maribeth Renne
·2 min read

Stepping away from the loud hustle and bustle of U.S. 1 in Sebastian, we entered the sweet, whimsical restaurant that is Thai Smile Restaurant.

Baby blues, soft white clouds and a twinkle-light-enrobed tree brought about feelings of relaxation while colorful Asian-themed decorations generously sprinkled throughout gave rise to smiles. Our smiles did not falter as our hostess, doubling as waitress, warmly greeted us and invited us to take any open table in the L-shaped dining room, or seats at the sizeable bar.

Exotic teas arrived just moments after ordering. Creamy, ice-cold Thai iced tea ($3.95) and mango-blueberry bubble tea ($4.95) refreshed while awakening our taste buds.

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Thai Smile Restaurant in Sebastian is sweet and whimsical. You’ll see baby blues, soft white clouds and a twinkle-light-enrobed tree while colorful Asian-themed decorations are generously sprinkled throughout.
Thai Smile Restaurant in Sebastian is sweet and whimsical. You’ll see baby blues, soft white clouds and a twinkle-light-enrobed tree while colorful Asian-themed decorations are generously sprinkled throughout.

With several pages, the menu is formidable, with both Thai and Japanese influences. We seemed to lose ourselves in the appetizers section. Each item sounded better than the one before. We finally chose crispy crab rangoons ($6.95) stuffed with cream cheese, crab and flavors of carrot and onion.

Two fresh rolls ($6.95) featuring tofu and veggies, including cucumber and shredded lettuce, wrapped in softened rice paper, were so deliciously enlivened when dipped in the special house sauce and crushed peanuts.

The vegetable sushi platter ($15.95) was beautiful and tasty. It’s truly amazing what a lovely dish can be created from prepared vinegared sushi rice, also called "shari" or "sumeshi," and an assortment of vegetables, seafood or meat. Served with delicate pink slices of pickled ginger, wasabi and an orange slice, this sushi platter was a work of art. 

At Thai Smile Restaurant in Sebastian, the tom kar soup is sweet and sour with a coconut milk broth.
At Thai Smile Restaurant in Sebastian, the tom kar soup is sweet and sour with a coconut milk broth.

We love the combination of sweet and tangy, and a bowl of tom khar soup ($6.95) certainly checks off all the boxes. Enjoy your choice of vegetables, chicken or shrimp in Thai coconut milk seasoned with galangal, lime juice, mushroom, onions, scallions, tomatoes and cilantro.

Sweet and salty flavors abound in the popular pad Thai dish ($13.95), which my guest enjoyed with tofu. Rice noodles are stir-fried with bean sprouts, scallions, egg and crushed peanuts with a sauce mostly comprised of fish sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar and tamarind. She raved about this dish.

Sticking with the sweet and salty trend, mango fried rice with beef ($15.95) was a winner for another guest. Fried rice with onions, scallions, green peas, carrots and egg is such a comforting dish. The additions of mango and beef lended delicious and interesting flavors.

Overall, our meal at Thai Smile Restaurant was a happy dining experience. No frowning here.

At Thai Smile Restaurant in Sebastian, the fresh rolls are enlivened by a special house sauce and chopped peanuts for dipping.
At Thai Smile Restaurant in Sebastian, the fresh rolls are enlivened by a special house sauce and chopped peanuts for dipping.

Thai Smile Restaurant

  • Cuisine: Asian

  • Address: 709 U.S. 1, Sebastian

  • Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday; noon to 9 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday; closed Tuesday

  • Phone: 772-571-5973

  • Online: thaismileandsushifl.com

  • Alcohol: Beer, sake, wine

Maribeth Renne dines anonymously at the expense of TCPalm. Contact her at maribeth.d.renne@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Restaurant review: Thai Smile and sushi in Sebastian is sweet and salty