Like a lot of great hidden gems, TupTim Thai is tucked away in a less than impressive strip of shops that include a smoke shop, but even the exterior of TupTim is attractive, colorful, warm and inviting. There is something odd about the directional arrows in the parking lot but this isn’t an article about traffic engineering right? This is about sticky, sweet, maybe spicy Thai food that warms your belly going down.
When you enter the clean, warmly lit dining room, you’re always taken care of right away. I’ll go ahead and say the service here is pretty much 5-star. They are well staffed and always eager to wait on you for your every need. Somehow I always seat facing the tv that is showing some kind of fascinating foodie tourism channel for Thailand. I’ve got to ask what this channel is. It’s almost as mesmerizing as Brunswick Eats! No volume. Just eye candy like so much of the decor.
Ice water is brought to your table right away as the waiter takes your drink order. You’re always treated with so much respect here. Kind of a rarity these days. A cool tablet is brought to your table for ordering where every dish is depicted with beautiful product photography, so if you’re not so familiar with Thai cuisine you can order with your eyes! You can’t go wrong. All of this is quickly followed by the complimentary Thai clear broth to whet your appetite.
Thai Food at its Finest
If you’ve never been here, and you’re a finger food person like we are, get the TupTim Sampler appetizer plate. That’s exactly what we did our first time and their Spring Rolls, Crab Rangoon and steamed dumplings are all par for the course and excellent. If you’re ordering a meal and maybe only have room for one appetizer, there is a part of this sampler that we keep coming back to time and again: the TupTim rolls.
I’m writing this review on a chilly December morning at 6 am (don’t ask) and as I write, I am desperately craving these little bundles of deliciousness. What’s up with that??? Wrapped in rice paper, stuffed with shrimp, crab meat, ground pork, dry mushrooms, carrots and scallions then lightly fried, I could eat a million of these. The peanut dipping sauce should legally come with a straw. Don’t miss these!
It’s hard for us to go to any Thai restaurant and not get the Pad Thai. There are some conflicting reports of the origin of Pad Thai. Some say it was brought to Thailand by Chinese immigrants in the 20th Century while others say it was older and promoted as a form of nation building following a rice shortage a hundred years ago. We don’t know, but we just love the simple, sweet stir fry rice noodles with ground peanuts, egg, scallion and bean sprouts. TupTim’s Pad Thai is rock solid and will not disappoint.
For a few years in my rambunctious youth, I fancied myself a lacto-pecto vegetarian. Not sure why, but one thing those years did do for me was to broaden my palette immensely. It was then I developed a love of tofu. It’s really only something I order out, and, on the day we came here for our food photography, that’s exactly what I did.
While Cassie was enjoying her Pad Thai with chicken, I set forth on the Spicy Basil Fried Rice: stir fried jasmine rice with Thai basil, carrots, bell peppers, snow peas, onions and chili paste. The generous hunks of golden tofu soaked up and perfectly complimented the flavors of the stir fry. I gotta say it wasn’t too spicy so fear not. Delicious either way.
Be sure to save room for Thai Custard Sticky Rice or Fried Banana Coins: fresh banana cut up into bite sized pieces, wrapped in wonton wrappers, deep fried and topped with honey and sesame seeds. Oh my.
TUPTIM THAI
250 Golden Isles Pkwy, Brunswick, GA 31525
Mon-Sat 11am-3pm then 5-9pm
Closed Sunday
www.tuptimthaibrunswick.com
$10-20pp