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Restaurants serving authentic Thai food are few and far between in Oshawa — so, the owner of Ayothaya Thai Kitchen is excited to be bringing big flavours and no small amount of spice to the city.

The new restaurant, located at 300 Taunton Rd. E., celebrated a grand opening on April 13.

Ayothaya took over space formerly occupied by Malinee’s Thai House, which recently relocated to Ajax.

“Our food is authentic Thai food,” says Ayothaya Thai Kitchen owner Akkranut Kulsirithong, noting the restaurant is named for an ancient city in Thailand.

The restaurant's chef learned Thai cooking from her grandmother and has spent years perfecting recipes.

Kulsirithong says it’s no surprise that noodle dishes like pad thai and pad see ew are already very popular with customers.

What other menu items are in-demand?

Kulsirithong says customers are fond of the spicy lemongrass tom yum soup; khao soi, a north Thai spicy curry with egg noodles; namtok, which is grilled beef with a sour and spicy dressing; and yum woo sen, glass noodles mixed with pork or seafood.

Most dishes at the restaurant come with several spice level options, from mild to spicy — there’s also “Thai spicy” for those who can handle it.

“Thai people like spicy food, so watch out when you order Thai spicy,” Kulsirithong warns. “For anyone who is not familiar with Thai food I can say that it is one of the unique foods in the world. You may have your new favourite food after you try it once.”

We want to hear about your favourite places to eat in Durham! Old favourites, hidden gems, new restaurants opening, awesome food trucks. Send your great eats to reporter Jillian Follert at jfollert@durhamregion.com

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