Catch new Thai flavor at Tom Yum resto

Tom Yum Restaurant manager Natalia Guan presents their Thai lunch buffet available Monday to Friday from 11:30am to 2pm for only $12. (Bea Cabrera)

When one hears the word Tom Yum, one immediately thinks of delicious hot and sour Thai soup packed with herbs, spices, vegetables, and seafood or pork. This soup is not only popular in Thailand but also around the world because it is easy to prepare and the mix of ingredients creates a flavor that does not disappoint.

This is the reason why partners Phannee U. Regen and Natalia Guan came up with a Thai restaurant serving the best Tom Yum on the island and naming it after this popular soup.

Being of Thai ethnicity, Regen said cooking is her passion. “Tom Yum is a staple dish in every Thai meal. This soup is considered the national soup of Thailand and in recent years, it has gained recognition internationally making the name easy to recall and that is another reason why we named our restaurant Tom Yum.”

“Aside from our special Tom Yum soup, I consider the rest of the food that we serve are special and authentic Thai may it be seafood, vegetables, pork, beef, and desserts. We have Tom Yum fried rice which is not available anywhere else,” Regen added.

Special Thai dessert mango sticky rice and other authentic Thai desserts are available at Tom Yum Restaurant. (Bea Cabrera)

In an island where tourism is the economic driver, Saipan has been creating an environment that is open for entrepreneurship and according to Guan, this business venture is fueled by friendship and passion to be better people. “We are just simple housewives and we met because we pick up our children that goes to the same school. One time we had this agreement that we can be better, follow [our[ passions,” she said.

“I’m sure in every woman there is always a drive inside her to become better… somedays you wake up thinking what you have accomplished and what you want to accomplish… Phannee and I wanted to stand out and this is our opportunity to see how far we can go,” she added.

A regular customer Roselyn Ajoste of Susupe said that she hasn’t found anything in the menu of Tom Yum Restaurant that she doesn’t like. “Their food is great and I think their fried spring rolls and stir-fried beans with beef are a must have. They have some things on the menu that I haven’t seen in other Thai restaurants such as the green curry fried rice.”

Tom Yum Restaurant welcomes parties and celebrations as they have space at the restaurant to accommodate them. 9Bea Cabrera)

Getting another chef to take care of non-Thai food menu is part of their future plans. “We plan to expand our menu to hamburgers, pasta, and steak so we can cater to a wider range of customers. We also have happy hour starting at 5pm where we serve Budweiser beer,” Guan said.

Tom Yum Restaurant is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 10pm and lunch buffet is available from 11:30am to 2pm for only $12.

“We welcome parties and celebrations in the restaurant as we have adult and children corner and we have ample space of parking for customers,” Guan added.

Tom Yum Restaurant is located at the ground floor of Paradise Hotel along Middle Road. For more information, call (670) 488-2963 or look them up on Facebook and type Tom Yum Restaurant.