By Tess Malijenovsky
If you’re looking to take a date on a winning Thai restaurant experience, take her to Amata Thai Fusion. She’ll be pleased with its elegant Thai-Vietnamese atmosphere (despite its unseemly location next to Kmart in the Beaufort Town Center) and mood-setting music with, for example, UK trip-hop artists like RJD2. Order the Love Me Long Time Ribs and One Night in Bangkok specials, followed by the one-of-a-kind coffee cake, and you’re guaranteed satisfaction.

[caption id="attachment_6503" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="One Night in Bangkok."]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/bangkok.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-6503" title="bangkok" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/bangkok-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a>[/caption]

Lunch Bunch had the pleasure of trying a variety of Amata appetizers like the golden and crispy Spring Rolls and Crab Wontons The juicy, marinated Chicken Satay served with a peanut sauce and cucumber salad was thinly sliced for sharing. And if you have a hankering for shrimp, try their deep fried marinated shrimp coated in coconut and Thai spices.
Along with the many traditional Thai dishes we love and can rely on — curries, Pad Thai, Tom Kha soup, pineapple fried rice, etc. — Amata’s owner, Dechpong Tocharen, hand-selected some of the restaurant’s top specials listed on a black board: One Night in Bangkok, Love Me Long Time Ribs and the Flying Dragon. It’s to be noted that these dishes are as steamy as they sound and highly recommended.
Buck went for One Night in Bangkok, a medley of ground chicken and colorful veggies surrounding a rice mound centerpiece topped with an egg. The combination had a special sauce with just the right bite for those who like it spicy.
Now, when I dine Thai, I wouldn’t usually go for a rib dish, but the Love Me Long

[caption id="attachment_6504" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Flying Dragon."]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/flying-dragon.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-6504" title="flying dragon" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/flying-dragon-300x198.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="198" /></a>[/caption]

Time Ribs were amazing! The meat was moist, falling off the bone and coated with a finger-licking sauce over a rice mound. Let’s just put it this way, the boys at the table next to us said they’d be ordering the ribs at their next weekly visit.
I also tried the Flying Dragon and Pho’ beef soup. Granted, this was my first time trying deep fried soft shell crab, but I loved the Flying Dragon. What I can guarantee is unique about Amata’s version of soft shell crab is their Thai sauce that complemented the crispy crab delicacy wonderfully. The Pho’ is served with a side dish of bean sprouts, cilantro, jalapeños and lime that’s added per your taste to the noodle soup. I liked that the beef was still rosy in the center boosting its flavor as well as its broth. What looks exotic has a simply great taste.

[caption id="attachment_6505" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="New coffee cake dessert."]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/coffee-cake.jpg"><img class="size-thumbnail wp-image-6505" title="coffee cake" src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/coffee-cake-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a>[/caption]

Lunch Bunch was honored to be the first people to sample Amata’s brand new featured dessert — a reinvention of the Coffee Cake. This isn’t the coffee cake your grandfather ate for breakfast. We’re talking about a homemade two-layered coffee-flavored cake with creamy icing, notes of caramel, topped with almonds and garnished with fresh whipped cream, strawberries and chocolate drizzle. A must-try dessert!
If you haven’t been in a while or have yet to try it, rekindle your palate at Amata Thai Fusion. Located at 2127 Boundary Street, Suite #2, Beaufort, SC, 29902. Open Mondays-Thursdays 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., and 5 to 9 p.m.; Fridays, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m.; Saturdays, 12 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m.; closed Sundays. Call 843-379-9197 or visit www.amatathaifusion.com.