Tokyo Thai freshens Oldest City’s sushi scene

By Kerry Takach | gargoyle@flagler.edu

New restaurant Tokyo Thai pulled Flagler students Adrienne Sutton and Ellen Gambrell away from their usual sushi haunt, at least for one night. Located on Anastasia Island in the Publix shopping center, the restaurant’s menu describes it as a Thai and Japanese sushi and grill. There to compare it to favorite Fusion, senior Sutton and junior Gambrell junior ignored the Thai and grill descriptions.

Sutton and Gambrell were seated immediately, which was nice considering it was 7:30 on a Friday night. While reading the menu, Sutton looked up and said, “This is so freaking cheap. They have $2 soups and salads. It’s ridiculous.” While not everything on the menu is under $5, the budget friendly options are perfect for students and anyone else that is worried about making it through the week on what little is left in their wallet.

The table chose edamame, steamed soybeans, to start. When it arrived, Sutton and Gambrell shared salt dispensing duties understanding the importance of perfectly coated edamame.

Gambrell thought they were treated very well. “Service was really quick for such a busy night, prompt, and the server kept coming to check up on us,” she said.

Between the appetizer and shared entrees, Sutton and Gambrell took a minute to step outside. Their server allowed them to bring their drinks outside, which surprised and pleased both students. The restaurant further accommodates customers’ by customizing rolls on the existing menu, even going as far as to fry entire rolls (for an additional charge).

Shortly after returning to their assigned seats, the sushi arrived. The platter on the table held: white tuna sashimi, one grazy roll (spicy tuna and crunch on top of tempura shrimp with avocado), two tuna rolls, one seaweed salad roll, one spicy tuna roll and a custom-made roll (tuna, avocado and cucumber, the whole roll fried).

“My white tuna sashimi was really good. You can tell it was fresh. It was really cold, which I like, and it was a decent sized piece of fish,” Gambrell said. Gambrell’s father owns and operates three restaurants in Virginia, one of them a fine dining seafood restaurant.

The fish quickly started to disappear and soon there was only one piece left. “If you’re not going to take it I am,” Sutton said, before quickly scooping up the lonely piece of sushi with her chopsticks.

The prices are affordable and the money spent is well worth it. Both Gambrell and Sutton agreed. The more expensive sushi rolls are on the chef’s special portion of the sushi menu, with the lobster tempura (5oz. lobster tail, lobster tempura, cucumber and small fish eggs) hitting a high note at around $15. The average price for a piece of sashimi is around $2. This is good for anyone craving a just a taste. The sushi roll section has traditional rolls and new mixes of common sushi flavors. The Jax (eel over a California roll) was the priciest, around $7, but the sushi roll options are still reasonable.

Overall, these two Flagler students were pleased with their first Tokyo Thai experience. “Prices, service, food; it rocked. It all rocked,” said Sutton. “Compared to other sushi places, I was able to get a wide variety and my favorites, but I felt it was more affordable.” Gambrell agreed it would be worth the drive over the Bridge of Lions for a second night of sushi.