Restaurant Review: Jimmy Thai

It seems that the Chicago suburbs are following a trend in genuine cuisine, since another new authentic restaurant was recently introduced: Jimmy Thai. Finding “real” Thai food in this area is unique, and the flavorful nature of this specific type of food is something that many current restaurants in the suburbs are lacking. Therefore, I think the introduction of a genuine Thai restaurant will bring variety to the palate of the area, and people should definitely check it out.

When I first walked into Jimmy Thai, I was greeted by one of the most friendly restaurant owners I have ever met, and was impressed by the bright colors and liveliness of the interior. There was a perfect noise level, energetic music, and the atmosphere was calmer than most other restaurants. The wait staff was helpful and efficient as well, making dining at Jimmy Thai an excellent experience.

The restaurant’s owner, Jim Seriruk, was one of the original owners of Thai Thai, which was open from 2008 to 2016. When it lost its lease he remodeled the space and then opened Jimmy Thai with his wife in early 2017. Ever since a critic at the Chicago Tribune sampled his food not long after the restaurant’s opening, and published an article praising the dishes, Jimmy Thai has taken off.

According to Jim, “Jimmy Thai started because of our passion for Thai food and sharing the traditional Thai cooking art … Our vision is to be the ‘go to’ place for authentic Thai and Ramen in the area for its food, family-like atmosphere and friendly, caring service.”

In my opinion, he has achieved his goal, since my experience at Jimmy Thai was a highly positive one. A large part of this was the quality of the food. From the flavor variety of the Thai fried rice and custom ramen, to the richness of the golden noodles, to the perfect balance of sweetness in the mango and sticky rice, I thoroughly enjoyed eating at Jimmy Thai.

First, I sampled the Thai fried rice, which according to the owner is one of the restaurant’s most popular dishes. It certainly lived up to its reputation; the rice, carrots, egg, onions, tofu, broccoli, green pepper, peapods, and bok choy creation was cooked perfectly. In past experiences, I’ve found some fried rice dishes include dry rice and tofu of a weird spongy consistency, but this was not the case with the Thai fried rice at all. Next, I ordered custom ramen off of the make-your-own ramen menu. However, this was not similar to a typical ramen noodle soup, it had a variety of ingredients mixed in such as shrimp tempura, half of an egg, bok choy, peapods, and onion. Not only was there a variety of different flavors, but also a variety of textures between the soft noodles, the crunchy shrimp tempura, and the vegetables somewhere in between. Then, I ate golden noodles, which is made up of egg noodles, carrots, peapods, egg, mushrooms, broccoli, green pepper, and tofu. The noodles were extremely rich, tender, and light, and the vegetables were cooked nicely. However, this plate would be even better with a little salt, as it was a little too rich sometimes. To end this excellent meal, for dessert I sampled the mango and sticky rice. This dish was incredibly interesting, as there was a sugary sauce poured over a huge portion of rice, with mango on the side to cut and eat with it. Although not quite yet in season, I thought the mango was the perfect refreshing counter to the incredibly sweet flavor of the rice.

Jimmy Thai’s hours are 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on weekdays, 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Saturdays, and Sundays 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. (but Ramen Time is closed). They are located at 475 Lake Cook Road in Deerfield. I strongly urge those who live in or travel to the Chicago suburbs to eat at this restaurant, you will be pleasantly surprised at the friendliness of the staff, high quality of the food, and overall authentic Thai dining experience.

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