Thinh An Kitchen & Tofu Review – Vietnamese Restaurant - Tampa, Florida | Reviews By Gil

Today’s order – Seafood Fried Rice - $8

Seafood Fried Rice at Thinh An Kitchen & Tofu

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The Discovery

It’s Sunday morning and for some reason the sun is being unusually annoying today. It’s peeking through the blinds just enough to pierce the retinas. You rise out of bed and turn to your significant other asking what you would like for breakfast. The Sunday brunch crowd is sure to be out and about so the possibility of finding an establishment without a wait time is just as likely as you not eating the entire bag of Oreos. With no remorse, Google comes to our rescue. We scroll through the usual suspects but eventually decide we want to try something new. She mentions there’s a relatively new Vietnamese restaurant close by. Vietnamese food has never disappointed in the past so before you know it, we’re out the door.

Atmosphere

We arrive at Thinh An Kitchen & Tofu around noon on Sunday. The building itself looks freshly renovated and very inviting. The parking lot is a bit small since it sits among other businesses but circle the parking lot long enough and you’ll eventually find a home for your vehicle. The layout of the building is quite interesting itself. You enter the restaurant through an outdoor enclosure. The most similar thing I can compare it to would be a very large, enclosed gazebo. What was the best thing about this little space? It was air conditioned! Well, plentiful ceiling fans but better than what most restaurants provide in their outdoor areas. We walked into the interior of the building and it was packed, which is a good sign. The staff was very attentive, and we even had a choice of where we would like to sit. Since we are both introverts, we gladly chose to sit outside in the comfortable gazebo.

The Table

On the table, they have a selection of sauces for you to choose from. Hoisin, Siracha, and two other spicy sauces were among your selection. We’re all familiar with the intensity of Siracha, but it is pale in comparison to the two house red sauces they have available. If you like spicy things, go for the two red sauces in their special bowls. If you’re not familiar with Hoisin sauce, it mostly resembles a sweet and tangy taste. It’s not as thick as BBQ sauce, but not as fluid as ketchup either. Anyway, it’s quite wonderful. They have a very large menu with a myriad of items to choose from. Today’s order will consist of the seafood fried rice.

The Food

Holy portion size! I can’t remember the last time I ordered a meal and was shocked by how much food turned up on the plate. It was an amazing sight to behold. I hope you’re hungry. If not, you’ll have lunch for tomorrow. A huge mound of rice, shrimp, egg, and tofu cubes stared at me. I stared back in wonderment like a nervous stage performer that forgot their lines. The first bite sent me on a trip to some place very special. It was extremely delicious. The rice was cooked all the way through with no mushiness or hardness to be found, and lightly seasoned for that extra bit of a flavor. The shrimp was firm and juicy as it should be. I’m normally not a fan of tofu, but somehow it works in this dish. It offsets the firmness of the dish with a soft element. It makes the meal very enjoyable. If you’re like me and like a little sauce on almost everything, a dash of hoisin goes well with this. It gives you just the right amount of sweetness to send you over the edge. This is an absolute masterpiece regarding seafood fried rice. Also, keep in mind that this large dish was only $8. You’ll be hard pressed to find food this good for a lower price. The only caveat that I can immediately see was that our food was not brought out at the same time. I didn’t think much of it, and it was probably a one-time thing, but I did take notice. When you’re with your significant other you would like to stuff your faces together, right? Just me? Anyway…

What's the Verdict?

As of right now, this is my favorite Vietnamese restaurant in Tampa. Friendly staff, welcoming interior, and a large portion of amazing food. Absolutely marvelous.

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