surin west

gotta love thai. i try something new every time i go and love it all! the last time i tried the spicey beef salad. sound strange- but i didn't have enough room for it! my husband only has eyes for the pad thai noodle and coconut soup. :) there are a lot of martini choices- and they will sneak up on you. we live four hours away, and eat here anytime we are in town.

great food but watch yourself with the martinis they can really knock you off your feet very quickly. loved the volcano roll.

thai classic. delicious crab angels, surin baskets, and chicken curry!

sushi and thai food are both good.

nice. cool spot

just good enough. i like it, but just every now and then. the sushi is good and the thai noodle is really good.

not really impressed. for more than 10 years, i've heard locals rave about surin - both in 5-points and on 280. after 2-3 trips to both, i have to say my husband and i are underwhelmed. the atmosphere on 280 is very pleasant and airy. the service is good. the food and menu are too westernized (americanized) to honestly call itself "thai".

very good - but #1?. had the chicken noodle bowl for lunch. it was very good and very reasonably priced. just the right amount of spice. the chicken had a nice smoky grilled flavor. it came with a tasty coconut milk soup that hit the spot on a cold day. not sure how surin west is considered #1 by urbanspoon in the ham. it makes me wonder how they calculate rankings as others restaurants have higher user ratings albeit with fewer raters. maybe it is popularity of ratings? don't get me wrong surin is good, it's just not exactly james beard award nominee good as some other restaurants around town are.

it's ok. i like surin west, but i'm not sure what all the fuss is about. it's a great option for thai food and maybe for those who have never had real thai options, this works. but, not sure why it's such a hotspot. just wondering what i'm missing...

just ok.... this is the best thai i have found in birmingham but nothing to rave about. the search continues....

love it!. 2 words. lamb chops!

perhaps the best asian in the'ham. a great mix of asian flavor in an appetizing atmosphere. families welcomed.

pretty good...4.375. i ate here once in early 2007. i took my now wife there for one our first dates in the birmingham. i remember the sushi being very fresh and tasty. the only thing negative is i remember that the presentation was a little sloppy and the rolls fell apart. we went on a weeknight and i do not remember it being so busy that the chef would have been rushed. i do remember the service being very good and we did not feel rushed through our meal which happens often at other places in this town. since moving from homewood, we have not given it another shot. i would not let a little sloppy sushi turn you off. go there.

vegan friendly. always have delicious vegetarian options and can accomodate vegan if you let them know.

not thai, not sushi... more "fusion". dined here last night based on the recommendation of the doubletree birmingham.

i had the nam tok, which was a play on lettuce wraps, but it was served with a quarter-wedge of cabbage, with lettuce actually wilted in with the beef. i ordered thai hot, and it didn't leave me in a sweat. if anything it was more vinegary then spicy, which didn't do much for the dish. the beef was tough, so it was a challenge to eat as the menu suggested.

if it was marketed as fusion, i could have understood a few more of chef surin's choices, but as an "authentic thai" restaurant, i couldn't. fish sauce, a key ingredient in many thai dishes was notably absent from my friend's shrimp green curry (which, having made myself, know that fish sauce is added here).

that said, it wasn't overly pricey, the ambience was pleasant, the waitstaff friendly, and service prompt. i wouldn't return, but if your palette tends towards fusion, you may want to give it a shot.