Tokyo Explorer

photos: Jasmine Ngan

A friend introduced me to this excellent, and highly authentic Thai restaurant, and I was so impressed after visiting that I was compelled to go again this week – with another friend who ended up equally impressed. Word of mouth is a powerful tool, and you know you’re on to something good when an entire group of people hold a particular establishment in high esteem.
Not only does Tinun Aoyama have my own personal seal of approval, it is now my favorite Thai restaurant in Tokyo, and I have every intention of promoting it when coming across anyone and everyone out for a taste of genuine Thai food.
My favorite dish, an appetizer, and the one that got my ‘mojo’ going, is the Tom Yam Kung. For those who are unfamiliar with Thai food, Tom Yam Kung is a lemongrass soup containing prawns. Having tried it the first time, I decided to try the Tom Yam Talay – a seafood version consisting of mussels, prawns and squid.

However, unlike other Thai restaurants which merely serve a lemongrass broth, Tinun turns it up a few notches by adding some coconut milk to enhance the four essential aspects of Thai cuisine: hot, sour, sweet and salty. Moreover, the coconut milk makes for an effective combination of sweet and spicy without overly conflicting with the other elements. Not surprisingly, the trademark Tinun dish seems to be the Tom Yam Kung Noodles - advertised as “World Famous”. I have yet to try this particular dish, but have every intention of doing so the next time I visit and to enjoy the choice of noodles on offer - from ramen to rice stick noodles of varying widths.
Of note in this city of miniscule servings, it is important to mention that everything served at Tinun came in portions large enough to leave you comfortably full, but not to the point of being overly stuffed.
For the main course, we ordered Pla Phad Prik (stir-fried spicy fish), Nua Phad Ped (stir fried beef with red curry sauce) and Pad Thai.

The Pla Phad Prik was fried in a honey garlic sauce and sprinkled with red pepper flakes. As someone who is not keen on honey garlic, I have to admit that I didn’t warm to this dish immediately, but after a few bites was won over. The pepper flakes served to enhance the sweet sauce giving it the perfect sweet and spicy blend, and, unlike most fried fish, the batter wasn’t highly saturated in fat and oil which meant there was no aftertaste; a definite plus.
The Nua Phad Ped was actually less spicy than expected with a very subtle sauce taste coming through. Interestingly, it tasted more like a stir fry than a curry – the name under which it was advertised – but according to my eating partner, “…. was the best beef (she’d) ever had.”
Last, but certainly not least, was the Pad Thai. Known by many as Thailand’s national dish, the Tinun version has been adapted to suit the local palate and was therefore served with a rather mild taste. Although both my partner and I are quite the spice connoisseurs, we appreciated the fact that one can adjust the tenacity of the spices to suit, or can simply go without altogether; each table in the restaurant offering up four types of spice, in small bowls, to use as required.
Washed down with Thai Singha Beer, the perfect complement to the food, in that it is light, not bubbly and definitely not bitter, the meal was rounded off in perfect style.

It takes more than good food for a restaurant to remain in business in Tokyo, and Tinun Aoyama is a place in which the food excels. Along with friendly and helpful staff not averse to taking the time to answer our questions, make the proper recommendations and to allow the splitting of the bill, absent was any sense of pressure to order more than necessary and no ‘up-selling.’ When we asked for a recommended Thai beer, the server gave us what they felt was the best for the dish in question, rather than the most expensive.
The above notwithstanding, the very best part of Tinun Aoyama is the cost. Considering it is in a prime spot in Omotesando, an upscale area near Shibuya, the prices were not only reasonable, but very economical; most prices hovering between 1,000 and 2,000 yen.
Reservations are generally unnecessary, even on weekends but it never harms to play it safe to ensure that you’re not kept waiting.
For more information about this excellent establishment, go to www.tinun.jp. You’ll be glad you did.