‘Watts for Dinner’ the Takeout Edition: The details define Thai Thai Sushi Bowl

I remember when you had to drive all the way to the city of Naples for decent Thai food. Now Marco Island has Thai Sushi By KJ (which we reviewed in September, visit marconews.com) and just across the bridge, our next dining destination, Thai Thai Sushi Bowl in the Naples Outlet Mall.

I started out with my one of my new favorites, the “Tom Kha Soup” ($5.99). It features an aromatic infusion of kaffir lime leaves (an essential ingredient for cooking authentic Thai food), lemongrass, galangal (closely related to ginger and turmeric), mushrooms, scallions and cilantro in a hot and sour spicy broth with coconut milk. The broth is like what you’d find in a red curry dish. Simply put: this soup is amazing and will leave you wanting more.

I also ordered the “Super Crunch Roll” ($15.99) from the sushi bar. It’s a deep-fried roll of salmon, eel, imitation crab, cream cheese, masago and scallions with eel sauce and spicy mayo. So naughty. So good. I skipped dessert just so I could try this. And it’s as amazing as it sounds.

For my entrée, I had the basil fried rice ($15) with fried tofu as my protein. The rice is sautéed with basil leaves, bell peppers, onions, scallions and a spicy chili garlic sauce. The basil flavor is subtle. The tofu bits are huge. All told, a solid meal and a big enough serving for two.

My dining companion started with a simple green salad ($6.99) featuring a ginger dressing and the “Fresh Spring Roll” ($9.99) featuring cooked shrimp, fresh salad, krab, kanpyo (dried shavings of Lagenaria siceraria, a variety of calabash gourd), avocado, cucumber and Thai herbs wrapped in soft rice paper and served with peanut sauce. He gave high marks to both dishes.

For his entrée, he partook of the blue crab fried rice ($20.99), rice sautéed with blue crab, egg, onion, peas, scallions carrots and featuring a brown sauce. Another solid performer.

Fresh and refreshing: The food is fresh, and you can tell that attention is paid to the details. The restaurant was observing social distancing and the staff wore masks, and that was refreshing to see after the last few weeks I’ve had.

More:Hey Marco Island, looking for a place to eat?

More:‘Watts for Dinner’ the Takeout Edition: Take a dive into Deep Lagoon

More:‘Watts for Dinner’ the Takeout Edition: Kretch’s a Marco Island original

More:‘Watts for Dinner’ the Takeout Edition: Fin Bistro – top notch all the way

This newspaper pays for all meals related to dining reviews. We do not solicit or accept free food. Not all dishes are featured in print, but you can find a gallery of all reviewed dishes online at marconews.com.

If you go

Thai Thai Sushi Bowl

• 6060 Collier Blvd., Naples
• 239-732-9520
• thaithaius.com