Soothing Eastern music and colorful Asian decor, complete with a miniature waterfall, greet Thai food lovers at the Thai Happiness Restaurant in Downers Grove.
The owners, the Ranumas family, have come to Downers Grove from southern Thailand via Chicago.
”We owned a restaurant in Chicago before starting this one,” said Suthi Ranumas. Suthi`s mother, Ben Ranumas, does most of the cooking at Thai Happiness.
”When we were in Thailand, my mother went to school to learn cooking,”
Suthi Ranumas said.
Ben Ranumas said that the spiciness quotient of her cooking can range from mild to four-alarm. ”Just tell us how you like it,” she said.
Her Thai specialties also take nutrition into consideration. The menu boasts ”no MSG,” and she said she attempts to use little fat and oil in her creations. For someone unfamiliar with Thai food, Suthi recommends a dinner of shu mai, a steamed shrimp appetizer dumplings served with sweet black soy sauce, and tom yum, a traditional thai soup with chicken or shrimp and mushrooms in a lemon and herb broth with citrus leaves, lemon grass, lime juice and spices.
All entrees are priced between $5.25 and $9.95. Daily lunch specials are served between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., and range from $3.95 and $6.50.
”One well-liked lunch special is bamee moodang,” said Suthi, describing a dish made with egg noodles with sliced barbecue pork, green onions and broccoli.
All menu offerings are available for dine-in or carry-out.
To top off the meal, desserts include coconut ice cream or kluay buadshee, a traditional Thai dessert of sliced bananas and sweet coconut cream. The Ranumas family also serves up a special nutty-tasting homemade rice flour cookie, deep-fried and made with sesame seeds.
”If there`s something people want that we don`t have on the menu, let us know. We will try to do it,” said Suthi.
Thai Happiness Restaurant, 75th Street and Lemont Road, Downers Grove, is open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Call 708-241-1914.
