Thai Fusion serving authentic dishes in Lake Wylie

A new Lake Wylie restaurant open only few days already has regulars.

Esther Ly, and husband Seu Moua opened Thai Fusion on Nov. 14 at Anchors Shop Place, off Charlotte Highway. By Thursday, Ly said they were already seeing repeat customers.

“We literally flicked on the lights and said we’re open,” Ly said. “Business has been great and steady.”

The restaurants first customer was back for lunch on Friday. Chris Halsey of Lake Wylie for about 12 years.

“I’m excited that Thai Fusion is here, we’ve needed more here without having to cross the Lake Wylie bridge over toward Charlotte,” he said. “The atmosphere is great, food is awesome and it’s a very friendly staff.”

Moua said they planned the soft opening to work out the kinks.

“We’re trying to work to get the servers going and make sure we have flow to the back,” he said Friday as lunch diners filled the restaurant. His cousin Ken Xiong of Minnesota is helping in the kitchen.

“He’s gonna help with the transition until we have more people on board,” Moua said.

The Charlotte couple was looking for a small-town feel to make their first venture as restaurateurs. They were drawn to the lake area by family who own Lake Wylie Dry Cleaners in the same shopping center. Gais Construction converted the 2,000 square foot empty end cap space into use for the restaurant. Bright green walls and geometric shapes on accented light gray walls brighten the high-ceilinged dining area with room for 44 diners.

While Ly has customer service experience from former work in the banking industry, her husband is the cook with years of experience working in family restaurants. The couples’ parents are natives of Thailand.

“We have a lot of Thai dishes, nothing is actually made spicy unless it’s pre-spiced,” Ly said. “They can bring it up a notch and request spicy.”

Diners also can request the meal to be “fusion,” which Ly said means with an egg on top or cooked with basil.

“So far, the most popular dish is the Bangkok chicken, which is breaded and comes with three sauces,” Ly said. The sauces are red - spicy, sweet and sour, and brown. “You get to try all of them.”

She also recommends first-time Thai food diners try the popular Pad Thai.

“It’s great, authentic Thai food, it’s got a nice flavor, everything tastes fresh, the vegetables are fresh and it’s really good,” said Oren Bennett of Lake Wylie while picking up lunch for take out Thursday. It was his second trip to the new restaurant.

Meal prices range from $8-$15. The couple has two other employees and is working to get a liquor license. Applications for servers and cooks are being accepted.

Graham Smith of Lake Wylie said he likes Thai food because of its “complexity, it’s hot and sweet and salty, it’s a little bit of everything like Chinese food on steroids.”

He was picking up lunch to go Friday, his second time eating there.

“The only Thai restaurants that are decent are in Gastonia or Charlotte, so this exciting to have a place to come to get some Pad Thai,” Smith said.

This story was originally published November 18, 2016 at 4:06 PM with the headline "Thai Fusion serving authentic dishes in Lake Wylie."