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 A rough translation in Thai might be, "Come on in and sit a spell". And
that's just what you'll be encouraged to do when you visit the Thai
Lotus Restaurant in Clermont.
In a day and age when we're often made to feel as though we should be
rushing through a meal, it's refreshing to find a restaurant that
encourages you to take your time and enjoy the experience.
Just moments after we entered the Thai Lotus, Otto, a most gracious host
and the owner of the restaurant, personally escorted us to a table in a
pleasantly decorated room. Since this was our first experience with Thai
food, he also explained the various menu items and helped us with our
selections.
He suggested that we try two different entrees rather than both choosing
the same dish. We followed his advice, and added spring rolls as an
appetizer.
Upon looking over the menu, we found that there was an extensive choice
of entrées, so it was difficult to make a final decision. The choices
included seafood, fish, beef, pork, chicken and veggie items, and Otto
explained that we can request as much or as little spice as we wish on
any entrée, since each dish is prepared individually.
 I opted for the Orange Supreme (@ $10.95), a delicious grilled chicken
breast, topped with Thai Lotus orange sauce. Shrimp or a seafood combo
may be chosen also, at a slightly higher price. My spouse decided on
Shrimp Tamarind, which consisted of large tender shrimp, topped with
sweet and sour tamarind sauce and fried onion. Most entrees come with
white rice, pasta, and mixed vegetables. There were eight very large and
fresh shrimp, and the entire entrée was very tasty and not too spicy.
Otto explained that Thai cooking includes the awakening of the senses of
taste, smell, sweet, salt and sour. Healthy herbs and spices have been
used in Thai recipes for hundreds of years.
Everything is prepared by Otto's wife, Rudee, and it is all freshly made
from scratch upon ordering. With over 20 years of restaurant experience,
and six years at this location in Clermont, Otto and Rudee made our
introduction to Thai food a very pleasant experience.
The Spring Rolls that preceded the main entrée were served crisp, with a
tasty filling of seasoned minced chicken, cellophane noodles, shredded
cabbage, and carrots, all wrapped in a deep-fried, rice paper skin. They
were the perfect start to a very delightful meal.
 Thai Lotus also offers desserts, but we were too full to try them. Two
interesting choices were pears marinated in Japanese plum wine and fried
bananas served with ice cream. We are looking forward to our next visit
so that we can try some other items, including the desserts.
They serve lunch with a different menu on weekdays (except Tues.) from
11:30 AM-2 PM. Dinner is from 5 PM to 8:30 PM every evening except
Tuesday. Reservations are necessary on weekends, because the restaurant
only seats about 50 people. They also feature local musicians on
weekends.
Thai Lotus is located at 158 W. Highway 50 in Clermont. They provide
excellent choices for both lunch and dinner, patient guidance for the
inexperienced, and a very laid-back, relaxed atmosphere.
"Sawaht Dee, Kop".
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