This fusion restaurant has upped its game

• Name + address: Thi Fusion, 500 West Hunt Club Rd.

• Type of food: Asian fusion

• Appetizers: $5.50-$11.99

• Mains: $16.99-$21.99

• Diet: Meat, seafood, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free options

• Wheelchair accessibility: Yes

• LCBO Licensed: Yes

• Website: thifusion.com

Thi Fusion has been a regular lunch spot to meet a friend for several years now. As the name tells us, this is a fusion of several Asian cuisines all represented on one menu and it’s one of the few such places that I feel has a handle on doing fusion well.

As we set about having an appetizer of curry marinated wings, my lunch companion asked a question I’d not given much thought: “Why are wings in restaurants so much better than at pubs or dedicated wing joints?”

A reasonable question. These wings, served with ranch sauce and a sweet, spicy soy, were very good. Plump, moist and with a super crunchy exterior that suggested they may have been coated in tapioca flour.

I gave the question some thought and suggested that it had to do with the fact that, in general, cooks in proper restaurants have a little more training and experience than do fry cooks. It’s the best I could do at the moment as I was too distracted by the tender wings.

For about twenty bucks Thi Fusion offers pretty much everything on the menu as part of a lunch special that comes with either a choice of soup, spring rolls or fresh rice rolls.

The spring rolls can hold their own with some of the city’s best vietnamese rolls but I find myself always opting for a bowl of hot and sour soup with shrimp. It is in fact more of a sweet and sour soup as it contains pineapple and is considerably less spicy than it appears. It’s delicious and as often as I’ve had it, on this occasion, it was better than ever. Deeper in flavour and more concentrated. 

My main of Korean beef arrived nicely marinated with a traditional beef kalbi sauce. The beef was tender, without gristle and didn’t have an excessive amount of salt which I’ve found can sometimes be the case at other eateries. In hindsight I realized that I’d wanted more of the sauce to drizzle over the excellent rice.

One thing you need to know is that there are new additions to the menu and that the website has not been updated, so expect prices that are a few dollars more.

In addition to the updated menu they may also have added new talent to their kitchen. I’ve been going to Thi Fusion for a few years now. During 21/22 this place suffered from wild inconsistencies and food that left their kitchen was either good or bizarre. 

On a recent visit they appear to have stepped things up a notch and I was impressed by the cooking, especially the rice which was better prepared than it ever had been. Each kernel was soft yet firm to the bite and separate from the rest and not clumped together.

It’s very good to see that they have weathered the pandemic crisis successfully and that Thi Fusion can continue to be a go-to destination for people who want nicely prepared food but may be on a budget.