New York has left the building, and Thai Fusion has swept in like a delicious storm of international flavors. 

The former New York Diner on Inlet Square Boulevard has recently been transformed into a Thai restaurant that is a refreshing revamp in the dining scene on the south end of the beach. What still stands as a remnant of its past life, however, is the large Statue of Liberty stone sculpture memorial in the front parking lot.

Inside, the dining room is clean and casual, lined with booths along the walls under bright windows and tables scattered in the center. Family-owned, the restaurant exudes friendly service, starting with a warm, welcoming smile at the entrance and continuing with owner Teerasak “Tee Buss” Bussararungsee at the helm and his chef trained in Thailand at the back of the house, where the sweet scent of curry and spices wafts from each time the double doors open.

There is a robust offering of starters, from Thai-style chicken wings to Thai-fried shrimp and Kaboom shrimp to crispy chicken potstickers, steamed chicken dumplings, and marinated, charbroiled chicken satay to fried tofu, fried calamari, crispy spring rolls, and fresh fusion shrimp rolls (soft rice paper rolls filled with fresh vegetables and shrimp served with spicy peanut sauce). We chose the Crab Rangoons, crispy wontons stuffed with crab meat, scallions, and cream cheese served with Thai sweet and sour dipping sauce. Delicious, bite after bite!

After a round of bottled Singha Thai beer poured in a chilled glass, I decided on the classic Chicken Pad Thai for my main course. It was my favorite by far, and I’ve ordered my way around Pad Thais in my day. Fresh rice noodles were stir-fried with egg, crisp bean sprouts, peanuts, carrots, onions, and a sweet homemade sauce that finished it all off.

My hubby chose the Spicy Red Curry dish, a lovely blend cooked with coconut milk, bamboo shoots, lime leaves, basil, and bell peppers. Other tempting curry options on the menu include green, panang, massaman, yellow, evil jungle (sounds scary-spicy)—all spicy—and roast duck. 

And my culinarily ambitious 9-year-old went all in with the Chef’s Seafood Combination, a heaping helping of jumbo shrimp, squid, mussels, scallops, and catfish stir-fried with onions, bell peppers, and spicy in-house chili oil sauce, and topped with cilantro. He devoured most of it with the help of my hubby, who kept dipping forkfuls of rice into that sauce. 

More seafood entrees include pineapple seafood (a combo of sweet and spice), garlic shrimp, Catfish Prad Prik King, spicy Chu-Chee Salmon, and more. Additional stir-fried noodle dishes include Stewed Beef Noodles, Rad Nah (flat noodles with your choice of protein, plus broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, and a special gravy soy sauce), and Pad Woon Sen (glass noodles with egg, snow peas, mushrooms, bell peppers, cabbage, carrots, onions, and scallions in a light soy sauce), to name a few. 

Rounding out the menu offerings are soups (hot and sour, wonton, spicy Tom-Tom, and Tom-Kha) and salads, like the Spicy Papaya Salad (shredded green papaya tossed with garlic, Thai chili, tomatoes, lime juice and fish sauce) and the spicy BBQ Beef Salad, grilled beef tossed in chili lime dressing with roasted rice, red onions, mint leaves, and cilantro.

Weekly lunch specials for $15.95 are served Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., when you can choose four food items from options such as Pad Thai, Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry, vegetable spring rolls, Red Curry Tofu, and much more. 

For dessert, we ordered the Mango Sticky Rice wrapped in banana leaves to go, a sweet treat we snacked on later. Other happy endings include Thai Coconut Pudding, Steamed Sticky Rice filled with Thai sweet banana and black beans, Steamed Sticky Rice topped with Thai-style egg custard, and Tiramisu. 

Drinks range from beer, wine, or craft sake served from the bar to an assortment of cold or hot teas. 

Thai Fusion is an international delight and, by the look of the packed dining room on a Sunday afternoon, the restaurant converted from its diner past hasn’t taken long to impress fellow locals, too. 

Thai Fushion
920 Inlet Square Drive, Murrells Inlet
www.Thaifusionsc.com | (843) 651-0297
Hours: Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5-8:30 p.m. (closed Monday)