THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Amarin Awards

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Amarin Restaurant Review:

Tucked away off of Hillcrest's busy University Avenue is the ever-expanding Amarin. The décor is warm; staff is especially gracious; and the menu is traditional Thai, with a few creative flourishes. Nok Suree Suksudecha started cooking at age seven in her mother's kitchen and now owns three San Diego Thai restaurants (Narraya by Suree in Pacific Beach and Siam Nara by Suree in Mira Mesa). At the Hillcrest outpost, we like the dramatic display of the Amarin crater, shrimp and chicken with jasmine rice served in a pineapple shell. Classics like panang curry pad thai are executed nicely, but the real excitement lies in dishes such as the CK (chicken) volcano, a marinated chicken breast on top of spinach with green curry sauce, or the chicken in red curry with mango and basil, served in a golden hot pot. Fine starters include the chicken and jícama lettuce wraps and Calypso shrimp, golden fried with mango sauce. There are more than 200 selections of reasonably priced wine. Affordable lunch specials draw in a good crowd.