When your stomach rumbles, do you ever get the urge for something spicy and sweet? Maybe something from the East?

Authentic Thai food is now a block away from MTSU. Located next to Mellow Mushroom, Noppakao Thai is the ’Boro’s newest Thai Restaurant.

From its clean d’cor to the family recipes prepared in an old world way, Noppakao provides patrons with a feng-shui dining experience.

’We painted the walls gold because Thailand is the Golden country,’ says Sarah Jan Sala, a server and manager of Noppakao. ’It gives the restaurant a very Thai feel’

Pictures which look like family snapshots of different Thai scenes hang on the wall. The tables are covered with clean white table cloths.

You can hear water flowing friendly and gently above the soft instrumental Thai music. It is peaceful and tranquil, and the small dining area only holds 28 people making for a very intimate experience.

’My mother Renoo is the chef,’ Sarah tells me. ’Six people work here and we’re all family.’

The Jan Sala family moved to Oklahoma from Thailand after Renoo had been working in the States for a while. They moved to Murfreesboro, because they had cousins in the area, and opened Noppakao on July 26 of this year.

The food is excellent. The vegetables and noodles are fresh and crisp. Their Pad Thai is a favorite and after trying it I can see why. It has just the right amount of spice (I like hot food so the native heat is good for me, however it can be ordered in either medium or mild), plenty of vegetables, and a good blend of chicken, shrimp and tofu.

Another good dish is the On-shore Sen Lek Tom Yum, featuring noodles with a choice of pork, beef or chicken, bean sprouts, crushed roasted peanuts, crisp wonton strips, green onion and cilantro. It’s called ’On-shore’ because the noodles and toppings rise like an island out of a delicate sea of broth. This dish can also be ordered in an ’Off-shore’ variety in which the noodles are smimming in the broth.

Noppakao has a long list of salads, seafood, and rice dishes as well as their noodle entrees and appetizers. I like the fresh hand-rolled spring rolls which come with a sweet and spicy peanut sauce.

I’ve always enjoyed Thai Ccoffee. It is a blend of coffee and cream among other ingredients and is served over ice. It’s an excellent compliment to spicy Thai cuisine and Noppakao’s is as good as any that I can remember.

I recommend going at lunch. Their lunch entrees are $6.95 and are very filling.

The music gets a bit repetitive, but the food is well worth the minor setback in atmosphere.

The next time you feel like a little Thai food at a low price is the only thing that will curb your cravings give Noppakao a try.

THE DISH

Hours: Mon.’Thurs. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. ’ Fri. & Sat. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.