Thai Cuisine Returns to Tabit Village Square

The fresh aroma of basil, galanga root and pad Thai will soon be returning to Tabit Village Square shopping center in Town Center.

Thai native Busara Vijitkomol announced that Anise Thai Cuisine will open in late November, breathing new life into the old location as Northwest Thai Restaurant which closed earlier this year on Aug. 9. The owner and chef said that opening her own restaurant is the culmination of years of hard work, hopes and dreams. 

"My family had a restaurant in Thailand, so I know their recipes," said Vijitkomol. "Twenty three years ago I came to California to study and I worked for a Thai restaurant there, and now I finally can work for myself in my own business with friends and (extended) family."

Vijitkomol said she moved to Mercer Island three years ago because her daughter wanted to go to Mercer Island High School because she'd heard it was the highest-rated high school in the region.

"I think it is good here for my daughter, and it is a good area to invest in a business," she said. "I work in Seattle so it's close for me."

Vijitkomol grew up cooking for 12 brothers and sisters, and she loves to use recipes passed down through generations of her family. She is currently tweaking the opening menu for Anise with her brother-in-law—who will work at the new restaurant as a cook—and a family friend visiting from Thailand who is an expert in Thai food. 

'The three of us set the menu with specialties from family recipes my mother taught me to make it authentic Thai," she said.

Every category, from soup to rice noodles, will be hand-made fresh in the restaurant's kitchen, including a special curry that is blended from a family recipe using imported ingredients. The price range for dishes will be $6.95-$13.95, as Vijitkomol said she wanted to keep the menu "inexpensive."

"I'm just happy to serve the people (of Mercer Island)," she said.