The new Yummy Thai restaurant in the heart of the Webster Street business district is just that -- yummy.

And that's saying something, considering the fact that Thai cuisine is often considered to be among the world's tastiest...and most creative.  Few cultures blend sweet, sour and hot into more delectable combinations.  Not only are the dishes visually appealing, but they are also aromatic.  To top it all off, it's usually among the healthier options available, as well.

How can you go wrong?

The simple answer is that you can't, at least not at Yummy Thai.  The quaint -- and extremely quiet -- little corner restaurant, located in a former Hoagie Brothers sub shop, offers tasty delights in large helpings at fair prices.  That, friends, is a recipe for success.

We couldn't make a visit to a Thai restaurant without number one daughter, a self-proclaimed Thai food fanatic.  She has always favored a little place on Niagara Falls Blvd. known as Jasmine Thai and recently took a liking to a new place in Niagara Falls called Mii.  So she was eager to take Yummy Thai for a test drive.

She and boyfriend Gene started us off with a couple of appetizers, the chicken curry puffs ($5.99) and the crispy fried calamari ($6.99).  The latter, served with sweet and sour sauce, is an acquired taste for most; Yummy's was well done, with a delicious dipping sauce.  We put the sauce to good use throughout our meal, actually.

The puffs were wonderful, offering ground chicken, potato and onion rolled into a puffy Siamese pastry and served with cucumber salad.

I started off with a bowl of Tom Yum (lemongrass soup, $2.99).  It's a spicy and sour concoction made with fresh tomato, cilantro, chilis, mushrooms, scallions, lime juice, galangal and, of course, lemongrass.  It may not sound appetizing but believe me, if you like soup with a kick, you're going to love this -- quite unique in taste, if not texture.

Offered with chicken or pork, a variety of seafood or vegetarian  (tofu) as add-ins, I went with the latter and thoroughly  enjoyed every spoonful.  Tangy, with a wonderful mix of flavors.

One thing that will hit you about Yummy Thai is that anything above a whisper draws the attention of everyone in the place.  It's so quiet, in fact, that if you bear down, you can actually hear your arteries widening from the peppery heat of the dishes.  

Some tasteful background music would be nice -- perhaps something native, not like the "Dear Prudence" I heard playing during a recent visit to another Thai place.  Not that the Beatles are bad or anything, but I doubt many folks would associate them with anything Thai.  Getting back to Yummy Thai, we were genuinely shocked to see the size of the portions we were served...although we managed to put away a surprising amount before we waddled out of the place.

The best entree had to be the sesame chicken ($11.99).  It wasn't at all like the sesame chicken you get at most Chinese places.  These were extremely crispy chunks of fried chicken -- a load of them -- topped with a sweet, tangy ginger and garlic sauce as well as sesame seeds and scallions.  The batter coating wasn't overwhelming, either, as you find with similar Asian offerings.  The dish was wonderful, we all agreed.

I really enjoyed my street noodles entree ($9.99 with chicken add-in).  It consisted of a large plateful of sauteed flat wide rice noodles in a light homemade sauce with green onions, bok choy, egg and ground peanuts.

Daughter Number One likes her peanut dishes and ordered the Peanut King ($9.99 with chicken).  It boasts a Thai peanut sauce stop stir-fried mushrooms, napa, green peas, carrots and baby corn, all served atop a bed of steamed broccoli.  She loved it ("Not my favorite all-time, but a close second",  she said).  She also raved about her Thai iced tea drink, made with coconut milk.

Gene enjoyed a steaming bowl of Danang Curry ($12.99 with mixed seafood).  It's tailored to your desired degree of spiciness and offers herbs and spices blended in a mild chili paste with string beans, squash, bell peppers, peas, carrots and kaffir lime leaves simmered in coconut milk.  I tried a taste. It was delicious.

The meals came with a huge bowl of Jasmine white rice, which served a s a nice bedding for many of the main dishes.  All in all, it was quite a smorgasbord.

Yummy Thai offers daily lunch specials and even a breakfast on weekends -- although you would have to be pretty daring to go spicy first thing in the a.m.  The service is friendly and attentive and they're very eager to please, which makes the place a must-try.