Comfort Foods You Need In West Nyack
Waree Dinsay, the owner and Executive Chef of Grub Asian Fusion Cuisine, has been making Thai food all her life. Ever since she was a little girl working in her parents’ restaurant, she has had a passion for her native food.
“My mom taught me how to cook,” said Dinsay when describing her history in the industry. “I love it more than anything I’ve done in my life.”
Executive Chef Waree Dinsay
Dinsay emigrated to America, earned a degree in accounting, and spent years working as a financial analyst. But Dinsay was always drawn to the culinary arts. After deciding to change careers, she worked at a few different local restaurants before finally going into business for herself. Since then, Chef Waree has built a loyal following of customers eager to enjoy her authentic Thai food.
A hardworking mother of three, Dinsay decided to return to professional cooking after realizing she needed more flexible working hours. With the opening of Grub Asian, she has found a better work-life balance, supporting her family while still spending time with them. Her oldest daughter already helps out in the family business working as a server and learning the ropes just as Dinsay did when she was a child. Dinsay is ecstatic to be cooking professionally again, and her finance skills and experience have contributed significantly to the success of her restaurant.
Chef Waree’s career took off when she started working as a line cook in Pearl River. There she quickly built a reputation by serving classical Thai dishes at an Irish bar. “I wanted people to taste what I like to eat,” explained Dinsay, who was eager to share her cultural cuisine and was pleasantly surprised at how readily people made the switch from sliders and chicken wings to curry and stir-fried noodles. She soon established a “big following of people willing to try new things,” which allowed her to launch Grub Asian.
Dinsay describes her culinary style as traditional comfort food, but her menu combines Thai, Malaysian, Indonesian, Chinese and American influences that is uniquely Grub Asian. Grub serves classic Thai dishes like fried shrimp cakes, homemade spring rolls and dumplings, and many different styles of curry. The fried dishes, like the spicy calamari or savory shrimp cakes, are lightly breaded in panko breadcrumbs, crisper and lighter than American-style fried food. Waree makes her own curry powder and dipping sauces from scratch and uses the freshest produce possible for all her entrees. While Waree prides herself on serving “real” authentic Thai food, the master chef has added her own personal touches to the menu as well. Grub’s “signature lettuce wraps” are perhaps her bestselling brain child, combining the cool, crunchy taste of fresh lettuce with spicy chicken, savory Korean style barbeque, or even tofu smothered in homemade “smack sauce” (a Thai-inspired sort of chipotle mayo). Refreshing drinks like fresh coconut water, straight from the coconut, and desserts are also available. Grub Asian Fusion also offers dishes like chicken fingers and fries for the younger crowd, but it’s the delicious Asian fusion cuisine that has people from the Hudson Valley area coming back again and again.
The intimate atmosphere of Grub Asian perfectly reflects Waree’s philosophy: she loves sharing her cooking with new people, and the restaurant feels like a familial dining room filled with cozy, wooden furniture and delicious smells wafting from the kitchen. Dinsay adores her job and treats her staff like family; they regularly eat out together and even watch each other’s pets. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and any new customer is bound to walk away with an appreciation of Thai cuisine.
Grub Asian is open Mondays through Saturdays from 11AM to 9PM and closed on Sundays. Come get your Grub (Asian) on!
