Serving a mix of Thai cuisine and sushi dishes, Nandia proved to be very delightful. A little off the beaten path of lower Greenville Avenue and inside an old quaint house, this restaurant offers multiple dining experiences.

Nandina uses water features to creare a peaceful ambiance in its old house. The entrance is beautiful with a massive water wall as its central tranquility piece. This can be seen from outside the restaurant as well as areas within the dining rooms. There are other fountains and a waterfall feature on the back patio as well.

The inside is elegant with an urban décor, slate floors, extensive wine racksd and a full bar. They offer fresh sushi at the sushi bar and offer great seating on the wood deck patio. It feels like you’re sitting on your own back deck with typical iron furniture, large plants, ribbon lighting and birds chirping.

We were a bit overwhelmed by the menu at first; with so many choices, we didn’t know where to start. They have recently added many Thai dishes to their menu, offering a lot of variety. The waitstaff seemed new and had a hard time understanding the questions we were asking. A lot got lost in translation, but they always had nice smiles on their faces and tried to help.

After many questions, our eager waitress finally directed us toward the basil chicken wraps, which she explained are unique to Nandina. This appetizer of minced chicken, water chestnuts and onions wrapped in steamed rice paper with a sweet basil leaf wrapped on the outside made for a great start.

We wanted to try a few different items from the extensive menu, so we decided on the appetizer above, a Thai dish and some sushi. We ordered the Thai chicken with peanut for our main Thai entrée. It was served with a peanut sauce, steamed broccoli, bean sprouts and a side of white rice.

For sushi, we ordered yellowtail nigiri and a spicy tuna roll. We were not too impressed with the sushi. It did not seem very fresh and was not prepared as well as the Thai dish. We would recommend the Thai food, but they do offer a great variety of other food including: tapas, cold or hot, soup, fried rice, curry dishes, noodles and pasta.

We are sure you could find many items to enjoy; however, for sushi, there are better choices elsewhere in Dallas and much closer to campus.

But, for a great little Thai restaurant with a few different atmospheres from homey to elegant, where you can dress up or down, this is a fun place to go. Rated as the “Top 5 Best New Restaurants of 2003” by the Dallas Morning News, they say that “”Nandina’s small plates are great for passing around, but some are too good to share.”

Although it is located a little farther from campus than we had hoped, they deliver with a purchase of $12 or more.

One of their greatest attributes to go along with their meager location is the fact they are open until 3 a.m. every night. This makes them the perfect late night food just a few minutes from all the local bars on lower Greenville. They switch the music from jazz during the day to hip-hop for the late-night visitors. It is a nice spot to take a date.

If you are in the mood for some real food late at night and not the normal “fast food,” take a chance with Nandina; we think you will be pleasantly surprised.