When Uthai “Tony” Nakhen moved to Lewiston four years ago,the veteran chef had more than a decade of experience making sushi. He says he offered his services to area restaurants, but no one was interested. He continued to hone his craft for a few years in far-flung locales like New York, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and then decided to bring the cuisine he loves back to Lewiston.

He opened the Boa Thai Sushi Restaurant at 703 Sabattus St. in July of 2011, bringing along a retinue of restaurant workers from around the country who understood sushi to help him run the place.

Diners who are afraid to try sushi because they equate it with raw fish will be pleasantly surprised. The sushi menu at Boa Thai includes several different items made from cooked fish or chicken, including Nakhen’s signature Lewiston Roll, make from thin strips of fried chicken breast, avocado, cucumber, lettuce and spicy mayo for $7.

In addition to cooked fish and other meats, many sushi offerings are made from just vegetables, such as cucumber or avocado. One of the most popular vegetarian options doesn’t even appear on the take-out menu: The sweet potato roll, which features sweet potato tempura – strips of sweet potato breaded in panko crumbs and deep fried – is worth asking for.

The menu has a variety of specialty rolls, too, ranging in price from $6.75 for the classic California roll — made from imitation crab, avocado, cucumber and masago (orange capelin roe) — to $16 for a complex Dragon Grant roll, made from shrimp tempura, imitation crab, eel and eel sauce.

Of course, no sushi menu would be complete without fish, and Boa Thai has plenty of that, too, in the form of rolls, sushi nigiri – hand formed sushi rice with the fish topping draped over it – and sashimi — strips of raw fish arrayed over shredded vegetables. Options range from basics such as tuna and salmon all the way to octopus and eel. Diners can order sushi a la carte or chose a combination. The restaurant offers three different sushi boats, priced between $22 and $80 – the Boston Whaler for groups of 2-3, the Queen Mary for groups of 4-6, and the Titanic for groups of 6-10. All include a mix of nigiri, sashimi and rolls.

Though Nakhen trained to be a chef in a five-star hotel in Thailand, where he learned to make a variety of cuisines from around the world including Thai, Italian and American dishes – sushi is his favorite.

“I like making sushi because the ingredients are fresh and because of the presentation. It’s artistic. I know I’m good at that part, so it is my passion,” said Nakhen.

In addition to sushi, the menu at Boa Thai features many traditional Thai dishes, including three varieties of curry – panang, red and green – which are $13 for a dinner portion or $7 at lunchtime ($1 extra if you want to add chicken, shrimp, beef, pork, or tofu).

By far, though, the most popular Thai dish is pad Thai, a stir-fry dish made from rice noodles, egg, scallions, bean sprouts and peanuts, tossed in a sweet and spicy tamarind sauce. A lunchtime portion is $7, plus $1 to add meat or tofu.

Every Thai restaurant in the area features their own version of pad Thai; one of the distinguishing ingredients in Nakhen’s is tamarind sauce. “Many places don’t use it because it is expensive. . . . As long as my customers like it, I don’t care,” he said.

The cooler at Boa Thai is stocked with a variety of beers, including local favorites from Gritty’s and Baxter, as well as wine and sake. The atmosphere is casual and friendly, and the restaurant extends that by offering a few American menu items, such as chicken fingers, for kids or the less adventurous.

“Our customers tell us we have the best chicken fingers in town,” said manager Minh Nguyen.

In addition to a few Thai lunch specials, there are six different bento box lunches featuring sushi combined with other popular menu items, such as curry or tempura, ranging in price from $8 to $10.

Chef Tony’s Pad Thai

Ingredients:

8 ounces of rice noodles, cooked

1 egg

1/4 vegetable oil

1/2 cup tamarind sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon crushed peanuts

1/4 cup bean sprouts

1/4 cup scallions

Chicken, shrimp, beef, pork or tofu (optional)

Directions:

Place a wok over high heat and add vegetable oil. Add egg and meat or tofu, if applicable. Add rice noodles and agitate the ingredients in the wok until the eggs and meat are evenly cooked. Add tamarind sauce and stir until the sauce evenly coats the noodles. Add salt, sugar, peanuts, scallions and bean sprouts. Continue stirring over high heat until all ingredients are combined and meat is desired doneness. Serve.

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