There's a great selection of Thai food in Salt Lake City now, in all price ranges. For the most part, it's all good. But this week I've been to a Thai restaurant that I am so happy to talk about. And I'll tell you why: It's delicious. It's cheap. It's fast.
There are so many of us that make eating out complicated. I'm not sure how this happens, but I know it does happen. We worry that we don't know what we want. We worry that what we want isn't in our budget. We worry that whatever we want is hard to get to.
It's strange, and even I do all that from time to time.
Hopefully, I can ease your dining-out angst. I scored on all fronts this week.
This week, my husband and I visited Thai Siam on State Street, just south of downtown. As the dining room filled up with curious Thai food lovers, I was happy to see the place already off to a good start.
We began with an appetizer that is fairly unusual to the Westerner. It's called Saa-Koo Sai Moo. The dish consists of balls of ground and seasoned sweet pork encased in tapioca and wrapped in a lettuce leaf. We ate the balls at first without the lettuce, but with some kind instruction from the hostess, found the best way to eat them was definitely with the leafy wrapper.
We also sampled a salad of green papaya, called Som Tum. I liked the ground peanuts, tomato, cucumber and cabbage, and the fish sauce in the marinade was a new taste to me.
Thai Siam is home cooking with no apologies to the Western sensibility. I appreciate that. Personally, it doesn't add to my dining angst; rather, it's something I welcome being awakened to in its many forms.
One such form is in the curry called Gang Phed Ped Yang. To me the curries define Thai food, and this one is excellent. It is a red curry with coconut milk, zucchini, eggplant, bamboo shoots, peppers, carrots, Thai basil and roast duck. It is complex, weighty and yet mellow by way of the coconut milk base.
I can't set foot in a Thai kitchen without ordering the Masaman curry. It's my favorite. Thai Siam's version is very good. The broth is lighter, less like a stew, more like a cream soup. It's also a little sweeter. Masaman is the curry dish with potatoes, peanuts and carrots and either beef or chicken. I prefer it with chicken, and this time it was great because the meat was all dark. I felt this worked better than white-meat versions I've had elsewhere.
The Thai Siam menu has many familiar wok-fried noodle and rice dishes. I enjoyed the Pad Thai noodles. The spice is tame, and with its chicken and shrimp, it makes for a well-rounded dish.
Get the sticky rice with mango for dessert. It's sort of a rice pudding with a toothy whole-rice grain. It's creamy and mellow and finishes the meal well.
I like Thai Siam because it is so accessible in location and price. There is a vegetarian menu that gives those who prefer meatless meals plenty of choices. The food is authentic and well-prepared. The service is friendly, and the newly decorated space is clean and seats a crowd.
I suggest it heartily for seasoned Thai lovers and newbies alike.
Prices for appetizers range from $2.95-$4.95, sides $6.25, soups $6.50-$11.75, salads $5.95-$12.50; rice, noodles, and wok fried dishes $6.25-$6.95; fish dishes $9.95-$12.95, curries $7.95-$9.95, dessert $1.50-$3.95. Lunch and vegetarian menu prices are slightly lower.
Thai Siam
*** 1/2 (out of five)
Hours: Monday-Thursday 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m., Sunday 4-9 p.m.
Location: 1435 S. State, phone 474-3322, fax 474-3355
Payment: checks, major credit cards
Reservations: none needed
Other services: take-out
E-MAIL: stephanie@desnews.com