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| SIAM THAI RESTAURANT ~ casual **** 123 Sycamore Street Decatur, GA (404) 371-4333 Atlanta seems over-inundated with Thai restaurants. Perhaps that's due to the fact that, generally, Thai eateries are often more upscale in atmosphere, offering dishes with more palatable ingredients than other Asian cuisines. One rarely sees the face of the fowl they are eating. There are fewer misspelled menus and weary waitrons. Perhaps the "yuppie" love of Thai food and the fact that it assimilates so well and costs more than similar ethnic eats are what make most Thai locales seem to blend together. A recent visit to Siam, however, proves that Thai can still be worth the buy, as this restaurant serves up safe but satisfying surprises. MENU: **** Though the menu is not visually stunning, the ingredients are well-explained and enticing. There is a great deal of variety in the seafood, duck, meat and vegetarian entrees. The menu presents a large array of appetizers and a creative paring of vegetables with entrees. While duck is dished up with spinach and coconut curry, Pineapple Twist chicken comes with onions, scallions and the namesake fruit. Masaman curry is complimented by avocados and cashew nuts. Entrees are playfully titled, including “Kiss Me!,” “Try This” and “Uncle Bob.” FOOD QUALITY: **** The food is consistently prepared with fresh herbs and seasonal ingredients. Entrees are obviously cooked per order, as vegetables remain colorful and are served al dente. The seafood is impressively fresh. FOOD PRESENTATION: *** All dishes are attractively arranged and served with a myriad of mixed colors and textures. The plate ware is hardly impressive, however. And while some dishes are piled high and plentiful, others are scant in serving sizes. ATMOSPHERE: *** Just off Decatur Square surrounded by both new and re-gentrified restaurants as well as old harbors of the "hood," Siam is neither a dusky hole in the wall nor a formal food flat. The atmosphere is somewhat sterile, but the service warms up surroundings a bit. CLEANLINESS: **** All is seemingly sterile (perhaps too much so). The kitchen is well-hidden. While Siam does not suffer from an over-indulgent theme like so many other Thai restaurants currently in fashion, the atmosphere is unpretentious but not quite cozy. SERVICE: *** The service is attentive and good-willing, although the fact that there are no table condiments (which means asking for salt, pepper, Thai soy and the like) requires more beckoning than necessary. Diners even have to request more rice, rather than having a heaping bowl served along with the entree, which is odd. MENU RECOMMENDATIONS: Siam's appetizers shine and offer more variety than many Thai restaurants. Share as many as possible. Shrimps in a Blanket are stuffed with pork and crab meat and wrapped into cozy comforters. This appetizer offers enough large shrimp to serve two. Avoid the basil rolls. They are an all-too-typical appetizer on Thai menus and, while other restaurants fill their rolls with shrimp and fresh crunchy stuff, Siam's are just stuffed with a boring mix of tofu and rice noodles. As far as entrees, try the royal snapper. This large whole fish is topped with ginger-cherry wine sauce. The basil duck mixes East and West into a culinary combo in a glaze that blends sweet basil with smoky, tangy peppers. The pineapple curry sounds interesting as it, too, mixes the sweet with the heat. Skip the Lost in the Garden veggie mix, as it’s too expensive for what it's worth and offers a perfectly fine, but boring, mixture of stir-fried fare. OVERALL RATING: **** While there are inconsistencies with menu portions and quality, and the atmosphere is not thematic, Siam's aim is to try. It's refreshing to see different ingredients mixed into traditional Thai dishes. Lunch entrees are affordable and provide a good opportunity to try various items without a big commitment. Dinner dishes are more expensive, but the entrees, when eaten with satiating steamed jasmine rice, generally feed two. review by Maureen McCarthy |
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