Thursday, November 11, 2010

Siam Square- Revisit

We have been wanting to go back to Siam Square since our first visit for lunch several months ago.  We headed over there for dinner the other night to explore the menu a little deeper.  For lunch they have nice selections, but the regular menu is much larger than the lunch selections (although you can order off the regular menu anytime I think, it is just more expensive).  And they have beer and wine as well.
We wanted to get an appetizer and I was first drawn to the veggie tempura because it included broccoli and eggplant, two of my favorite veggies to be deep fried, but which you rarely see on a menu as a tempura selection—at least around here.  But then as we looked further, and I saw my favorite eggplant stir fry dish as a dinner option, we veered away from getting eggplant in two courses.  We shifted to the seafood tempura instead which included calamari, shrimp and broccoli.  The shrimp was quite good and I was impressed at the size and quality of it.  They weren’t overcooked and the tempura was light.  I also really liked the broccoli—the florets were cut into just the right size that the broccoli was cooked through, but not too much (although there were only two pieces of broccoli).  The calamari was the most disappointing part of this dish (and was unfortunately the most plentiful as well).  It suffered from the all too frequent problem of being overcooked and thus, rubbery.  I really like the Thai sauce provided with fried food, which I believe is made with vinegar, chili sauce and a bit of sugar. Slightly sweet, slightly tangy and slightly hot.

As I mentioned, for my main dish, I ordered the stir fried eggplant with chicken (you can choose your meat).  It was stir fried with red bell peppers, basil and onions.  As for my spice level, I ordered it medium.  This dish was really good.  The ingredients are super fresh and perfectly cooked.  The eggplant was cut into large slices and the chicken was all white meat, sliced thinly, and not overcooked.  This is one of my favorite dishes and this is one of the best versions of it I have had in Indy (the other probably being Jasmine).  It was nice and spicy and I would say properly “medium” as far as I was concerned.

Hubby ordered the chicken Pad Thai which is thin rice noodles that are quickly fried with egg, scallions, bean sprouts and a little pile of crushed peanuts to the side of the dish.  This is kind of a classic Thai dish, and I really liked this version of it, even though there seemed to be perhaps more noodles than anything else.  The bean sprouts were mixed in with the noodles and gave a nice crunch among the softness of the noodles. I like the way the bean sprouts are similar in size but surprise you with the little fresh crispy bites.  I liked the peanuts sprinkled on top as well for the same reason (texture variation) as well as for a little nutty flavor.  Hubby isn’t as big a fan of the nuts on top (and was happy they were to the side), and overall preferred my dish to his (and preferred his Pad Seuw from the first time as well). 
We also had a dessert which was really good—it was called Roti Rolls and was pastry (they call it flatbread), topped in cream sauce and sugar and rolled up.  It was light and flaky and quite delicious.  Normally I am not a huge fan of desserts at Asian restaurants, but this was yummy—and certainly enough to share.  Hubby claimed it was his favorite part of the meal.
The service started out efficient and friendly, but as the place filled up, it took a bit of a turn.  We waited awhile for drinks and quite awhile for our dessert to be served (it was eventually served by one of the hostesses).  Most of the beer and wine appears to be kept in the basement too, so it meant a bit of a delay when something to drink was ordered. 
Although I still think Siam Square is my favorite Thai place in Indy, I think hubby is slightly less convinced.  And you guys have been giving me some good ideas for new Thai places to try—I am going to have to get out there and see.  And if you haven’t already told me (or even if you have), will you let me know what are your faves? 
Siam Square
936 Virginia Ave
Indy 46203
317/636-8424
http://www.siamsquareindy.com/

Siam Square on Urbanspoon

7 comments:

  1. Siam is definitely my favorite - by far. Before they arrived, it was likely Jasmine on 96th. Thai Orchid at 82nd and I-69 seemed pretty good the one time we went and we need to go back.

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  2. Yes, when it gets busy, service can be a little slow, but I've enjoyed all of my meals at Siam Square. And those roti rolls...truly decadent. I usually end up getting thai iced tea and pad seuw, but the curries are good, the fried rice, etc.

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  3. This is our favorite place for Thai food. The Siam Rolls are a must everytime. The eggplant dish is my favorite too. I usually get it with pork and Thai HOT. Not had any problems with service because we go when I know the place will be a little less full. Lunch time can be a challenge if you have a tight schedule. I was there with a customer this spring who eats out a lot and he proclaimed the dinner to be one of the finest he had had in quite a while.

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  4. Ditto on the Siam Rolls. I rarely order dessert but here I always do: taro ice cream or taro ice cream with the little friend banana wonton things - mmmmm SO good!

    My top Thai in Indy:
    Thai Taste
    Jasmine Thai
    Sawasdee
    Siam Square

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  5. Thai Taste, followed quickly by Thai Spice in Greenwood. Both are yummy! Siam Square is okay but so...polished, decor-wise. It's like the PF Chang's of Thai food.

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  6. Thai Taste is my favorite, but I saw your review of it awhile back and you didn't seem to like it.

    The curry there is the best in town I've had, hands down. The owners are very kind and attentive as well.

    Siam Square is good though, I enjoy the food there... just a bit more expensive.

    Speaking of which - I notice you are somewhat hit-and-miss on your reviews lately of cost... lol. You discuss it occasionally, but not in a consistent enough manner to really make it meaningful.

    My 2 cents. ;)

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  7. Our favorite place is Thai Spice on County Line Road. They recently moved into a bigger space they were getting so much business. I would definitely try there!

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