Siam Square - Revisit

Hubby and I wanted to go see a friend’s exhibit opening on First Friday this month (and you should go check it out, it runs through November 16th. It’s a cool exhibit about my friend’s grandfather who was an influential, impressive architect.)  We decided with so many options in Fountain Square, we’d just grab dinner somewhere close by. The first place we stopped into was Mama Irma’s and it was completely packed with a wait. It was nice to see and we put it on our mental list to return (hubby has never been).

We just walked a little further and decided to try Siam Square. I think it’s been 2-3 years since I have been there (hard to believe). It was also quite crowded but we lucked into the last 2-top. Our server was very friendly and attentive and quickly brought drinks. After looking back at our last visits on my blog, we settled on the veggie tempura appetizer ($5.95)(last time we wished we had gotten the all veggie version because we liked them better than the seafood). I love that they use more interesting veggies like eggplant and green beans, and I also love that they use broccoli, which is one of my favorite tempura items. What I wasn’t a fan of was the “breading” on the tempura. I sort of expect tempura to be a light batter-type of breading and this had a more grainy texture to it.  They served it with a classic Thai slightly sweet fish sauce-type sauce. I can’t say you could taste the sauce that much with the flavor of the veggies and the somewhat heavy batter. I probably would have preferred a more traditional tempura sauce-something with a little soy. 

Hubby flat out refused to try something new (as I usually try to convince him to do when I am writing a post about a meal) and got the pad seuw ($11.95), which he has had before and really liked. The dish was just as good ingredients-wise—wide, fresh tasting noodles with broccoli, bok choy, garlic, egg and pork in a brown soy-based sauce. Sadly, this time, he ordered this dish “medium” in spiciness level and it was not spicy at all. It tasted like there were no chilies in there—which unfortunately made it a little bland. 

I ordered the Siam Ginger dinner ($11.95) and unfortunately made the mistake of asking for it between mild and medium because in the past, the food had been so hot, even at medium. And it suffered more than hubby’s because it was even milder. The dish inherently was good—it was tender sliced chicken in a ginger sauce with lots of red onions, scallions, celery, cute little carrot flowers, and some mushrooms.  I enjoyed the ginger flavor, which is currently one of my favorite things, but the dish needed some heat. I guess it depends on the day and who is cooking, but I certainly wouldn’t order anything less than medium. I would rather it be a little too hot than too bland.

At hubby’s absolute insistence (and it wasn’t difficult to convince me), we also ordered the Roti rolls ($8.95) for dessert again. They are basically puff pastry wrapped around some cream with lots and lots of butter and sugar. How can you really go wrong? It is really sweet, but I love the slight crunch from the pastry. 

We enjoyed ourselves, and our server was great. I only wish the flavor of the food shined a little more (or should I say burned a little more).  First Friday was fun too, although walking through the studios in the Murphy building reminded me a bit of just how old I am getting (since I think 80% of the people were in their 20s in the place).

So let’s talk Fountain Square and/or First Friday. What are your favorite restaurants in Fountain Square? And what’s your favorite area to hang out for First Fridays?

Siam Square

936 Virginia Ave

Indy 46203

317/636-8424

www.siamsquareindy.com