Ottawa Foodies

Wandered into Siam Bistro last night (after failing to get into Well. Gastropub).

SB's interior is nice, if (as noted below) slightly cramped. More problematic (due to where i was seated) was the draft from the entrance. Oh well.

Food was tasty and comes in decent portions (took some home): our Mango salad was quite well done, as was the fried eggplant / tofu; the green curry was a bit more generic / less memorable.

I crave heat (spice), my partner less so, so i asked for chilis on the side to add to my plate. Good garnishing (esp. chili and related) are one indicator to help distinguish excellent Thai restaurants from the merely good. Sadly, SB answered my request w/ a slightly sweet chili sauce -- probably bottled. It was quite busy, so i didn't ask for chopped chilis (or nam plah prik) that would've worked better. Maybe next time.

Beer wise, they didn't have the Wit (referred to below), so i decided on a leffe brune ... maybe a leffe blond might work better, but i was happy regardless.

for those who are not afraid of the ring of fire! never go past 2 stars of spicey! NEVER! or you will be dooooooomed!!!

all and all, food is great, I usually get the #55 for lunch and the old lady there is soooo nice to me... probably because I grab take out for everyone at work there every so often.

Went here last night for our 11th wedding anniversary. The food was absolutely fantastic. We had springrolls (#1) and pork satay (#3) for appetizers, and Neue Yank Siam Yum Salad (#15) and Gang Ped Moo Pah Wild Boar Curry (#36) as the main course, served of course with rice. Every single morsel was a culinary delight!

Unfortunately the venue was definitely not something suited for a romantic meal. The entire interior space is nothing but a long row of tables down both walls in this long, skinny restaurant. Apparantly before the fire a couple of years ago they had dividers in various places which really made a difference, but I'd never been here before so can't really compare. But I could see where a few dividers would really change the feel of the space very much for the better. As it stands there is not a single table in the house with any privacy.

Obviously the change in the venue has not changed the popularity of the place since there was a long lineup of people waiting to get in the whole time we were there. And I do understand that the new layout seats a fair bit more people so it is a good business move for the owners. I'd go back here with a group of friends looking to have a good time and some incredible Thai food, but avoid this place if you want a romantic meal or any privacy.

Be careful: if I recall correctly, this is one of the very few Thai restaurants that uses MSG (typically frowned upon in Thai cooking).

I don't know much about Thai food, my partner cannot eat anything spicy so we tend to avoid restaurants where he is uncertain of the ingredients. When my friend asked if I'd like to try Siam I jumped at the chance (the good reviews on this site made me want to try it).

We started with the vegetarian spring rolls which were very tasty and I would highly recommend.

I had the Pad Pak which I thought was okay but nothing spectacular. The tofu had a hint of lemongrass but other than that very bland. Maybe next time I'll ask for a little heat in my food.

The service was excellent and I will be going back as soon as I can convince my partner that he can get some "plain" food at a Thai place.

I have been here several times over the last few years as well. Before the fire last spring/summer (hope my memory isn't failing me here...I think it was 2006) the menu used to have suggested wine pairings. Too bad the new menu doesn't as it was very helpful. Thai is not an easy food to match wine to (too bad they don't have a nice Riesling Spatelese on the list...pairs nicely with spicy sweet Thai food).

We've always had a nice meal there with good service. The new decor is a little nicer than the old gold and red ceiling too!!

Haven't been there recently, but was there a year or two ago. Food was most excellent, and staff was very polite. A delightful time was had by all. I don't usually drink alcohol when I eat Thai food, and when the food is this good, you don't care. (and I like my appelations)

Really delicious Thai food! I've been several times, and it's definitely my favourite of the half-dozen or so Thai places I've tried in Ottawa so far.

We had the #1 - Poa Pia Goong Tood, which was shrimp and served with a sweet dipping sauce. The rolls were a fair bit smaller than anything I'd ever had before, and extremely delicate. But not the slightest bit greasy. Absolutely delicious!

The #3 choice on the menu is 4 skewers of marinated pork or chicken. The pork was fantastic dipped in the piquant peanut sauce provided! Great little appetizer for 2.

Thai "Yum" salad is very deceptive - it looks like a nice, palate-cooling salad but in actual fact can be extremely spicy! The Neua Nam Tok (#15) has thinly sliced BBQ beef, fresh mint, chillies, shallots and lime. Extraordinary!

The #36 Gang Ped Moo Pah was spectacular! Spicy wild boar curry!

About 8 different beers on the menu, with 5 or 6 of them being decent choices. Choose a hoppier, higher alcohol, or even spicey beer to help cleanse the palate of the zing in the food. Thai Singha is nice and hoppy but average alcohol - still a good choice to help keep the bite of the spices subdued. They had some higher-alc Belgian beers too, including a Wit and a Brune. The unique coriander spiciness of the Wit is perfectly matched to Thai cooking, as is the sweetness of the Brune. Not a bad beer menu at all.

There are several vegetarian choices -- not the best vegetarian list I've seen at a Thai restaurant, but not bad. The eggplant, incidentally, is fantastic!