Siamese Thai serves up great food at a good price. Photo by Shaylin White

Appearances can be deceiving – Siamese Kitchen surprises

By Benjamin Klenklen
Special to West Times

The aroma of freshly-ground curry spices and cilantro greet the diner of this small 43rd Avenue and Dunlap eatery. Located between a tattoo parlor and a biker bar, Siamese Kitchen does not look like one of the finest Thai restaurants in the West Valley, but looks can deceive.

Initially upon walking in, I allowed the wood paneled walls and enormous painting of a windmill on the wall to discourage me. I quickly decided that this wouldn’t be a good “impress her on the first date” type of restaurant. “Dumpy” describes the décor.

The waitress, Siamese Kitchen has only one, kindly motioned my group over to a table and quickly came over with water, then asked for drink orders. Their Thai Tea was made there (the condensed milk still on the top) and their beer prices were reasonable (I recommend Sing Ha, an authentic Thai beer).

My group of four ordered the Thai standards – laab, tom yung guy and satay – then we each ordered an entree from the 12-item lunch menu. The appetizers came out first and rather quickly. The chicken laab, a spicy salad, came with plenty of fresh cabbage and a delicious sauce, though the chicken was ground which I didn’t particularly like. The tom young guy, a sweet, spicy and sour chicken soup, was excellent. It had a very strong broth and a very good amount of ginger. The satay, skewered grilled chicken, was excellent and very flavorful on its own, and the peanut sauce was a very smooth peanut-buttery texture and taste, perfect for me but at least one other of my group prefers her sauce thicker with more hoisin sauce.

Before we could finish our appetizers, our entrées were on the table. The lunch items come with a plate of the entrée, a fried vegetable egg roll and a portion of rice (except for the pad Thai). The serving size is perfect for a quick lunch and would be ideal if you had to eat alone. Since there were four of us, we happily shared each of our entrées.

We ordered one curry dish, two wok-fried dishes and pad Thai. The curry had a well-defined spiciness and came with plenty of vegetables. The spices were well balanced. The first wok fried dish, shrimp in a garlic sauce, was mild in everything but garlic. It was delicious, though I don’t think I’d try to get too close to anyone after eating it. The second wok fried dish, chicken in a spicy chili sauce, showed strong basil and garlic under tones to it Thai chili fire. If you’re up for an adventure try ordering it spicy.

Finally, their pad Thai, a mildly sweet noodle dish and normally the best testament to any Thai restaurant, was simply the best I have ever had. The noodles were of the thicker variety and clung together nicely. Perfect amounts of green onion and peanut flavored the dish. The bean sprouts were cooked lightly with the rest of the dish, unlike most Thai restaurants who serve them cold on the side.

Overall Siamese Kitchen offers an excellent lunch value. The lunch entrées and appetizers range from five to six dollars, a steal even for normally cheap Thai restaurants. And they’re quick enough to get in and out in less than an hour.