Fresh and Fabulous

Yesterday I was down in Hintonburg lookin' for a donut place that someone recommended...found it!  But, I wasn't about to eat a half dozen donuts for lunch, even though I am sure the baby would have appreciated it.  I took a survey in my head of what I had eaten recently at home and what places were readily available in the area.  After driving by one lunch bistro and another...then an Italian place and a couple Thai places, I did a fast u-turn and headed for the flavors that my body was screaming for.  Thai.  I looked at Siam Bistro, sized it up and decided it was going to be able to fit the bill.  I mean what doesn't sound magical about the phrase "exotic Thai cuisine"??

I had picked up the Mister and neither one of us had much time to fiddle about.  He had a meeting later and I had an appointment to get to myself.  We walked in at 11:50.  We were able to be seated right away; the tables were only about half filled at this point, but I won't lie to you, they filled up VERY quickly after we were seated.  If you want to get in and get out quickly you should show up for your lunch AT 11:30.

Their lunch menu was short and sweet, which made my normal nightmare of inability to choose what to eat SO much easier.  I am a sucker for the red curry and coconut milk combination.  I tend to lean towards Pa Nang when I eat Thai because it has everything I want, but they didn't have it on the lunch menu.  I spent a couple minutes reading through every single choice and settled on Kao Gang Garee Gai; a chicken dish with potatoes prepared with a light red curry and coconut milk and served with steamed rice.  I went back and forth about whether or not to order some soup and spring rolls.  These days I can't fit much in my stomach because the baby is taking over in there.  I skipped the soup order and we decided to get an order of Poa Pia Tood, vegetable spring rolls.  Shortly after putting in our order, our waitress brought some soup to the table lol...  Apparently soup comes with lunch...who knew!?

Tom Yum Mushroom Soup

It was wonderfully fragrant and I could tell by looking at my soup that it was made with the freshest ingredients possible.  I could taste lemongrass (my Mister insisted it was lime...) and the mushrooms were so meaty.  I ate my soup so quickly, I'm not sure it looked very lady like.  Shortly after finishing our soup, the bowls were cleared and our spring rolls showed up at the table.

Poa Pia Tood

They were piping hot, so I cut mine in half to cool them down quickly.  My Mister and I both agreed they were some of the best spring rolls we've had since we've been in town.  The sweet sauce caught me off guard, it was SUPER sweet.  But it complemented the rolls very well.  Everything inside was cooked perfectly and warm all the way through.  Sometimes spring rolls can be a hit or miss in that department.  (SUPER hot oil will end up cooking the outside too quickly, so to avoid burning they will remove them from the oil before the middle of the rolls have even started to warm.)  These spring rolls were a total hit AND, I have to mention I was surprised at the portion.  Typically when we order a plate of rolls somewhere in town we're lucky if we get 2 or 3...this plate was a whopping 5 rolls.  Very nice!

As soon as we finished the rolls, our waitress brought us our main entrees.  I was ready, and I still had room!

 Kao Gang Garee Gai

My first order of business was to take a huge whiff of my food...for me, dining has always begun with my nose.  It smelled SO wonderful!  I dipped my spoon into the sauce to give it a try and I knew from that moment, I was about to have a beautiful love affair with Siam Bistro's food.  Everything was fresh and fabulously prepared.  The pepper was still tender crisp, the chicken was so moist and was just bursting with flavor.  Even the potatoes were a bite of Heaven!  The rice was perfectly cooked, still firm and flowery in flavor.  If I had been alone, I most likely would have been talking to my food, telling it how much I loved it and how scrumptious it was.

I had to snap out of my dreamland and back to reality.  I had to get to my appointment and my Mister had to get to his meeting.  We asked for to go containers for our leftovers and the bill.  Every single table was full and people were waiting in the lobby...  Now I knew why it was constantly packed and I was eager to let them so they could experience some of what I had.  The owner, Montha, used to teach Thai cooking....  I wish she still did.  If I was a gajillionaire, I'd hire her to be my personal chef in a heartbeat! 

For great Thai in a cozy, kind atmosphere Siam Bistro is THE place to go down in Wellington West.  I promise you'll be glad you went!