Pad Thai Siam and the Massaman Curry Lunch Special

Synopsis

The Massaman Curry at Pad Thai Siam was very good because of the larger chunks of vegetables and chicken.  The service could use improvement (a common theme in Thai Restaurants), but overall I was very pleased with the experience.

Review

Being a fan of Thai Chili Gardens, I really enjoy this place as well.  The inside is well furnished with Thai decor and a complimentary fish tank greets the guests in their waiting area.  Even though it's Pad Thai Siam and owned by a new owner, the decor is the same as the old Thai Chili Gardens but the menu is very different.

One thing we pleasantly noticed was the addition of a lunch menu.  For some members of the crew the previous lunch prices were a little steep, but this new menu will allow us to eat here more frequently.  Not seeing my usual on the menu, I went with my second usual -- the Massaman curry.


With the lunch special ordered, the slow business day allowed for quick service and we soon had our appetizer (which comes with the lunch special) consisting of wonton soup and an egg roll.  I think this wonton soup is the best I've had!  The meat was full of flavor and I like the fish sauce included in it, the wrap wasn't doughy or overdone but done just right, and the broth was good as well.


Before our soup was finished, out came the curry.  Although it was a lunch special, I was impressed with the portion size.  When I left, I didn't feel like stopping by a dollar menu somewhere.  Their Massaman includes avocado as well as the typical potatoes, cashews, onions, and chicken.  It was good to see the avocado in there, but it wasn't something I really noticed.  The potato chunks were larger than I expected and were perhaps a little undercooked but not too bad.  Everything else about it was excellent; the chicken tasted great as well as the onion slices and cashews.  I really enjoyed it.


Overall I thought the food was excellent.  The service, for the most part was pretty good; however, my biggest complaint is that we never had a refill on our drinks.  For me, refills are critical when it comes to good service and not having refills is costly.  However, overall I was pleased with the experience and grateful there was a satisfying lunch menu.  Next time I'll get the rest of the lunch crew to come.

Cost and Big John Rating

$6.95 = Massaman Curry Lunch Special
Ambiance = 8
Service = 6
Quality = 9
Taste = 9
Price Rating = 9.1
Big John Rating = 8.0

Notable URLs
Pad Thai Siam
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Spicy Thai and the Lunch Special

Synopsis

The food and price were good, but the service leaves something to be desired.

Review

One of the lunch crew decided to give this place a try.  He was coming back from a tough morning on the slopes and due to its relative proximity to Provo Canyon (and the fact that we haven't eaten here yet) asked us to come on by.  Although it is a bit further than we typically go (and we needed to pass several Thai restaurants to get here), we agreed.


Upon entering, I was amazed at how small it was.  Most Thai places in Utah County are small; this seems a bit smaller than most but not bad.  Just a little while later the server came, showed us our seats, and we were ready to order.


The special today was the red curry, but it can be substituted for Mussaman.  The fresh roll was quite good and the peanut sauce added to the flavor.  Although the soup shown here is the coconut, I ordered the sweet and sour which was switched on someone's plate.  The sweet and sour wasn't what I typically would expect.  The soup itself was mostly a clear color instead of the brown I've normally had.  There were also large helpings / slices of vegetables and chicken which went very well with the broth.  I thought it was unique and quite tasty; something I'll remember the next time I come.


The Mussaman was a typical Mussaman and tasted similar to most that I've had (which was what I was looking for in the curry).  Overall I thought the food was excellent.  Because it was a lunch special, the portion sizes were smaller than I would normally prefer with Thai food, but this is typical for a Thai lunch special (and it's fairly priced as well).  My biggest (and really only complaint) was the service.  The meal came out fairly quickly, but we didn't get our napkins or silverware until the meal was halfway through and our glasses were empty for most of it.  It could be that the person who helped us was new; however, everything else was pretty good.  Next time I'm in the area looking for Thai, I'll stop on by.

Cost and Big John Rating

$7.99 = Lunch Special (Mussaman Curry, spring roll, and soup)
Service = 6
Ambiance = 8
Quality = 8
Taste = 8
Price Rating = 8.0
Big John Rating = 7.5

Notable URLs