Today, Siam Square provides diners with a snippet of Thai culture against the background of New England. A nicely decorated dining room sports Asian tapestries and carved ornaments. The decor, while informal, provides a warm environment in which to eat a fine array of Thai dishes. Light piano music plays in the background, and the noise level is suitable for conversation.
Thai food is known to be spicy, though in the 20th century it has become less so, while incorporating more fresh herbs such as lemongrass and galangal. The use of such herbs and vegetables appears in Siam Square's food, which, though generally lacking the short burning sensation found in many Thai dishes, has plenty of flavor and color. However, if spice is your thing there are a few hot and sour beef or chicken salads served as entrées. The salads are pungent, if not as spicy as they should be.
This is not to say that good food cannot be found at Siam Square; most items on the menu are delicious. Among the appetizers, the Tod Mun Pla ($5.95) is a standout selection. The famous thumb-sized Thai patties are minced shrimp and fish, beaten with Thai curry paste, deep-fried and served with a sensational crushed peanut and cucumber sweet sauce with tiny bits of onion which help bring extra pizzazz to the already flavorful dish. The Siam rolls ($4.95), crispy spring rolls filled with chicken, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts and vegetables, arrive steaming hot and are well worth ordering, despite their second-rate sweet sauce.
However, the Mee Grob ($6.25) are neither very filling nor enjoyable; the noodles are too light and sweet, causing a fellow diner to compare them to cotton candy. The absence of shrimp (we found one in the entire dish) was unfortunate, and the sauce was more reminiscent of a sticky residue.
Thai cooking originally reflected characteristics of a waterborne lifestyle, and Siam Square's menu, while heavy with meat dishes, provides a fair number of aquatic alternatives. The Lychee Salmon ($12.95) was fresh and served in a creamy curry sauce with snow peas, baby corn, green peas, carrot and lychee. Sweet, white lychee fruit of Southern China sweeten a quiet sauce, blending well with a hint of spice to liven up the salmon.
We sampled two duck entrees, and though I preferred the Crispy Duck to the Apricot Duck (both $15.95), each had its merits. The Crispy Duck was served in a garlic chili sauce, vegetables, and crispy greens. Its presentation, as with many of the dishes at Siam Square, was attractive, and the crispy greens were an excellent compliment to the flavorful duck, which was cooked until tender. The Apricot Duck, deep-fried in a light batter and then topped with an apricot sauce and vegetables, was also good, though a bit sweet for my taste. Both dishes showed a fine understanding that vegetables or spices are often needed to provide balance to the combination of a sweet sauce and the fatty skin of a duck. Other dishes, like Bangkok Chicken, are served on a sizzling hot plate. These dishes, while lakcing some spice, are often both enjoyable and fun: heads will turn your way as the sizzling plates are carried to your table.
Despite an array of vegetable dishes that will please vegetarians ($8.50 to10.95), we could not be dissuaded from ordering the Pad Thai, the national dish of Thailand, consisting of noodles, crushed peanuts, chicken, shrimp, tofu, egg, bean sprouts and scallions. The trick to Pad Thai is combining and balancing the flavor of peanuts, egg, and scallions with a sweet and sour taste (some restaurants are known to put lemon or lime over their Pad Thai). Siam Square's Pad Thai relies more on flavor than on a sweet or sour taste, but the result is a pleasing dish which augments any of the meat or vegetable dishes well.
Service is friendly and helpful, and water service is attentive. Siam Square currently cannot serve alcohol until after March 31, so they suggest that you bring your own. In addition to soda, they offer a pleasing sweet and creamy orange-tinted Thai iced tea. Dessert, while simple, is also offered.
Siam Square is one of the many Asian restaurants that have raised the level of cuisine in New England by providing something new to the standard fare. It's not perfect, but with its pleasant decor and scrumptious offerings, I've got a feeling it would make King Rama V proud.
42 out of 50 points.
Siam Square is located at 84 Pleasant Street, Northampton, open Tuesday through Sunday. (413) 582-1817.