a nice alternative to the fast food chains.. this former location for pizza is likely to be a popular spot for the residents of east greenbush. while a bit off the main thoroughfare of routes 9 & 20, it is close enough to neighborhood work locations for those who venture out for lunch or seek delivery. it is also surrounded by sufficient, potential, residential customers to provide an alternative to the many pizza, burger, subs, and other chain establishments that have required residents to cross the hudson or drive to troy for the taste of thailand.
the dining room is small with only about 10 tables providing a warm homey feeling. we were promptly greeted by smiling staff as we entered and taken to a table for two. at least a couple of other tables were already occupied. my dining companion had already gotten take-out on a previous visit and said that the spring rolls (4 for $5) were very good. she was also pleased with the pad khing sod ($8 & $12 lunch; $11 & $15 dinner - the higher price is for seafood, the lower price is for chicken, beef or pork) which consists of your meat choice sautéed with fresh ginger, ear mushrooms and onions in a bean sauce.
since we wanted to try different dishes, we started with appetizers - fresh summer rolls (2 for $6) and potstickers (6 for $6). the summer rolls were different than any i'd had before. we chose grilled chicken over tofu, and while the transparent rice paper wrappers were the most common aspect of this app, the first noticeable difference was the small diameter of the rolls - easily half the size of most others. i have to add that i'd never seen summer rolls offered with chicken before, usually it's shrimp, or tofu, and the occasional pork. the chicken strips were dry, but with the "special brown sauce" (hoisin) served on the side with crushed peanuts we found the rolls acceptable.
if i return, i'd sooner opt for the potstickers. these pan-seared little dumplings filled with a ground up combination of chicken and vegetables are the closest i've come to what i became accustomed to while stationed in korea, oddly enough. my companion thought she could taste the oil they were seared in, but for me my taste buds were to busy traveling through time to have noticed.
there are two standards by which i measure a thai restaurant. first is the green curry ($8 & $12 lunch; $11 & $15 dinner - the higher price is for seafood, the lower price is for chicken, beef or pork). wait-staff were willing to accommodate my companion by limiting the seafood to only scallops and shrimp. while the portion was reasonable, there was not a lot of curry paste in the preparation. but this ensured that with the added bamboo shoots, green beans, red pepper and rice there was no need to request additional rice to soak up any remaining curry paste. my companion found the level of spice to be quite noticeable; i would have preferred it to be just a bit more spicy.
my second standard is the restaurant's choice of wide rice noodles for their noodle dishes. sri siam uses the more popular dried noodles with their longer shelf life. they are cooked to order in boiling water just like you are likely to cook your pasta at home. the other option would be to use more costly, freshly made, rice noodles that don't require rehydrating and thus have a shorter shelf life. yes, you can tell the difference.
to sample the wide rice noodles i chose drunken noodle (same pricing as the green curry above) with pork. the portion was generous and the pork was not overly cooked. the basil flavor was noticeable without being overpowering. the spice level was acceptable to me since it didn't overpower all the other flavors. i will make a point of stating that the carrots were cooked to a proper level with just the slightest bit of a crunch, as another well regarded thai restaurant in the area has always managed to serve practically raw carrots.
our beverages consisted of one cup of hot tea with a refill, an iced ginger tea and an iced thai tea. the charge of $7 on our bill must have been for these. both iced teas are sweet, but to my taste buds the thai tea with its dairy on top (half and half?; evaporated milk?) was sweeter. the thai tea also seemed to have a stronger flavor than others i've had. but as u. utah phillips would say, "it was good though!" they have not yet decided if they will apply for a beer and wine license.
the owner (tim?) made the rounds of the tables talking to everyone and checking if everything was to their liking. he was kind enough to insist that we accept a complementary order of fried ice cream. it was a good-sized scoop of vanilla with a coating (corn flakes? tempura?) and a strawberry flavored drizzle. the ice cream was still very hard but the coating had the flavor of the cooking oil.
i still believe this restaurant can do well. for the benefit of the east greenbush residents, i wish them well.