House of Siam

House of Siam has a pretty solid reputation here in the South End. Many people I know like it and say it's really good Thai food. Even though Thai cuisine is not my favorite (although, Bangkok Bistro is pretty amazing), I've been to House of Siam a few times now so I feel I can write a pretty honest review of the place.

This particular night I went with Bryan, Bob, and Adam. The place was busy but not overcrowded. The atmosphere in the restaurant is good...not great, but good. The floor plan is split between two levels which makes it interesting and there are some nice pieces of Thai art around... overall, it's cozy.

Bryan ordered the Pad Thai ($10.95). Pad Thai is rice noodles pan-fried with eggs, chicken, shrimp, bean sprouts, and ground peanuts. Bryan thought the dish was delicious. He asked for it to be spicy and they delivered. The chicken was very tender and flavorful and it was just what he was looking for. Overall, a thumbs up on the Pad Thai.

Bob ordered the Crispy Pad Thai (11.95). The waitress asked if he had ever had it before, he said yes (from another restaurant) and she warned him that it was sweet and crispy. Bob was fine with that. When it arrived, I was surprised at how much food was on the plate! The noodles were deep fried and crisp but were a lot skinnier than normal pad Thai noodles (almost like french frites). Bob couldn't decide what to think of the dish. He liked it overall but was a bit weirded out by the texture or something. I tasted the dish and it was a bit sweet and I thought it tasted sort of like popcorn. Bob mentioned it looked like packaging material or something from Michael's Craft's (He ate the whole thing though).

Adam ordered the Yellow Curry Beef and I ordered the Yellow Curry Chicken (12.50). We both liked the sauce for the dish but honestly, the chicken and the beef were flavorless. The meat was prepared separately it seemed (with no flavoring) and then just tossed into the dish. The great flavor of the sauce didn't soak into the meat and it was really noticeable. We didn't care for our dishes.

Maybe it's because I'm not a huge fan of Thai food but I wasn't impressed with House of Siam this time or any other time I've been. I welcome you to go and try it out since it is consistently ranked well in Boston Magazine.

House of Siam is located on Columbus Avenue. A second location has just opened up where Thai Village was on Tremont Street.