All Thai'd Up
If you aren’t in the mood to cross the Potomac for Thai (us), or if you have not yet jumped on the Bangkok 54 bandwagon (us again), then consider The Old Siam a low-key alternative. Since opening early last year in the old Mickey’s Patio location, it’s remained very much a neighborhood haunt. It’s a little out of the way for us, too, but when we’re heading toward Barracks Row, we stop in for Thai at this comely restaurant.
Siam’s exposed brick, wrought-iron sconces, colorful vases, and use of natural light suggest serenity without screaming “Zen” or “Designer Finals.” It’s never as busy as we think it should be, and is often bordering on empty when we drop by for lunch. Frankly, we’ve never seen a crowd here large enough to justify its three dining rooms, but for the sake of the Capitol Hill restaurant scene, we hope this place thrives.
The Old Siam goes out of its way to Westernize the dish names. Although some might consider this dumbing down, others might appreciate the menu’s accessibility. As long as the sentiment doesn’t extend to the food and there’s no “Freedom Stir Fry” on the menu, we’re fine with it. Most lunch specials run $8-$10 and dinner entrees are an affordable $10-$14. We randomly sampled the appetizers, starting with the Ginger Salad. The salad’s (moderately) spicy, citrusy tang captivated us, as the flavors of minced chicken, lime juice, red onion, fresh ginger flakes, chili seeds, and cilantro mingled atop a bed of lettuce.
We followed with the Tom Yum — lemongrass soup with chicken, mushroom and cilantro — but it was too much of the same flavor as the Ginger Salad. That was a poor pairing on our part. Our bad. We were looking forward to trying our first Tod Mun and were told they served it, even though we didn’t see it on the menu. Instead, we were given shrimp cakes and an explanation: “The only difference is it’s not spicy and it’s not fish.” We just nodded with an, “Alrighty, then,” and ate the faux Tod Mun, finding it rubbery and dull.
Everyone’s entrees always look so pretty at The Old Siam, which is why we got hooked on the Bangkok Noodles. We ordered it hoping it would be a colorful, complex dish like the ones we saw around us. Siam’s version consists of thin egg noodles stir fried with slices of chicken, sprouts, egg, yellow onion, red pepper, a couple of scallion stems, carrots and thick slices of shitake mushroom in brown sauce. We enjoyed the dish’s flavor and consistency, and the fact that it was stir fried hard enough to impart slight char marks on the chicken and veggies. Our only disappointment? The two tail-on shrimp, which looked and tasted as if tossed in as an afterthought. Just to test Siam, we tried our favorite Thai dish, Pad See Eew, on a subsequent visit. Their version of the wide rice noodle staple, complete with their “house special” soy sauce, met our expectations. It was eggy, thick and filling, and the broccoli florets provided a crisp contrast. Sometimes we just want grown-up, ungreasy Thai food without the trendiness and fluff, and for that, The Old Siam hits the mark.
The Old Siam
406 8th Street SE
(202) 544-7426