Open Tab: Siam Splendour offers rich Thai-inspired dishes to warm our mouths and hearts

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Rachel Schlueter/The Daily Northwestern

Pad thai is a staple in Thai cuisine and one of Siam Splendour’s most popular dishes. We ordered it with rice noodles and shrimp.

Kunjal Bastola and Rachel Schlueter

Siam Splendour, located at 1125 Emerson St., offers a menu filled with Thai delicacies. Dining there is the perfect way to get through the cold weather slump at the beginning of spring. 

When we got to the restaurant, we saw that the space was small but homely. The atmosphere felt warm and inviting, so we were eager to sit down and begin our Siam Splendour adventure. 

To start, we ordered the kanom jeeb, which consisted of nickel-sized dumplings stuffed with shrimp and paired with a soy-based sauce. We opted to order them steamed, but there was an option to deep fry. Each piece was the perfect bite of sweet and salty. The shrimp taste wasn’t overpowering and the sweet, slightly nutty sauce completed the dish. 

Beyond its delectable appetizers, Siam Splendour offers a variety of entree categories, including noodles, rice, curries and seafood. We went for noodles, and Siam Splendour didn’t disappoint. 

We ordered pad thai, which the menu calls one of the restaurant’s most popular traditional dishes. We ordered it with thin rice noodles, but it can also be served with bean thread noodles. Customers can add chicken or shrimp, and we chose the latter.

For $12, the serving of pad thai is hefty and can easily be turned into a meal for two. The sauce had a nutty, umami flavor with some sugary accents. Five enormous pieces of shrimp accompanied the pad thai and added a savory tang to the dish. The ground peanut bits incorporated a satisfying crunch to the soft noodles. Egg, tofu and bean sprouts were also mixed in, and green onions topped the dish, adding a sharp, spicy flavor to neutralize the sweet peanut sauce. 

Because one entree is never enough, we also ordered a serving of kuay tiew nam prik pao, a bowl of pan-fried flat noodles or vermicelli noodles that’s infused with a choice of meat, broccoli and a chili shrimp sauce. We added a little hot sauce to the item, balancing out the tangy sweetness already in the dish. All we can say is that we’re still dreaming about that dish. 

A classic thai ice tea proved the perfect accompaniment to our meal. The earthy, yet sweet cold drink found in many Thai restaurants and boba shops offered a cold pairing to our warm and spicy dishes. 

Since we’re getting ready for spring, we felt it was only right to end our meal on a light, fruity note. We ordered the sticky rice with mango, a dessert sure to satisfy any sweet tooth. 

Soaked in milk, the chewy rice patty had a decadent flavor. It was coupled with ripe, golden slices of mango, making each bite rich yet refreshing. Siam Splendour also offers sticky rice with custard, which we didn’t get to try this visit but can’t wait to order when we visit again soon. 

Whether you’re in the mood to share a meal with friends or to order takeout for a night in, Siam Splendour is sure to satisfy. 

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @kunjal_bastola

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @rschlueter26

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