What used to be One Night in Bangkok has now become Siam Trading Company and Ruth curated a special tasting menu that she invited us over to try one weekend. It’s a cozy place that continues to have the long bar, and has a glass roof in one section, allowing for natural light to brighten the place up with simple interiors, comfortable seating. It was a lunch with cocktails, and Grey Goose were the sponsors so we had a selection of some delicious drinks. So, wasting no time Tapash and I started off with the Grey Goose Rickey and Caipiroska each. The rickey was nicely refreshing – vodka with lime juice and sparkling water – lovely to have in an afternoon. While the caipiroska was a nice sweet and spice combination – a little on the spicier side for me, but everyone else seemed to love the punch of the chili.

Food started soon after. We began with Beef and Rambutan soup combined to create a hearty and fragrant soup – the fruit blending in quite well with the meat. A nice comfort soup. The Carambola and Prawn Salad is not commonly found in restaurants here. And we loved that this was on the menu at Siam Trading Company. A salad made with grilled prawns and fresh starfruit in a dressing of chili paste, fish sauce and lime juice, and topped with toasted rice. Balance of spicy and tangy making this was quite a delicious salad. The Basil Prawns that followed are pretty much mainstream Asian – but the delicate marinade in the preparation here made quite a difference. Basil and garlic paste mixed with prawns and then grilled allowed for the flavors to seem in quite well – made a difference to the taste.

The homemade pork sausage was up next – a staple from the Northern part of Thailand. The pork was fermented with sticky rice and grilled – served in a sweet chili sauce. This was spectacular. The texture of the pork and the taste of the meat were spot on. Beautiful! We were supposed to try Pandan Wrapped Chicken, but due to unavailability of the leaf went with a banana wrap. The chicken tasted quite good, the spices permeated well with the steaming. It’s a common preparation in Bengal as well – so not really exotic, but nevertheless enjoyable. A fresh watermelon and lemon mousse palate cleanser was presented next – styled neatly and quite an interesting pairing that worked rather well.

The next few dishes were superlative. I say that right at the beginning of this section, so you guys don’t think I am gushing about everything. The Sour Beef preparation was made with in house fermented beef fried with whole garlic pods, onion and red chili. I absolutely loved this. It is recommended to have with beer, and I agree wholeheartedly! On the other hand, the Grilled Pork Neck came with a spicy lime sauce. The meat was tender and supple, the tangy flavor giving it a nice zest. The mains had noodles with pork & prawns and Chiang Mai Chicken Curry. To be honest I was way too full by the time we reached here. They tasted homely and comforting.

And finally desserts! The desserts saw Rubies or the Tab Tim Krab – water chestnuts in coconut cream – which I found to be alright. I prefer this with a lot of coconut milk – keeping it light. The Sticky Rice with fresh Mango however was an absolute ace in the hole – the Thai dessert with the king of fruits. I strongly recommend to try this when season permits.

Summary

In conclusion, it was a great experience and the entire meal was a gastronomic journey of Thailand – probably focused on Northern region. Each dish was unique, carefully thought and prepared. It is very easy to pick the mainstream and popular dishes from Asia for a menu, but Siam Trading Company has a clear pivot and are set to deliver on that. Lot of their pastes, marinade, sauces and mixes are made in house – and come very close to the original tastes from Thailand. The meats were of excellent quality, and prepared very well. Check out the place for an original perspective of Thai food. Thanks Ruth for having us over – we love #RDPCurates 🙂

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