Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on September 2010

Photos by Keigo Moriyama

Located on a quiet street in the posh neighborhood of Minami-Aoyama, Siam Thai Cuisine is the perfect date spot for lovers of Bangkok dining. Like its sister restaurant in Mita, it presents a classy but gentle interior, all dark wood and low light, with soothing Isan folk music pitched at just the right volume to catch the ear or ignore, depending on your disposition.

Candles, dried flowers and delicate ethnic statues decorate the small eatery, while the walls bear humble framed panoramas of Bangkok. In place of the “authentically” chunky hand-hewn wooden tables and chairs found in many of Tokyo’s Thai restaurants, here the furniture is elegant and refined. Ditto the affluent clientele—after all, this is Minami-Aoyama.

But what really clinches it is the food. Nowhere near as pricy as you’d expect in this neighborhood, the menu offers a wide range of delicious and generously portioned dishes. The fresh spring rolls (¥850) seemed a good place to start: crisp cabbage and large halved prawns wrapped in a sweet pancake, served with a spicy sauce of Thai basil and carrot and a flavorful side salad. Better yet was the deep-fried variety (¥850), which seems to be a house special: a light and brittle shell stuffed with minced pork and glass noodles, with pickled vegetables on the side that go perfectly with a bottle of Singha (¥680).

The tender grilled chicken satay (¥950) came proffered not on the usual skewers but instead a nest of crispy noodles, topped with dollops of piquant sauce made from peanuts, coconut milk and chili paste. We also enjoyed a healthy serving of stir-fried morning glory (¥1,050).

The only sticking point was the green chicken curry (¥850). Although bursting with flavor and loaded with vegetables and potato, it was a little too much on the liquid side, and skimped pretty meanly on the meat. And have you ever tried to eat runny curry without a spoon? That seemed a surprising oversight from the otherwise conscientious waitstaff. An order of Jasmine rice was extra, at ¥350. We were disappointed to find a few menu items unavailable, though the eager young chef was quick to suggest alternatives.

While many of the dishes had a nice kick to them, nothing we tried was overwhelmingly spicy, leaving our taste buds intact and heightening the impact of the flavors. We rounded out our meal with the chef’s recommended dessert—a bowl of tapioca, peanuts and corn drowned in coconut milk, and a bowl of fleshy lychees in juice (¥480)—and a glass of sweet and pulpy Mangoyan liqueur and orange juice (¥550).

In all, Siam Thai Cuisine measures up extremely well. For the price, it’s one of the best Thai restaurants we’ve found in Tokyo, with a warm atmosphere that will surely entice us for further dinner dates over the coming months.