Sri Siam: Authentic Thai indulgence

Saturday, 28 March 2015 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Lalitha and Dil with Sri Siam staff By Sarah Hannan Dining out can get hectic at times, especially when your family members have wildly-differing preferences. I may crave Indian food but the rest of the family may not want to eat Indian food and may prefer some seafood based meal concocted from an East Asian country like Thailand. The dilemma can be resolved at No. 68, W. A. Silva Mawatha, Colombo 6 as they cater to both Indian and Thai palates. Owned by Dil Wijemanne, an entrepreneur who has gained his fair share of experience in the tea and travel trade, the two restaurants accommodates patrons for lunch and dinner.

As yowu step in to the premises you will notice the tea kiosk where you can purchase Dil Tea in export quality flavours and packages. The ground floor houses the Indian restaurant Curry Leaves and the first floor which has been refurbished recently is home to Sri Siam, the latest authentic Thai restaurant to open up in Colombo. Much has been written about Curry Leaves and its cuisine, so this piece will look at the cuisine available at Sri Siam. Take away menu There are two set menus priced at Rs. 580 and at Rs. 720 which can be ordered for lunch. You also have the option of selecting the all-day set menu which is priced at Rs. 1,000. For families or groups, the restaurant has a value set for three priced at Rs. 3,000 and for a group of four to six people priced at Rs. 5,500. Both value sets comprise a starter, soup, main, special Thai curry and dessert. A la carte The a la carte menu features an extensive number of 139 items to choose from including vegetarian dishes as well. Our taste test is based on the a la carte menu from which we had the opportunity to try the speciality dishes. Coconut cream, coconut milk or desiccated coconut is added to almost all the dishes served and the herbs and spices that are used in Thai cooking are always highlighted. Lemon grass is a heavily used ingredient along with ginger and other East Asian condiments. Fried Bread with Sesame and Prawn– the starter was a winner and I was pleasantly surprised with the first bite itself. The flavour of prawn and the crisp added by the toasted sesame seeds gave the bread additional texture. Vermicelli Salad with Seafood – Salads are always the best way in which to enjoy ingredients in their base flavours and the vermicelli helped take the edge off the seafood. Mixed Crispy Seafood Salad – Heading towards the hot, the high notes of chillie and the heat accompanied by the variety of seafood will give you the rush that you seek along with a spirited beverage. Tom Yum Prawn Spicy Soup – I was at a loss for words when the soup was served. The thick broth soup comprised of chunks of prawn, cuttlefish sweet aromas of lemon grass and topped with coconut cream to balance off the spicy notes. Green Curry with Chicken – Best accompanied with a bowl of steamed rice, this curry is ideal for kids who are not the biggest fans of spicy food. Stir-fried Crab Curry – The star dish in my opinion was concocted in such a way you would want to use your fingers to enjoy it. Despite not being a big fan of crab, this curry made me suckle the shell and pincers. The gravy of this succulent curry too is prepared using coconut cream which adds that extra sweet taste. Seafood Fried Rice – An abundance of seafood in the rice is always welcomed. The rice to seafood ration was equally matched and can be consumed as a meal on its own. Check out www.facebook.com/srisiamauthenticthairestaurant or contact them on 0766 771 110 for details. For delivery within Colombo city limits reach 0115 663 377 or 0766 141 110 Operating hours: Lunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Dinner 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Pix by Daminda Harsha Perera