Siam Centre-Ville, Montreal

The other day, I realized that some of the ethnic food that  I eat the most and that I know the best are rarely reviewed on this blog. The case of Thai food.

Thai cuisine is one of the cuisines that I’ve been practicing for a long time (decades). I do like cooking  and do thoroughly enjoy many food items from all corners of Thailand. Even though I have a soft spot for Southern Thai cooking, there are many dishes of Northern and Isan (North Eastern) cuisines that I am fond of. Some of the food items from the long list of Thai dishes that became favorites of mine across the years : Kaeng phak bung sai pla (fish/morning glory curry), Kuay Tiew Kaeng (rice noodles/curry), Sai mu thot (deep-fried pork intestines, therefore offal, served with a spicy dipping sauce. This one is in my personal top #3 preferred Thai dishes), Yam Som O (a salad of prawns/citrus fruits/chicken/Thai seasonings)., Khua kraduk (pork ribs curry), Khanom chin nam ngiao (fermented rice vermicelli with beef or pork), Yum kanom jeen (rice noodle salad), Nam phrik kapi kap pla thu thot (Fried fish served with a chili sauce made with fermented shrimp paste), etc., most of which, if not all, are absent from the typical menu of a Thai restaurant in the West…but if Thai food interests you (I am not talking about the usual culprits such as pad thai and chicken green curry dishes which are  commonly found at Thai restaurants in the West), then make friends with Thai people and learn from them/those in the know. They certainly will be happy to help you educate your palate accordingly.

There are some few things that I rarely order at Thai restaurants for personal reasons: for example, I virtually never order fried rice because I am partial to the broth evaporation technique found in some fried rice like the Javanese Fried Rice (Nasi Goreng Jowo), which, for my taste, elevates the taste of the fried rice, but Thai fried rice does not use that technique. You will also never see me ordering Phat kaphrao (rice/holy basil/ground meat) outside of Thailand.

For sure, it would be delusional to expect ethnic food to taste exactly the same as what it tastes  in its country of origin, as elements such as the water that is used, the geographical environment, etc … do affect the taste of the food (clearly, the Ayutthaya River prawn you find in Thailand will not taste the same as the prawn we get outside of Thailand, to take an example). In Thailand, they tend to serve the mango/sticky rice dessert when the mango is in season (abroad, Thai restaurants serve mango all year long). In Thailand, coriander roots are very important in the flavor profile of many dishes, but they are rarely used in Thai food cooked outside of Thailand. In Thailand, the aging of rice is taken very seriously, but outside of Thailand you will rarely hear about it. In the West, at Thai restaurants, patrons do sometimes order sticky rice to eat with food that Thai people never pair with sticky rice in Thailand, and you cannot stop them from doing that, Lol.  There’s also the need to adjust to local palates (you simply cannot expect Western palates in the West to enjoy Thai food the way Thai palates in Thailand are enjoying it. It does not work that way). Not to mention ignorant suggestions that X,Y, Z Thai curry was soupy (C’mon folks…you should know better…many Thai curries are, by design, thin and soupy. That’s normal. You need thick curries, then that is Indian curry. Not Thai…). Fresh pandan leaves are used in Thailand, but can you find them fresh outside of Thailand? Is it commonly used in Thai restaurants outside of Thailand? I doubt. And that’s just a fraction of the many reasons that can explain why your Thai food in Thailand should never be compared to the Thai food you are eating outside of Thailand. But a good Thai restaurant outside of Thailand can still get the job done within, of course, the aforementioned limitations.

In Montreal, we do not really have benchmark Thai restaurants. Just Ok/good Thai restaurants, in general.

Many things have changed in the landscape of Thai restaurants in Montreal: I started dining at Thai restaurants in Montreal in the late 1990s and I remember that in those days, a curry of chicken, to take an example,  would have the chicken cooked in the curry itself (which is better because the curry and its protein have their respective flavours that are fused)…whereas nowadays you will see more and more (not ALL, but more and more) eateries that will cook the chicken aside and simply add it to the curry when serving. I am talking, here, about proper restaurants and not just a food stand at a mall (which would have made more sense). A way for them not to waste the curry (obviously, if the kitchen brigade cooks the chicken in the curry, as they are  supposed to do, but there are less orders of chicken curry than of beef curry, to take an example, they  will waste their chicken curry. But if  they cook the protein on the side and just add the protein that the customer needs only when the customer orders it, the restaurant is not wasting any curry. Yeah, I know, it is not the best scenario for the patron that we are (especially someone like me who prefers a curry that is infused with its protein), but expect that at restaurants (not just here, but abroad as well. As an example, to pursue with the “not wasting food” principle,  in Athens, Greece, that principle takes, sometimes, the following form: some restaurants do serve reheated food (food that they were not able to sell from the previous shift, of course, and not food from months ago, hahaha, but still food that is reheated in some cases) which is a big NO, here in Montreal, for now, but the logic in Athens is to, obviously, avoid wasting food/money. The problem is that in Athens, some of them would charge you the same full price you would have paid for their freshly cooked food…of course, Right? Lol.

In the 2000s, I used to eat at Chao Phraya. Admittedly, there was nothing particularly mesmerizing about Chao Phraya,  but in their prime, they were capable of some serious classical Thai food by Montreal Thai restaurant standards. Alas, they closed (and Yeah, I know…I remember…there was that food journalist who once wrote a bad review on Chao Phraya. I remember laughing at the low rating of that laughable review. No, Chao Phraya was not bad. The problem is that the  food journalist who wrote that review was  clueless about Thai food, a common problem with many food critics in the West … instead of learning with those in the know, then assessing the food, they are busy “playing the experts” and it shows. Anyways, it is not a secret, in well versed circles, that many food critics in the West rave about ethnic food that is westernized…but the more authentic the food is, the more confused those so-called critics are).

Couple of years ago, I  did like  Pamika when they were on Sherbrooke Street, but then they moved and they are now located on Saint Laurent Street. I tried Pamika on Saint Laurent street, last summer, and I did not find it as  great as it used to be when they were on Sherbrooke Street: their new place is bigger, contemporary, but I find the portions of food not as generous and the food itself not as dazzling as in their days on Sherbrooke Street.

These days (and since a long time, actually), my go-to Thai restaurants in Montreal are Restaurant Thaïlande (Good classic Thai food — especially the curries — that they have been cooking with consistency for many years. I like this place for its focus on what matters, which is food that tastes good, done as it should and not meant to impress the BS of trends), as well as Pick Thai (although my last visit at Pick Thai was few months right before Chef Vilay Douangpanya’s retirement. Chef Douangpanya retired at the end of 2022, therefore I do not know how good PT fares, right now. I’ll retry it at some point and I will keep you posted).

But I am also on the lookout for  some nice Thai restaurants in Montreal (btw, email me if you have some good suggestions) to alternate with my current  go-to Thai restaurants  Restaurant Thailande/Thai Sep/Pick Thai.

Several months ago, a local foodie did strongly suggest that I visit Siam Centre-Ville. I just did and here’s  the account of my meal:

 

Pad Kee Mao drunken noodles. Rice Noodles, bell Pepper, Baby corn, Bamboo Shoots, Gailan, Mushroom, lime, Chili, and Basil leaves. You can have it with beef or seafood. I did opt for seafood.  All the textbook relevant requirements were met: carefully timed stir frying process, the vegetables were soft and yet crisp, the sauce sticking to the wide noodles  as it should, the noodles cooked to the proper required tender and yet firm texture, the expected savory (and of course, if you want it spicy, then just mix the dish with the fresh pieces of chili pepper that’s served atop) Thai  flavor profile in evidence. It’s refined and served in a contemporary looking restaurant, but that does not mean that it is not Thai. Refinement should not be confused with authenticity. This was authentically Thai. No shortcuts taken (as an example, baby corn and bamboo shoots are common in Pad Kee Mao in Thailand. They are used, here, too), which is a good thing. This was really good (nice technique, quality ingredients, proper work of the flavour profile). 7.5/10

 

Massaman curry. Turmeric, lime leaves, tamarind, cashew, potatoes, shallot, chili as per the description on their menu. You have the choice of chicken or beef. I always go with the most commonly used protein (because of its Muslim origins, Massaman curry is commonly made with chicken. But of course, beef is perfectly legit, too). Mild in heat, and yet rich and creamy exactly as it’s supposed to. There’s a vast array of ingredients and spices  that went in this elaborate curry, as it should, all perfectly well balanced and expressing a great depth of the usual sour, spicy, sweet and salty sensations that are expected from this dish. One successful variation of the massaman curry, the relevant core Thai  flavor profile at the fore. Another really good dish (the sauce itself had superb texture and genuine great flavours. The only thing I wish they could have done was to add more pieces of potatoes to the massaman curry I was sampling on that evening). Portions are not meager at all, which is a great thing. 7.5/10

 

Sticky rice, mango, coconut cream, mango jelly. I always hesitate to order this classic Thai dessert outside of Thailand for the obvious reason that it’s a simple dessert (sticky rice / slices of fresh mango / coconut milk, that is it) , therefore it relies heavily on its ingredients. Given that it would be unreasonable to expect the dazzling mango (for eg, the fresh mango from Bang Kachao), coconut milk and rice (for eg, the better rice from Chiang Rai) of Thailand to be found in a restaurant of Montreal, why bother? Well, I still tried it as I was anticipating, on their part, some kind of contemporary refinement of this classic and was curious to see what they would do. It was also the opportunity to test their technique of the sticky rice. The glutinous rice technique was on point (the required nice translucent /glossy looks were there, properly moist and fluffy, not too sticky and not too gummy, exactly as it should), when I ordered this dessert. You pour the coconut milk (the coconut milk was way too sweet, on that particular evening. Of course, it has to be sweet, we all know that, but the sweetness needs to be nicely balanced with the coconut flavour, as at the end of the day, it is first and foremost a coconut cream, obviously. But here that balance was not there, which means that I was tasting far more sweetness than proper coconut flavour. And that did take away a bit from the core relevant flavour profile expected from coconut cream served with Khao Niaow Ma Muang – in other words, it should be “sweet and coconutty” and not “far more sweet and a bit coconutty” ) on the sticky rice and mango. The mango ice cream took a bit of getting used to, for me, in the sense that, being “old school” when it comes to this dessert, any texture or temperature that does not pertain to the basic plain trio of fresh mango flesh / sticky rice and coconut milk … confuses me a bit (that’s just a problem with me, btw, as Thai people do sometimes mix ice cream with sticky rice such as in their classic bread/sticky rice/ice cream “sandwich” dessert and this should not be taken as a fault, not at all, as they were creative and this was certainly a pleasant contemporary and creative reinterpretation of the Khao Niaow Ma Muang). So for me, a 6.5/10 (pleasant, rather than dazzling) BTW: I know that in 2022, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was considering registering the Khao Niaow Ma Muang  on UNESCO’s cultural heritage list. That is a great idea as this dessert is so Thai.

Superb service by my host Tommy. As explained elsewhere on this blog, I have decided to stop mentioning service in my reviews when it is of the ordinary sort (I have no time to spend on crap) because the main problem, nowadays, is a pitiful lack of education (consequently a lack of good manners, therefore a lack of good service) that you see pretty much everywhere, therefore the restaurant industry could not escape from that. That lack of manners and education, btw, is not a problem by some present day standards, rather a feature: in my days, lacking in manners and education was shameful. Nowadays, education and manners are too much work (and trust me, I am not asking for the moon, I am not expecting those people to be instructed in proper deportment, not at all) , Rfaol. No kidding. And that is not the fault of the restaurant world: it goes without saying that a respectable restaurant does not find such situation funny. But what can they do? They can’t spend their time firing people, Lol. They would do just that, Rfaol! That said there is no reason to panic yet…there are still plenty of great staff in the restaurant world (some of which I have praised, deservedly so, in very recent reviews of such gems like Deville Dinerbar,  Rita or Le 409). Still, as I’ll reiterate, when I see a world class educated host like Tommy, I will happily mention it, which is exactly what I am doing. Tommy was the perfect balance between being cool (fun, friendly, down to earth) and  professional (attentive, educated, active listening, efficient, tactful, positive attitude, etc.). A superb host, indeed (poor him, not his fault at all but he kept being interrupted when he was talking to me, rfaol…).

 

Bottom line: As always, I do some online searches before booking a table and I was amused at how many diners want ethnic food to be what they want it to be, instead of letting it be what it’s supposed to be (zero respect for the integrity of the ethnic food that they are eating). As an example, they want the Tom yum to taste this way, the Phat kaphrao that way, etc. Sadly, such ignorance can force ethnic food to lose its identity. Anyways, I was hoping that Siam Centre Ville would keep the integrity of Thai flavors at the fore and not succumb to the pressure of westernizing it (You know, Thai food has already been westernized – as an example, dried shrimp is widely used in the green papaya salad in Thailand, mostly ignored in the West – no need to westernize it further). I was therefore pleased to see that Siam Centre Ville did not forget, for the most part, that it is Thai food that it has to cook. And not something else. Furthermore, the entrepreneurs behind Siam Centre-Ville did put a lot of thought into their restaurant  (they have a proper vegan menu, they did rethink the presentation of the classic Khao Niaow Ma Muang, got a Chef from Thailand to invent a signature dish exclusively for them — the Chef Panithit’s Crispy Chicken dish — and apparently, they even have their small urban garden … I mean, it’s rare that you will see a Thai restaurant, in Montreal, going to such great lengths). Hey, give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar: Siam is one of the good Thai restaurants in town, indeed. Siam Centre-Ville. Addr: 1325 René-Lévesque Blvd W, Montreal, Quebec H3G 0A4. https://restaurantsiam.com/en/.

 

 

Thai Sep, Montreal

Thai Sep has been a long time favourite of local fans of Thai and Lao cuisine in Montreal. I went there, for the first time in 2016. Then, since it’s not on my way, I went back sporadically.

In an effort to post more about some of the Ethnic food that I know the best (3 decades of familiarity and long time thorough practice, in the case of Thai cuisine), I decided to publish this review on Thai Sep, a review that covers some of the dishes I had there on the last 3 most recent visits at Thai Sep:

 

–Thai fish cake. They do it a certain “old fashion” / ‘rustic” way that some Thai people of previous generations are familiar with (that is one thing that I respect with Thai Sep. They do not try to follow trends, make things fancier and try to please the instagram crowd. Instead, they cook their food the way it has always been. That is it). I will not rate this as my rating would mean nothing to the newer generations of diners (most are not familiar with what needs to be expected from this specific type of classic Thai fish cake, therefore a rating will confuse them further. It’s an acquired taste, I’d guess, which means that if you are curious about it, then go ahead and try it.). Thai fish cakes, no matter their variations (whether it’s this specific classic rendition or most of their other variations), have never made the list of my favourite fish cakes in the world, but this was properly done as per the requirements of that specific aforementioned classic Thai style.

 

–Kaeng Massaman. Thai curries must be the easiest thing for a Thai Mom, Lol. I have no doubt about that. You cannot go wrong with their curries, indeed. This one has the textbook features of what it’s supposed to feel/smell/taste like: rich, and mildly spicy. Properly made and tasting fine, with here, more emphasis on the Thai ingredients than on the Indian ones (massaman being a mix of Thai and Indian influences), the chicken cooked in the curry, which is better because the curry and its protein are fused, as it’s supposed to  (something you see less and less at some other restaurants because they are afraid of not making money with their curry, so they just add the protein you want in the curry only when you order it…in other words, the protein is never cooked in the curry. Just added to the curry, I prefer the way of Thai Sep, which means cooking the chicken in the curry). This version was  sweeter than most of the other versions that I am used to, which did not came as surprise as the restaurant industry have decided, for years now, that the “collective palate” in Montreal needs food that’s sweeter…Anyways, this was properly executed and tasted fine . 6.5/10

Other dishes I  had tried across the 3 most recents meals there:

–Green Papaya salad: Both their Thai and Lao versions are properly executed. As authentic as your papaya salad will get, too, in Montreal. The Lao version (tham mak hoong) packed with a fine base of  the classic Lao padaek condiment (made from fermented fish)  flavouring, exactly as it’s supposed to be in original rendition. Nice umami coming from their Lao version. The Thai version (som tom – or “Papa Pok Pok” as Thai people familiarly call it )’s sour/sweet/salty/spicy notes bold on the palate and yet nicely balanced (the key to a successful version of this classic of Thai cuisine), the crispiness of the papaya in evidence, the vivid varied textures adding to the enjoyment of the salad. 7/10 for the Lao version, 6.5/10 for the Thai version.

–Tom Yum Soup: It’s rare that you will find a bad version of this classic hot and sour Thai soup at a Thai restaurant in Montreal. And if you have cooked it yourself (I did), it’s hard to miss it (after all, its list of ingredients — galangal/lime juice/kaffir lime leaves/chili peppers/fish sauce/lemongrass  — literally screams ” unfailing deliciousness”, Lol ) . That said, as with anything else, some versions are just  better than others. This was packed with a decent concentration of eventful flavors.  Fine  6.5/10

Naem khao – A Lao salad (that’s also popular in Northern Thailand) made of peanuts/scallions/shallots/fish sauce/lime juice/rice balls (deep-fried)/mint/pork sausage. You know or you do not, and in their case, they know how to make a proper   Naem khao (a festive complex spicy/salty/tart/sweet/chewy/crispy journey on the palate) thanks to a decent homemade sausage (fine  intensity of meaty flavor/superb seasoning), properly rendered deep-fried lightly curried rice balls, meat that is properly fermented, ingredients that combined well. Good. 7/10

Green Thai curry – Fine condensed intensity of flavors coming from the curry paste / coconut milk.
The core of the flavor of this dish starts from that duo of elements  (the rest of the ingredients — Thai basil/fish sauce/kaffir lime leaves, etc.  — revolving around them ). It fails or succeeds on the back of those 2 components. Here, the curry paste / coconut milk duo  was used to  good effect as you came to expect from time and tested recipes like these. Fine. 6.5/10

Courteous, efficient service (the son serves in the small dining room, while the mother takes care of the cooking).

 

 

Bottom line-  As I cannot stress enough, when a restaurant offers food at such low price (the case of Thai Sep):  be REALISTIC! You cannot have the best of both worlds, you cannot have the best of Thai food in Montreal at such low cost. Thinking otherwise would be pure BS, pure fantasy. Thai Sep cooks honest food, “homey” /”artisan Chef” style (it is refreshing to see a Mom cooking alone in her kitchen in a world where many  kitchen brigades look like a confusing parade of cooks who are replicating recipes mechanically) and sells it to you at a price that your pocket will like. You pay cash, though. And it is a BYOW.

 

 

My Post Card of Thailand

My first trip to Thailand was in summer 1998. I was young and had planned to visit many countries I kept hearing about, and Thailand was one of them. For me, as a visitor/tourist, Thailand was not a coup de coeur,  the way I was smitten with Vietnam/Myanmar/Japan/Italy  — of course, that is subjective –,  but I still liked Thailand a lot. And that is what matters.

Here’s what I really liked about Thailand:

-The food (it used to be even better in the late 1990s). In those days, you could find dazzling food in any mall of their major cities. Street food was also remarkable. When food is remarkable  in a food court or on the street, it speaks volume about the overall high quality of the dining landscape. Food in Thailand in general,  Bangkok in particular, was that great, back then.

-The culture / The Buddhist traditions

-The lovely temples (I love temples)

-The Khon (traditional Thai dance)

-Thai Airways. It has been a while since I last flew with TA, but in those days, it was a first-rate airline (knowing Thai Airways, I have no doubt that  it is still world class).

-Hey…I love the crazy tuk tuk. I am not kidding!

Later on, I will write more about Thailand, a country that I have visited many times for the food (in the late 1990s, one of my main interests, was to discover Thai food from all corners of  Thailand. It was important, for me, to familiarize myself with all Thai regional cuisines), their temples (I am a massive fan of historical landmarks) as well culture (particularly the Buddhist traditions). And I was fascinated with elephants (in the last row of pictures below, you will see an elephant walking in between me and several other people …I know..it’s crazy…but I was young, Lol…).

For now, enjoy my post  card of  Thailand: