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The Paly Voice

The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice

The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice

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Siam Royal offers homestyle dining experience

Imagine how it would feel to dine in a cozy home in Thailand. Siam Royal at 338 University Ave. in Palo Alto renders just that with a sensational home dining experience.

The first thing I noticed upon entering the little family-owned Thai restaurant was the radiant smile of the hostess. Despite the fact that the restaurant was crammed, the hostess made sure I got a seat in less than five minutes.

When I was comfortably seated the restaurant’s delightful ambiance fell into place. Adorning the walls is a collection of traditional Thai art and tables are framed by beautifully stained wooden carols. Through the pleasant twang of Thai music, an occasional off-key note of a child practicing piano in the family’s upstairs quarters can be heard, enhancing the feeling of home.

The lunch and dinner menus offer a wide array of unique appetizers, curries, soups, salads, barbecues, noodles, and sautés. Start off with the Thai Spring Rolls ($5.25), deep fried vegetables and ground chicken wrapped in rice paper, and the Beef Satay ($5.95), skewered slices of tender beef marinated in coconut milk and served with peanut sauce. The appetizers are neatly presented with lettuce and dips and are usually enough to serve four people.

Soups are not a high point in Thai cuisine, but for those who don’t mind a little blandness the Tom Yom Soup ($3.15 for one, $5.95 for two), a tart broth accented with lemon grass, mushrooms, limejuice chili pepper, onions and cilantro; provides a mild and soothing experience.

The menu offers a variety of original salads to satisfy a longing for adventure. The curious papaya salad ($5.50), a mixed sliced green papaya, with limejuice, string beans, chili tomatoes, and ground peanuts, will satisfy any longing for adventure. The shrimp and squid salad ($5.95), poached shrimp and squid in mint leaves, is singularly thrilling.

When the time comes to order the entrée, the menu provides a wide variety of Thai dishes. The curry and noodle dishes are a sure bets; I recommend the green curry chicken or beef ($6.95), chicken or beef in mildly spicy coconut curry sauce but for those who don’t mind a little fat, the duck curry ($7.50), boneless roasted duck in mildly spicy red curry sauce is a good choice. All curry dishes are daintily presented and served in satisfying quantities with steamed rice.

In the noodle department, the Pad Thai Noodles ($6.95), flat sautéed rice noodles with vegetables, are especially delicious and filling.

For those who are disinterested in curries or noodles, the barbecue chicken ($6.95) and roasted duck ($6.95) offer delicious alternatives, although not quite as distinctive.

If there’s still room after the entrée, give a green light to one of the delicious desserts. My favorite is the fried banana with coconut ice cream ($3), crispy fried bananas lightly sprinkled in sugar and served with rich coconut ice cream. The menu also offers refreshing Thai Iced Tea with Cream ($3), a cool blend of spices and cream.

Siam Royal provides a unique relaxed dining experience and out does its cross-the-street rival, Krung Siam, with quick and hospitable service and an at-home atmosphere. Walking is recommended because parking on University Avenue is a disaster.

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