Siam Thai Rochester, NY

Restaurant Review by Jennifer Kumar.

Update July 7, 2009
We visited on July 4, 2007. We, again sat outside. It was a pleasant day.

We were impressed as when we asked about different menu items that were not vegetarian or vegan, they were willing to make it vegan, by substituting tofu or vegetables. They also made the pad thai vegan by taking out the egg and using a non-meat based peanut sauce (I never realized it had meat or fish products in it...).

We really enjoyed our meal of fresh veggie rolls with peanut sauce, Tom Kah veggie soup (which, we were told by our Malayalee cousin, reminded him of Olan, a coconut based potato dish in Kerala), and together we three shared a dish of pad thai.

We were impressed with the service, flexibility of menu ingredients an service. We actually believe the customer service has much improved and gained a stronger personality as this establishment now is evolving it's own identity. We will surely visit again.

Originial Review date - April 26, 2008
Today we went to Siam Thai in Corn Hill near to the courthouse in downtown Rochester, New York.

The buildings that house the restaurant are in a new community- apartments on the top and businesses on the ground floor. There are few other eateries and some small shops on the ground floor. Many places, including Siam open only 11 or after. Parking can also be challenging in this area, though as we were coming at a down time (around 1pm), parking was ample.

It's interesting that 1pm on a Saturday is a downtime, but it seems working day hours (9a-5p Mon-Fri) are more crowded. But the good news is that the weather was perfect, again, and we were able to be seated outside with a view of the Genesee River and the walking trail.

For appetisers, we ordered the Papaya Madness Salad and Tofu with Peanut Sauce. The Papaya Madness salad was VERY tasty, bursting of many flavors, spicy, colorful and good to the last drop, but I did not see one papaya in it! The tofu and peanut sauce was equally tasty in a different way.

Our main courses, however, left a desire for something different. Unlike the salad bursting of taste, the Pad Thai and Pad See Eau left our palates wondering where did all the taste go? The presentation of the Pad Thai in itself was not appetizing. The noodles were a hue of a weird orange color, with little tofu and few peanuts. Where was the peanut sauce? In fact, where was the taste? With additional green chili water and soy sauce, there still was absolutely no taste. The Pad See Eau was better in the sense that there was a variety of vegetables in it, but there was still no taste to be found even with added condiments.

In the middle of our meal, it started raining heavily. We moved to an empty table with an umbrella. We moved and the waitress came to help us only 10-15 minutes after the move and the rain calmed down. What's up with the service? We left minimal tip.

We may be tempted to go back to try the appetisers and soups, but would stay clear of main dishes. We did like the ambiance- sitting outside on the Gennesee River. We did not like the service or the price. For our two appetisers, one Thai Iced Tea (which had that same weird orange hue as the Pad Thai) and two main dishes with tip it came to $40.00. We know of another restaurant in Webster (Rochester suburbs) where a good Thai lunch with appetisers and main meals come to less than $20 with tip.

Two side notes:

1. The bathrooms inside were very clean and modern.

2. I have another comment. The first Pad Thai I ever at was at a restaurant in Boston- actually the suburbs of Boston. I have measured every Pad Thai to date based on that Pad Thai and nothing has measured up. If only I could remember the name of the restaurant....

To visit/contact
Siam Fine Thai Cuisine
280 Exchange Blvd
Rochester, NY 14608
(585) 232-7426
Directions to Siam Fine Thai Cuisine