SIAM GARDEN

Address: 2 Bridge Avenue, Red Bank, NJ 07701

The shops and restaurants in the Galleria are something that I drive by pretty frequently during trips into Red Bank or into Shrewsbury. Last summer, I made a point to check out Tommy’s Coal Fired Pizza since it had just moved in and I had heard a lot about how good coal fired pizza was. It was time to head back there to check out their Thai restaurant, Siam Garden.

My friend Joe and I stopped into Siam Garden last Friday during our lunch break from work. I have to say that it does seem bigger on the inside than what the exterior lets on. Both of us were pretty hungry and hadn’t had Thai food in a little while, so we quickly started to peruse the menu. There is certainly a wide selection of dishes on the menu, from curries to noodles to fried rice. I ended up going with the Chicken Pad Thai, while Joe went for a green curry with chicken.

On the several different occasions that I’ve gone to Thai restaurants, I always like to sample their pad thai. The dish itself consists of stir-fried rice noodles, bean sprouts, egg, fish sauce, chicken or shrimp, and garnished with some crushed peanuts and lime juice. The blend of ingredients all together really evokes a sweet, hearty, and diverse flavor profile that distinguishes itself from dishes in other cuisines.

Siam Garden’s pad thai was quite delicious and very rich in flavor. The rice noodles combine very well with the fish sauce, and the added crushed peanuts, bean sprouts, and lime juice really brought the whole dish together. The chicken also had some great flavor as well, being stir-fried along with the other ingredients. I also got to sample Joe’s green curry dish, which was also excellent. The spiciness of the curry really helped to contrast the slightly sweet taste that green curry has.

All things considered, I’m very glad that we made the trip out to try Siam Garden. The restaurant is Zagat-rated and well spoken of by people in the area. The one thing that I would note is that the prices for food during dinner service are markedly more expensive than lunch. Therefore, I would recommend to people that are eager to try some great Thai food in the area to go during the lunch hours (11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.). I would certainly like to return to sample some of the other Thai dishes on their menu.

Here are my rankings for Siam Garden:

Food: 5 / 5
Delicious blend of flavors from both of the dishes I tried, and a large selection to choose from the menu.

Atmosphere: 4.5 / 5
The décor of the restaurant really does remind you of the Orient, and the spacious interior is well-lit from many of the restaurant’s windows.

Service: 4.5 / 5
The food came out very quickly (within 15 minutes of ordering, I believe) and the waitstaff were very polite and attentive to refilling your drinks.

Price: 4 / 5
I would say that to get the most bang for your buck, visit this place during lunchtime. A good amount of food for a reasonable price.

Overall: 18 / 20 (90%)

Categories: New Jersey, Restaurants

Tagged as: new jersey, pad thai, red bank, siam garden, thai