Siam Smiles Cafe, Chinatown, Manchester

So I’ve finally got round to posting my review of Siam Smiles, the Thai cafe in the basement at 48 George St in the heart of Manchester’s Chinatown. This was the second visit, we ‘discovered’ it after making it’s acquaintance in April and felt a follow up visit was much needed.
I’ve eaten at quite a lot of Thai restaurants in the UK and the majority follow a very safe formula; using pre bought red, green and massaman pastes, overly sweet and sticky pad thai noodles and a general lack of fresh Thai herbs and vegetables (such as my particular bugbear- substituting Mediterranean basil for sweet or holy Thai basil).
This cannot be said of Siam Smiles, despite only having a few tables alongside the supermarket produce, you know you’re going to get real Thai street food. The condiment caddy and pot of nam prik pao is a good indicator you’re going to be eating very well.
On this occasion I ordered some simple comfort food- khao moo daeng (red pork over rice) and the som tam pla ra (fermented fish sauce papaya salad) with added crab. The rice plate also came with a warming bowl of herbal broth which was a nice touch and a palate cleanser.
There is a clear Chinese influence with khao moo daeng- the red pork and sauce not too distant from char sui/hoisin. The pork was lean and firm and had a great depth of flavour with star anise coming through quite strongly. The cucumber and boiled egg added some lovely texture too; definitely a unfussy and comforting dish.
The som tam pla ra was a different beast altogether. Those who follow my blog know I love som tam and make it usually once a week at home. This was the first time I had encountered the pla ra version and it’d been on my ‘to try’ list for quite some time. However for my taste buds I think it was a step too far. The salad itself was great, crunchy green papaya, not padded out with large amounts of carrot, cherry tomatoes, long beans and I loved hearing it being pounded up in the pok pok in the kitchen. The salad also had pounded up small crabs (for the flavour rather than meat) and contained slivers of pickled limes which are delicious. The pla ra isn’t how I expected it to be, it’s not that it’s especially fishy, though it is strong, it made me think more of the bottom of a pond. My husband however, preferred it to regular som tam. I was pleased to see it arrive with the customary cabbage wedge.
The portions are a perfect size, plenty enough to fill you up but not wasteful and the prices are good- £7-£8.50 for most plates. The staff are also really friendly and helpful, answering some of my questions about ingredients.
We’ll most certainly be back again, we’re slowly making our way round the extensive menu and will continue pushing our flavour comfort zones in our quest for authentic Thai street food!
https://twitter.com/SiamSmilesCafe
https://www.facebook.com/SiamSmilesCafe