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| - The food at Monsoon Siam was delicious. There were enough quirks and drawbacks in the service and ambiance, however, to make it unlikely that I return soon.
We ordered tom ka soup with mushrooms as a starter and the spicy roasted tofu with basil and the spicy eggplant with tofu for entrees. The soup came with one spoon and I asked for a second. It came from behind me as the server passed it over a wall dividing the dining area from the kitchen over my shoulder, which was really awkward. I ordered brown rice ($1.99) with my meal, but white rice ($0.99) came instead. It took a long while before the server checked in so that by the time my brown rice did come, we had nearly finished our meal. Our plates were ice cold (though the food was hot) which wasn't a pleasant sensation.
The soup and the entrees were all quite tasty, though the tofu in my stir fry was more deep fried than stir fried (as advertised). The portions were adequate, but I had no leftovers like I usually look forward to at Lao Laan Xang. The roasted tofu entree comes with a side of steamed carrots, snowpeas, and cabbage that were essentially a flavorless plate filler.
A final drawback: the restaurant was freezing. It was so cold that we ate in our winter jackets and stared at the video playing of a fireplace hoping it would help. The kitchen staff and some of the servers were wearing hats and gloves to stay warm, and other patrons were dining in their big winter hats. Given that I had sought out Monsoon Siam for a hot, fiery meal to ward off the January cold, a cold restaurant was definitely a turnoff.
I'd order delivery from here in the future, provided they remember my brown rice. I'll likely wait until summer to try dining in again because I just don't want to be that cold when I'm eating.
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