| rev:text
| - Monsoon Siam is taking the Madison dining scene by storm, raining down a variety of authentic Thai treats on area diners.
My initial visit to this new East Side eatery left a favorable first impression, with its friendly service and well composed Asian cuisine made with fresh ingredients. While only open for a couple of months, the restaurant has quickly hit its stride, as the chef (Pooh Wonglaka) operated a Thai restaurant in Charlottesville, VA before moving to Madison. I'm not Thai, so I can't speak for whether the cuisine is authentic or not, but I can state the plates I tried during my visit were well composed, masterfully marrying the flavors of the fresh ingredients in a healthy, balanced manner.
Our group of six had a 7PM reservation on a Monday evening. When we arrived, the restaurant had a handful of patrons. Within 15 minutes, an influx of Thai speaking diners flooded the restaurant to near capacity. Despite the crush of customers, our effervescent server (Kitty Ashi, the co-owner of the Charlottesville restaurant), visited our table often, making sure none of us ever went thirsty and clearing dirty plates as our group worked our way through the menu. While there was some confusion with some drink orders, our group appreciated the option of getting separate checks. I noticed that Kitty spent the entire night conversing with all the patrons, making sure that they felt right at home during their stay.
The restaurant is relatively small, with a lot of tables densely packed together. Despite that, the it was not difficult to converse with my table mates. The open kitchen allowed us to watch our food being prepared. The restaurant also gets high marks for cleanliness.
Here are some of the highlights of the evening:
* The papaya salad and the sun-dried beef appetizers were exceptional. The papaya salad expertly balanced the slightly tart flavor of the green papaya with the spiciness of red chili, the saltiness of the fish sauce and the bright citrus flavor of the lime juice. The curing process intensified the beefy richness of the sun-dried beef. The meat is then deep-fried, but there is enough moisture left in the beef to optimize the interior chewiness - exterior crunchiness quotient.
* The deep-fried tilapia served with garlic chili sauce was another exceptional dish. Again, the kitchen nailed the texture equation, masterfully balancing the flaky interior with the well-seasoned exterior crust. Complimenting the fish was a well-composed sauce, perfectly melding the flavors of the garlic and chilies.
* The green curry continued on the theme of balance, masterfully layering the warmth of the curry with the aromatic Thai basil. It's easily one of the best curries I've had in Madison.
* The delectable drunken noodles (wide rice noodles stir-fried with string beans, bamboo shoots, tomatoes, basil, red peppers, and chili, in a spicy garlic sauce) were also a pleasure to eat.
Things I liked, but not loved:
* After the papaya salad set the appetizer bar extremely high, the bland vegetable spring rolls were a disappointment. While well prepared, they didn't offer that same explosion of flavors provided by our other dishes.
* The same can be said about the Crying Tiger entrée (Marinated flank steak, pan grilled, sliced, and served with a spicy dipping sauce). After enjoying the intense Asian flavors of the sun-dried beef, this dish paled in comparison. Since flank steak is toothsome to start with, it really needed to be thinly sliced to help combat the chewiness of this cut of beef.
* Due to the heat of the June evening we visited Monsoon Siam, the beer taps were not working, leaving us with a very limited beer selection. In the month since my visit, the restaurant now has a full liquor license and now has a comprehensive list of cocktails and wines to enhance the dining experience.
These small flaws did little to rain on our dining parade. If you are looking for well-executed Asian cuisine using fresh ingredients, Monsoon Siam should be near the top of your list.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)