Lotus of Siam is simply good but nothing special, particularly since it is so expensive for Thai food.
Lissa G and I wanted to try out Lotus for quite some time and we finally got a chance to stop by. We went for lunch and arrived shortly after they opened. The inside is much larger than it looks from the outside. Be sure to get there early or expect a wait. After being seated we ordered some of the recommended dishes.
We asked for all of our dishes to be 7 out of 10 spice level. BTW...not high enough if you like it spicy.
Nam Prik Noom (Green Chili Dip)
The dip was an excellent start and made us excited for the next dishes. It was the spiciest dish we had and it could be explained as a chucky Thai salsa. The crunchy pork skins and vegies to dip were perfect for the dish, especially if you are trying to stay away from carbs.
Nam Kao Tod (Crispy Rice)
Ok this dish was pretty addicting. Basically crunchy rice with all the typical great Thai flavors. A must get.
Very excited at this point...
but unfortunately down hill from here.
Garlic Prawns
Very disappointing especially for $24. The ingredient's quality and portion size was well worth the price but the flavor and preparation was lacking. You could tell the oil the prawns were cooked in was not hot enough since they just weren't crispy enough to eat the shells, and we LOVE eating shrimp shells and all. The prawn were also lacking any flavor besides fried prawn.
Panang Beef
Basic dish which was mediocre even compared to our local hole in the wall Thai restaurant we go to locally. Also, not spicy at all at level 7. Again disappointment.
Sometimes it depends which dishes you get a restaurant and that may me the case for us. You will not have a bad meal here but temper your expectations if you had good Thai elsewhere like in LA or SF.