68, W.A. Silva Mawatha, Colombo 06
Open 11.30 AM - 3.00 PM & 6.30 PM - 10.30 PM
Sri Siam on W.A. Silva Mawatha is yet another new Thai restaurant. We had high hopes since it's run by Thai management, but the food just wasn't up to par.
Sri Siam on W.A. Silva Mawatha is a new Thai restaurant. We had high hopes since it's run by Thai management, but the food just wasn't up to par.
Thai food is definitely trending in Colombo, and that's great. When done right, the flavours and spices of Thai food really appeal to Sri Lankan taste buds. One thing that had us excited was hearing that Sri Siam would be run by Thai management as well as Thai chefs.
The first thing we noticed was the menu was more akin to that of a Chinese restaurant, and that some classic dishes - like pad thai and glass noodles - were unavailable. Prices are also on higher end of the scale with small portions priced between Rs. 650 - Rs. 800, which was just enough for two.
As is customary, we started off with the tom yum soup (Rs. 870). In my opinion, you can gauge the authenticity of a Thai restaurant by the number of ingredients you find in a tom yum soup, and that's where the downward spiral began. We could tell that the flavours were off just by the first taste, with the soup being way too salty, likely because of too much fish sauce and lacking a balance of acidity.
Meticulously looking through (and tasting) the soup we found that while it had lemon grass, there were no kaffir lime leaves or cilantro, very few Thai or green chillies and just one tiny slice of galangal. There was an abundance of dried red chillies. The only real pro here was that there was plenty of shrimp and mushrooms, but that didn't really make up for the flaws in seasoning. At the same time, none of this would matter if the soup just tasted great, but it didn't.
With the absence of the pad thai, we opted to try their cuttlefish fried rice (Rs. 720 for S). We were glad to see that this wasn't a generic Chinese type fried rice but it could have used a bit more seasoning and spice. Besides that we'd say the rice was pretty decent with it not being too oily and having a good amount of fried cuttlefish.
The chicken red curry (Rs. 720 for S), was also a let down. We've tried many renditions of red curry at numerous eateries in Colombo, but this one just lacked the solid flavour and spicy kick we expect. For a red curry to be successful it needs to have a balance of creaminess to heat, and while this one was creamy, it was also very mild. Another shortcoming was that chicken hadn't simmered long enough in the gravy, so it didn't bind to the chicken at all.
We were happy to see pork on the menu, so we decided to try their Thai style sweet and sour pork (Rs. 650 for S). Unfortunately, there was nothing particularly "Thai" about this one and the portion was only enough for one. On top of that the dish was equal parts veges and pineapple to pork. The sweet and sour sauce was the one thing we actually enjoyed, with a good balance sweetness to spice.
After a forgettable meal we decided to try out their Banana in Thai Syrup (Rs. 320), which in retrospect was unwise. We were expecting something along the lines of fried bananas in sugar syrup, but what we got were over-ripe bananas in a somewhat deplorable watery mix of sugar and milk. Definitely should have steered clear of the desserts.
Just like Curry Leaves which resides on the ground floor of the building, Sri Siam is also more or less like a banquet hall, so the ambience isn't really a highlight either. We honestly didn't mind that, but what we couldn't stand was the music that was playing in the background, which sounded like a really slow baila. Not something you want to be listening to throughout the course of a meal.
The service, as expected from a very new place, was a bit all over the place. The staff while friendly, were completely unfamiliar with Thai cuisine. We don't really blame them because most of them are from Curry Leaves. They got our order wrong twice, and when we inquired they told us that they had sent the correct order to the kitchen but the chefs had got it wrong, and it's no surprise really because the communication is one the biggest problems with foreign chefs.
Sri Siam has a lot of work to do before it's ready to hang with the best Thai eateries in Colombo. While we can understand the lapses in service and communication at a new restaurant, the standard of food needs to be much better.
Address
68, W.A. Silva Mawatha, Colombo 06
Directions
Sri Siam shares the premises with Curry Leaves which is located midway through W.A Silva Mawatha, just past Almaas (or before it, if you enter from Havelock Rd)
Contacts
Report InaccuracyOpen 11.30 AM - 3.00 PM & 6.30 PM - 10.30 PM
Cuisine
Price Range
Dish Types
Ratings Breakdown
Havi at Pannipitiya is a good spot to chill with some…
An awesome place to get booze and a delicious meal for…
Delete Comment
DT
The prices are high and the Tom Yum soup doesn't look right…disappointed.
HP
While I am yet to go in and order unfortunately from the dishes you ordered you wi never be able to judge a Thai restaurant. No Thai eats red curry and this is a pure "farang dish" ( foreign dish as the Thais would say. Same goes for fried rice! Problem is when the local palate demands Chinese or local influenced dishes the restaurant will try to adopt and loose their way as that's not in their DNA. Will go and review the dishes and write a comment again!
Hooked on Thai Food
Bhagya, after reading your blog I doubt if you have ever really tasted authentic Thai food. As a Sri Lankan who has lived in Thailand for nearly a quarter century, I totally disagree with your statement: "When done right, the flavours and spices of Thai food really appeal to Sri Lankan taste buds." Most Sri Lankan's do not appreciate the authentic flavors of Thai food and only tend to find it tolerable if the food is altered to suit the Sri Lankan palate. Furthermore, many of the dishes you describe in your blog would also taste different from province to province even within Thailand. Fried Bananas in sugar syrup, which you were looking for is certainly not considered an authentic Thai dessert. However, the one shown in your blog photo, Bananas in Coconut milk (Gluoy Bwod Chee) is an authentic Thai sweet dish. Again, most Sri Lankans who eat it for the first time do not like it, rather it takes awhile for the real Thai flavors to start appealing to us Sri Lankans. But when it does happen and you make the switch you are totally hooked on it and will go looking for it. My suggestion to you is, if you want to write reviews on Thai food, spend some time in Thailand traveling and tasting food from north to south and you will better understand the complexity and diversity of authentic Thai flavors.
JN
I m a Thai person working in here in Sri Lanka. I would say this place s the only place I can taste my own food. Some Sri lankan may not get used to the real taste of Thai food and I can understand. Pl be carefull in reviewing on ur blog as I have followed ur blog for long and most of the time when write about Chinese or some others places were also not quite true.