Food review: Star of Siam, Gouger St, Adelaide

THREE little words: snap, crackle, pop may have been hijacked for a kiddie breakfast, but they are a much better fit for a nicely done Thai food menu.

Star of Siam Taste

THREE little words: snap, crackle, pop may have been hijacked for a kiddie breakfast, but they are a much better fit for a nicely done Thai food menu.

They certainly apply to the consistent magic at Adelaide's Star of Siam.

The restaurant caused quite a sensation when it arrived in the Gouger food hub 25 years ago, with its flavours of Thailand and unwillingness to hop on the Westernised, soft curry-sweet Asian food bandwagon of the day.

Back then, the restaurant was a local groundbreaker, adding a then-unusual Thai twist to our search for the Asian balance of softness plus crunch teamed with equal hits of acidity, saltiness, sweetness and heat.

The same owners, sisters Somchit Siow and Valeerat Ninkumvongs, are celebrating those 25 Star years. They remain true to their early food convictions although the restaurant now swims in a pretty heavily populated, like-minded stream.

It's a bit of a shame that the Star's Thai message has been overtaaken by restaurants such as Longrain, Sailors Thai and Spice I Am in Sydney, and South Australia's own FermentAsian in the Barossa Valley.

The chefs behind these innovative establishments work on the up-to-the-minute sensation of singular dishes, barely embellished, making heroes of freshly picked piquant plants and traditional morsels without cloying sauces, and certainly no pandering to Aussie penchants for big Asian serves padded with capsicum and onions.

On recent visits, Star of Siam has still given us sensational, clean flavours despite overall resting on its popular laurels.

Perhaps, as the consistent bums on seats might suggest, there is no need for it to keep up with degustation-style trends. Midweek, at a breezy footpath table, we wow an interstate visitor with the atmosphere, and the Star's true strength, its entrees.

Unprompted, the waitress impresses by offering an extra portion in the must-have Sea Star serve of three very pretty prawn, squid and chicken dumplings in a just-tangy red curry cream always delicious and we're happy to have one extra, so no need to share.

Another must-have is the miang pla, again numbers voluntarily boosted for our foursome. The finger food peppery, heart-shaped betel leaves are topped with crispy titbits of snapper, lemon grass, coriander, lime and cashews in a perfect wham of tongue-feel and tasty balance.

Then we tuck into the best softshell crab I have ever sampled, wishing we had ordered lots more of it. The salt and pepper crust is so crunchy it has a little sizzle fest before melting on the tongue, making way for the sweet crabmeat to sing in the aftermath, with a little sugary chilliness from the dipping sauce nicely coating the aftertaste.

The first bites of each entree are spooned on to our plates by the waiter. The formality seems incongruous in this buzzing, casual outdoor setting, but it's a nice touch.

We choose beers and wines by the glass to fit the parade of food coming to our table, from a well-rounded drinks list matching the value of the meals, plus the likes of Moet, a NZ Cloudy Bay savvy blanc and Rockford Basket Press for occasions.

It's at the arrival of mains that we can sense a snub to the trends. Flavours are still good, some are great, but on a few plates the sauces are lavished over too many foods irrelevant to the real dish.

Best is a special, a generous couple of barramundi which the waiter again portions and dishes up. It is slathered in lemon grass and tamarind sauce, not so pretty. It's disappointing because the fish obviously started out so crispy, lightly fried to perfection.

We rescue crunchy and soft pieces and swish them along the sauce for the best Thai effect, but the rest of the flesh is overwhelmed. It would be better to have that tamarind mix in a bowl to spoon over as we like. 

Grilled, honey-glazed pork, moo-yang, is pretty sweet, but the addition of a chilli fish sauce is the perfect foil and tips it into perfect balance, more like the finesse of the entrees.

The staple, rice, a kao-pad, is well teamed with chicken, onions, spring onion and egg, but order up on steamed rice if you want enough to soak up all the sauces.

No dessert is offered to us, so the staff must go searching for the separate menu when we ask. It's worth the wait. East meets West in a brandy basket, probably not housemade, filled with mango and sticky rice with good coconut ice cream on the side.

A lovely warm rice pudding with coconut custard has us dipping the spoon over again, and, off the wall in this Thai setting, an affogato benefits from excellence in the coffee shot.

Big flavour and affordability are major features at the Star of Siam, an oldie that remains a goodie.

HOW IT RATED: STAR OF SIAM 

Food 13/20 

Staff 8/10 

Drink 2/5 

X-factor 2/5 

Value 9/10

TOTAL 34/50

Address: 67 Gouger St, Adelaide; Call 08 8231 3527

Food: Thai

Drinks: Full list, BYO $15.

Hours: Lunch: Mon-Fri, noon-2.30pm; Dinner: Mon-Thurs, 5.30pm-9.30pm; Fri, Sat, 5.30pm-10pm

Owners: Somchit Siow and Valeerat Ninkumvongs

Chef: Siriporn Obromwan and Valeerat Ninkumvongs.

Prices: Entree: $11.80-$13.80; Soup: $7.80; Mains: $15.80-$28.80 plus rice, $3-$15.80; Sides: $8.90-$9.50; Dessert $7.50-$12.50

Snapshot: Thai specialist that remains a favourite for very good reason - big clean flavours and priced to allow us to visit often.