Som’s Noodle House: The Cheap Thai Fix

I love Thai cuisine.  Flavors are big, bold, and spicy. And that’s the thing I really love about Asian cuisine¹ and it’s the same reason why Thai food is near the top of my list.

For the 2 loyal readers out there², you’ve probably realized that I’m more the cheap, hole-in-the-wall, semi-dirty/dangerous foodie than the Michelin Star-seeker.  So when I first heard about Som’s, I knew I had to try it.  I’ll admit that this entry is a collection of my x visits there.  I actually like it³ but admittedly, it’s not as good as it used to be.

For appetizers, we got the Spring Rolls, which is nothing to write about⁴.  Uh, so it’s 8 pieces.  Tastes like Lumpiang Shanghai⁵.  Sauce saved the dish.  OK, I’m tapped out of nice things to say.

Next is a Chicken Pandan.  I guess the price is OK, but really nothing special.  You can buy those pre-prepared ones in SM Supermarkets and it would taste the same.

The Fried Tonto Fish was basically fried fish.  I don’t see what made this dish Thai, but it’s just fried fish! I guess the cucumber and tomatoes were fresh, but don’t get suckered into ordering this dish.  What’s a Tonto fish?  Even the waitresses had no idea.

OK, now to the more exciting dishes! First, a Chicken Green Curry!  First of all, do not order beef!  In a place like this, beef tends to be of poor quality (more likely) or overcooked (likely).  Also, beef doesn’t go well with curries so I almost always order chicken.  Their green curry doesn’t look too appetizing but tasted nice and should be one of the less spicy variety.  It’s filled with red peppers and eggplants with a few pieces of chicken.

But do love the red curry.  I ordered the Duck Red Curry and instead of eggplants, this comes with grape-sized potatoes and cherry tomatoes.  Duck meat was a bit tough, but seriously, what should I have expected?  Still, I loved the sauce.  There are better ones out there, but this is pretty good for me.  A bit oily, but I love it! Eating should be dangerous at times.  I’d drink the sauce like iced tea and I’d walk away happy.  My only complaint is that the sauce is not spicy⁶.  I’d come back just for this.

Usually, you order plain rice to properly mix and taste the curry flavor.  I like it bold so I always order a Red Curry Fried Rice with Shrimp.  Good value for your money.  Feeds about 3-4 people and really strong flavor.  Also, get the shrimp because they don’t use the small variety.  Perfect way to end the day is to pull out the shrimp’s head, smother it with the red curry sauce and suck those babies! Now THAT’S food porn!

I have to mention, we took out an order of Chili Crab.  Now, I’m not sure how Thai this dish actually is, but if the red curry rice was good value for your money, this is even better.  It’s about 3 maybe 4 of those small, but really meaty crabs and the sauce is sweet and spicy.  What we did at home was to re-cook them with rice noodles for a Crab Sotanghon dish and it was like having 2 meals in 1!

I’ve read reviews that Som’s is overrated and I can see why people would say this.  You may need to order the right dishes, but mostly it’s good value for your money.  Other Thai places will set you back for a lot more so this is a pretty damn good alternative if you ask me.  Just don’t order the Pad Thai and avoid the toilet.

Som’s Noodle House: The Cheap Thai Fix 2011-07-14

love Thai cuisine.  Flavors are big, bold, and spicy. And that’s the thing I really love about Asian cuisine and it’s the same reason why Thai food is near the top of my list. For the 2 loyal readers out there, you’ve probably realized that I’m more the cheap, hole-in-the-wall, semi-dirty/dangerous foodie than the Michelin …