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Siam Taste of Asia
- Hours:
Mon, Wed-Sat 11 am - 8:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
257 reviews for Siam Taste of Asia
Review Highlights
"Oh, and their fried tofu is Da Bomb."
(in 145 reviews)
"Papaya Salad - Always a great, light salad with a kick."
(in 38 reviews)
"I recommend the Pad Thai and Green Curry."
(in 52 reviews)
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257 reviews in English
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Review from Van F.
Orange County, CA
12/30/2011
The food here is simply AMAZING. My favorite Thai restaurant by far.
Everything I have ordered here has been made to perfection. The food is made fresh when your order it so have some PATIENCE when you come here and you will be rewarded with the best Thai food around. The flavors here are unique, bold and multilayered - many of the fresh herbs and spices are home grown by the family that owns the restaurant.
My favorite dishes: Spicy Fried Rice (it's very spicy), Sea Bass with Tamarind or Green Curry (they are both delicious) and their famous Fried Tofu (I've never had anything like this, it's a very unique dish).
A few tips: it's cash only, water is $0.50 but they give you bottled water, amazing food takes time to create, so bring your patience.Listed in: Top Restaurants
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Review from Angela S.
La Habra, CA
2/2/2012
The menu is very limited, I guess it made our decisions quicker. We ordered the following dishes:
Deep fried tofu: Very good
Beef salad: Ok
Stir fry spinach: Ok
Sea Bass w/tamarind sauce: Ok, sea bass was very salty
Tom yum goong: Good, adding the enoki mushrooms was a nice touch
I was expecting a lot more from such a high rating on Yelp, but I gotta be honest, this restaurant wasn't very special and I can only give it 3 stars. The food was good, but it wasn't 4 or 5 stars good in my opinion. I might be back, but it might be awhile. -
Review from Beverly C.
Garden Grove, CA
12/28/2011
didn't get to try the fried tofu here but it smelled so good when my friends were eating it D:
got the chicken salad and my friends ordered two noodle dishes.
what i love about this place is that they make every dish fresh and the woman working there was really nice and kept apologizing for making me wait at the counter (which i wasn't tripping over or anything)
my chicken salad was pretty yummy and tasted super bomb with the home made chili and pickled peppers.
i'm coming back to devour the fried tofu next time :) -
Review from Thao P.
Santa Ana, CA
2/5/2012
This is my go to restaurant when I crave Thai food. The flavors are bold and so good. The fried tofu is a must. I also love the green curry fish. Even the rice is cooked perfectly. I am always surprised to see how slow business can be at dinnertime, but I think much of this is due to their location in a not-so-happening strip mall. The owner is super friendly. Give this place a try. Your taste buds will be merry, and you may never go back to Thainakorn.
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Review from Ken M.
Santa Ana, CA
2/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
Best Thai in the area and maybe all of Orange County. Cash only but who cares when the food is this good. Fried Tofu, papaya salad, pineapple fried rice were all very good.
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Review from Brad F.
Mars, CA
12/17/2011
The BEST THAI around.
Owned by a close knit family of PERFECTIONISTS. Much of what you eat is GROWN by them to ensure quality.
Now. The RULES:
1. It may take a while to get your food. They cook everything perfectly, fresh, and give 100% love. If you want fast, leave them alone and go McDonald's or McThailand.
2. They charge .50 for bottled water. Not to profit, but to save them time refilling your fatass water slopping habits while they get down to business preparing your perfect meal.
3. Get their famous fried tofu.
4. Cash Only! If you don't like this then it's your problem. They give you real food--you cough up real currency. Don't like this? Shut the fuck up and drive thru Wendy McThai.
5. Be prepared to dream of their food. If you don't think they are THE BEST...you have no taste and they probably don't want you there anyhow.
EAT HERE NOW. GIVE MONEY TO RESTAURANTS OWNED AND OPERATED BY REAL PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE. -
Review from Poachedeggs g.
Orange County, CA
2/4/2012
the BEST Thai food around the so cal.
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Review from Stephanie Y.
Long Beach, CA
1/27/2012
Meh. I ordered pad thai to go for lunch, and couldn't finish it because I felt sick from all the MSG. Not really interested in coming back to try the fried tofu.
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Review from Angie R.
Tustin, CA
11/28/2011
After reading all the great reviews about this place I knew I had to try it out and was stoked to find my new favorite Thai restaurant. Two words: fried tofu! Wow. I know, "fried tofu" doesn't exactly sound exciting but it's like crack. So addicting and absolutely delicious. I'm craving it as we speak. Also, the restaurant was clean, service great and the owner was a sweetheart.
We ordered:
Fried Tofu - amazing
Papaya Salad with salty crab - good but spice level higher than other restaurants
Tom Yum Seafood Soup - Delicious
Fried Sea Bass with tamarind sauce - tasty
Special Notes:
Closed on Tuesdays
Cash Only
GO NOW!!!!!!!! -
Review from ReDD e.
Santa Ana, CA
1/18/2012
Best I've ever had. Period.
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Review from Karen C.
11/19/2011
So my friends were raving about this place and they were craving thai food so we came here before going to disneyland. First step in, my friend's boyfriend realizes it's cash only and I think thank god I brought cash. I was about to come without going to the atm so that was lucky. Second thought. Weird, why is there no one in here? It was 7:30 and in fact, for the next 40 minutes, no one stepped into this place.
Next thought. Why do we have to pay for bottled water? Isn't there tap water? Weird.
Food: The fried tofu is as good as everyone on here is raving about. I was pretty skeptical because my dad is obsessed with fried tofu and pretty much orders it in every asian restaurant we go to. Let me tell you, this is no chinese fried tofu. The skin was perfectly crispy and marinated with a delicious sauce and the inside was soft. Addicting as hell. As long as there were on the table, I couldn't stop eating them.
Pad Thai: It was decent. I'd have to say Thai Spice does a more flavorful pad thai. The one here had subtle flavors but for the most part was kind of bland. It did satisfy my thai cravings but I would prefer to get my pad thai from Thai Spice still.
Service: When we were there, my friend's boyfriend had to yell to get the lady to come out of the kitchen everytime we wanted something because she would disappear. He even had to yell several times when we wanted to pay. It makes me think that someone could just dine and ditch if they were really mean enough to rip off an old lady.
All in all, I would come here again if someone wanted to. The fried tofu was awesome but alas it's still fried tofu. It's not like i'm going to be walking around thinking...man i want some fried tofu. And as for the other food, I wouldn't go out of my way. -
Review from Maria N.
Fountain Valley, CA
10/24/2011
Does Yelp notify these restaurants when they get high ratings?
Based on my experience here, I don't think anyone has informed these people of what has been bringing the customers into this place.
I took a friend here for dinner purely based on the glowing Yelp reviews from my fellow Yelpers! We were on a mission to get some http://bomb.com fried tofu and curious to see if the service is as great as the reviewers say, bcs honestly, Asian restaurants and good service go together like oil and water...
We enter the restaurant and there was no employee to be found. We stand awkwardly in the dining room as diners stared at us for about 5 mins til a waiter emerges from the kitchen.
The sec we sit down, we tell him we'd like the fried tofu and give him our drink orders. He disappears into the kitchen. 10 mins later, we get our drinks but no tofu. He leaves for the kitchen again, and we are left to wait another 5 to 10 mins before we could order our entrees. When he does come back for our entree order, we still don't get any tofu. Boohoo...where is my TOFU???
Another 15 mins roll by before the guy walks back out of the kitchen to serve us our entrees. At this point, we are starvin' Marvins and start attacking the Tom Yom Kong, Pad See Ew, and Basil Beef like vultures on a fresh carcass. Not sure if the wait was worth it, but I have to admit, the food was quite yummy-ful!
The Tom Yom Koong soup and Basil Beef were perfectly flavorful with just the right amount of spice. Spicy enough to get your palette nice and tingly but not overpowering to the point where you'd have to order another $.50 water bottle =/ (yep, water ain't free here!) The Pad See Ew wasn't too salty or greasy like many other Thai places. However, still NO TOFU!
A dining room full of patrons, yet everyone's still hiding in the kitchen! One of the diners had to wander into the kitchen just so they could pay. Seriously...why is the waiter hiding in the kitchen? What is back there? Obviously not our tofu bcs. we NEVER GOT IT!
We end up chasing the guy down before he retreats back into the batcave kitchen, pay, and book it out of there to get dessert elsewhere, bcs. we weren't sure if we'd get our mango sticky rice before my 50th birthday when he decides to come out of the kitchen again.
I'm tempted to give this place fewer stars. However, the saving grace really was the food. Without it, it'd be just another mediocre, poor service Asian restaurant similar to those found on Bolsa...
So P.S. Look at your Yelp page! If you're known for service, make sure your employees aren't hiding in the kitchen; If ppl rave about your tofu and come to your restaurant, willing to pay for some of that tofu, make sure you serve them some! Can we revoke their Yelp sticker? =/ -
Review from Quan P.
Tustin, CA
11/17/2011
Fried tofu: O M G! I stopped after one piece because if I didn't there wouldn't be any left for anyone else. Lots of self control here.
Papaya salad: very tasty.
Ong choi: ditto
Sea bass: tamarind sauce is excellent. Fish is good but the batter can be much better.
Green curry: ok. Not to my liking.
Satay: Fail. Do not order.
Service: the owner lady is sooooo nice.
Prospect: will be back to try other dishes and will need to talk the lady into getting credit card service and promote her business because her food is good stuff. It should be a much busier place than what it was in a Thursday. -
Review from Derik R.
Santa Ana, CA
10/26/2011
Siam Taste of Asia is a restaurant that personifies what most people on Yelp are looking for; a quiet, local, family owned place that serves a nice amount of dishes (not too little and not too many) and does them very well.
I'm not a big fan of tofu (texture thing), but my wife is and she says the fried tofu here is pretty much a tofu lovers heaven. The Tom Yum is excellent, it has a flavor that can catch you off guard if you're not ready for it. It's sour, citrusy, spicy, and savory all at the same time. I could see eating five bowls of this soup when you're sick and feeling completely better when you're done. The fried fish is perfect, it tastes fresh and it's fried to a beautiful golden brown. I've gotten it with both the tamarind sauce and the green curry, for me the curry is better because the tamarind sauce is a little sweet but nowhere near overpowering. They are both excellent and it really comes down to personal preference.
The food is cheap and good, and the service is great. The servers are usually very nice and accommodating.
The only con I can really think of is the area it's in, it's not even close to what people are used to in Orange County. Personally I don't care, if the food is good, make the trek and enjoy the eats. -
Review from Ralph W.
10/4/2011
Fried Tofu Fried Tofu Fried tofu! Did I mention the fried tofu?
Closed tues, cash only , great attentive service. Try out the beef basil as well. Very tasty here. Would love to come here again. Thanks!Listed in: Bomb spots, asian food
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Review from Julie N.
Placentia, CA
11/5/2011
YES, the fried tofu is good....but cash only, 50 cents for water and $1 for a bowl of rice!? That's a tad bit ridiculous.
The fried tofu appetizer, chicken pad thai, and fried fish filet with tamarind sauce came out to be $32 for 3 people. Expensive compared to many other thai restaurants, in my opinion.
Food was mediocre. My pad thai was lacking the tanginess that it should usually have.
I'm still hung up on the charging for water and overall the food wasn't even that great. -
Review from Stacy C.
Long Beach, CA
1/26/2012
Really. Good loved the fried tofu and iced coffee amazing pad Thai
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Review from carolyn c.
Garden Grove, CA
cash ONLY cash ONLY cash ONLY! freaking dammit. we came in here and it was my first time; my friends had been here but COMPLETELY forgot it was cash only and mid meal I had to drive like a maniac down the street to get some cash back from the 7-11 who had jerk workers who would only let me take out like $20.
the lady who works here is...confusing. she totally has this attitude and exasperated look on her facewhenever we or anyone comes in yet she is actually quite nice. I think shes tired because shes the only one working out front ...so i dont take offence haha...
the food here is SPICY i think spicier then usual Thai places and that is saying a LOT. the noodle & rice dishes here are all delicious but the real winner is their fried tofu. seriously now THIS is what fried tofu is supposed to taste like. perfectly fried crispy with a SOFT center and its a perfect balance of sweetness! lovee at first bite.
FYI...you gotta pay for water...they give you a water bottle. i think this is pretty genius and ridiculous because their food is so SPICY how can we not drink something...but i'm not down with restuarants that don't offer free water at the least... -
Review from Misun L.
Fountain Valley, CA
10/6/2011
The hype is spot on. The FRIED TOFU is good. Light, slightly crunchy and lightly coated with a sweet sauce. They use silken tofu to make this, I think. One of the best fried tofu I've had.
The TAMARIND SEABASS was way too salty. The flavor was great, but the saltiness was overwhelming. Eat this with a lot of rice and share it with a lot of people.
Need to try their curries and noodles. -
Review from Anthony C.
Los Angeles, CA
5-Stars for their Fried Tofu!
This has got to be one of the hidden gems of OC and some of the best Thai food I have ever had. This place is tucked in the corner of an unassuming plaza with a very bland sign and very dark interior. You would probably never notice this place if you were just driving on by and probably not inclined to go inside even if you were in the plaza and don't have Yelp. That being said, you need to come here and try out their food.
+++ Fried Tofu. Just order the fried tofu...even if you don't like tofu just order the fried tofu. You can't go wrong with that plate. I generally don't like tofu, as it just tastes like bland nothingness, but this was some bombass tofu. Fried to perfection, drizzled with some of their sauce, and with some additional sauce on the side for dipping this was the perfect tofu. The best part is that the fried tofu stays crispy throughout the meal in the off chance that the plate isn't finished within five minutes. Caution the plate is super hot though.
++ Spicy Fried Rice. They weren't joking when they said spicy and boy is this plate spicy for Thai food so beware mild spicy eaters. However, this place is so good, especially coupled with their sweeter foods like the pad thai, as it is not so spicy that it is overpowering but just spicy enough where you can taste what you are eating but still give you a kick. Definitely try this out if you are in the mood for some spicy and some rice as it goes great with some of this places other plates.
+ Pad Thai. Not bad, your standard fare though a little too sweet for my tastes. I recommend going for the other noodle plates as they are less sweet.
~ Thai Tea. Nothing special and again a little too sweet for my tastes.
Other than that their menu is quite simple. There are a couple choices in each section (ie. rice, noodles, beef, etc...) but it is not so much like Banana Boat in RH that it become overwhelming. Almost every dish on their menu is good to try at least once to see how you like it.
I would highly recommend coming to this place just for their fried tofu alone - It is easily the best I have ever had. Take the dive and drive out to here. -
Review from P. D.
Garden Grove, CA
1/17/2012
The best Thai restaurant in Orange County. I usually order the Tom Yum Goong shrimp soup, fried tofu, sea bass with tamarine sauce, and morning glory with garlic. Selections on menu aren't extensive as other restaurants but what they do have is way better than others. You can't go wrong with any dishes on the menu. Service is great and friendly.
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Review from Lloyd J.
Westminster, CA
9/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Oh yelp, once again you help save the day! We wanted to find some different asian food and we came across this thai place thanks to yelp!
The place is kinda hard to find because its in a tiny random plaza in the corner next to that popular french/vietnamese restaurant. Inside is kinda small, you can tell its totally a family owned restaurant, however it wont get too packed.
Service gets an A+! The owner is super nice and really likes to cater to the customers needs.
Food was good, definitely better than most of the more popular thai places I've been to. We got the spicy seafood soup, which had a good amount of everything in it. Also the spicy fried rice, which had a good kick but was very edible. The fried sea bass was the best with the tamarind sauce, the sauce was good. and the cripsyness on the sea bass was perfect! The pad thai was okay, it wasn't the greatest but it was still good!
I'd probably com here again and try out the other things on their menu since a lot of it isn't on normal thai menus! -
Review from Kenneth L.
Santa Ana, CA
9/9/2011
WOW another Thai established near my house that has captured my stomach. I've heard about this from other friends and checking in on Facebook. One day I decided to go here to eat with my family. We sat down right away and ordered:
-Seabass (tamarind sauce is EPIC!)
- Fried tofu
- Pad Kee Mow
- Papaya Salad
- Pad Thai
I would come here just for the Seabass and Fried Tofu. They are delicious! The tofu is fried perfectly and seasoned to a perfect taste. -
Review from Steve T.
Garden Grove, CA
7/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
********CASH ONLY********
*****CLOSE ON TUES*****
**CHARGES FOR WATER**
When I arrived with my new Yelp buddy we were seated right away. I thought to myself wow we are the only ones here. As Me and her Look around at the decors, our eyes both stopped at the sign that says CASH ONLY in big BOLD WORDS. We slowly look back at each other giving that, "Crap I only have Card hopefully you have Cash look." So she ended up driving to bank to grab money. Yes that made me look like an @ss right but she insisted that she go get it, i would've gone! maybe... hahaha
Any how this is what we order:
Fried Tofu: (5/5)
Kudos to all those who mention how great it is. The tofu is crispy on the outside and juicy and soft in the inside. There is a light sauce drizzled on top of these bad boys that makes your taste buds go wild!
Sea Bass Fillet- w/Tamarind Glazed (4/5)
A crispy boneless fillet that is drizzle with tamarind glaze. To me it was very salty. You can maybe ask them to put the sauce on the side for dipping purposes or just order white rice.
Siam Spicy Fried Rice (3.5/5)
You can actually taste the Thai spices in this fried rice. Most other Thai places their fried rice is pretty bland. Generous with the Meat/Shrimp and has basil leaves in it.
Papaya Salad: (2/5)
Not spicy enough nor sour enough. The papaya was fresh however this was no where near what a papaya Salad should taste like very bland.
Thai Tea: (1/5)
Steer away people. Literally thai tea that comes straight from a bottle. You can tell by tasting and seeing it. Usually thai tea comes with the milk on top and the tea on the bottom of the glass. Bleh and for $2.50 -___-.
There is quite a difference between hit and misses here so come prepare. mMMMmm can't wait to come back for those Fried Tofu *drools* -
Review from Tony L.
Hermosa Beach, CA
9/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
We had the fried tofu which I have never had this way. I you go you have to try it. The prices are right were they should be but this place is in not th best location but worth the drive. We also had the beef salad and
pad see ew, also outstanding. We will be back even though we live 30 miles from here. -
Review from Thao V.
I have died and gone to tofu heaven!
I've had this place bookmarked for the longest time with every intention to try it some time during my lunch. I should have tried it sooner because I realized that I have wasted the last three months of my life missing out some awesome food while sweet Siam was idly waiting in my Bookmarked section.
The waitress, possibly the owner too, was so friendly and spoke good English! After we placed our order she said, "You guys must be hungry. We will hurry." Lol.
My favorite: fried tofu! OMG, I will eat these all day...ALL DAY! The outside was crisp and somewhat sweet and the inside was creamy and just melts in your mouth. I wanted to finish it, but was so stuffed half way through the meal. I think this has become one of my favorite dishes of all time!
Sea bass filet-a close second. This was also nicely crisp. The tamarind glaze complimented it so well and is perfect with some rice.
Fish cakes. The usual and expected. Nothing amazing, but still good.
Beef Basil. Spicy. Not overbearingly spicy, but spicy enough that you will feel it. The texture of the beef could have been more tender.
Usually, I wouldn't say anything about Thai tea, but this place makes really good Thai tea. It's not too sweet or milky.
I will D-E-F-I-N-I-T-E-LY return.Listed in: The Best of the Best
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Review from Judy H.
8/8/2011 2 Check-ins Here
One word: TOFU.
Get the tofu, eat the tofu, and then order some more tofu.
Goodbye. -
Review from Jason Y.
Westminster, CA
8/11/2011
The lack of a star is contingent on my next visits though I really wanted to give 5 stars based on the tofu alone. MMMMM
So I got the Tofu, Beef Salad and Pad Thai. (and a side of rice)
Filled up 3 people perfectly.
Mylinh told me to ask for the food to be made a bit spicier. Great call.
The owner was very nice and accomodating on the phone and when I walked into the completely empty restaurant she was welcoming and actually made conversation. (cos it would have been awkward otherwise)
I got home and the tofu was not as crisp as it should have been. I will eat there next time.
Anyway, please help support this place. It is too good not to. -
Review from Amber P.
Stanton, CA
10/17/2011 1 Check-in Here
OMG! Honestly, hands down.. best thai food place in oc that i know of! Fried Tofu is a must get! So far everything I tried is delicious, not to mention they got really good service here too..will be back soon! nom nom nom!!
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Review from John D.
Long Beach, CA
10/30/2011
VERY disappointed. I thought w all the good reviews this place was going to be one of our favorite places. When we arrived it was dead there was only another table being occupied. This was a Friday night. After tasting our food it tasted as if the food was microwaved. Yuk...
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Review from Clifford Y.
Garden Grove, CA
4/26/2011
At the time I bookmarked Siam, it had a hundred something reviews with an average 4.5 star rating. I know that the average rating dropped to 4 stars, but I think Siam is worthy of 4.5.
We ordered:
- Fried tofu: Almost every single review on Siam mentioned their godly fried tofu, so of course we had to order this. Served at a piping hot temperature. Soft tofu on the inside, and fried crispy on the outside. I'm not really sure if this is an authentic /traditional Thai dish, but whatever it is, it's awesome. "Fried tofu" is mentioned in 114 reviews. Believe the hype.
- Pad see ew: A common noodle entrée with broccoli. Not the best I had, but it was good.
- Pad kee mao: FYI, the menu mentions the vegetable components of this dish (tomatoes, onions, basil leaves, etc) but it doesn't mention that this is spicy. We knew that this was a spicy flat noodle dish beforehand though, and ordered it. Again, not the best I've had, but it was good.
Overall, the fried tofu was about a 5/5 stars, while the noodle dishes were a solid 4/5. The prices here are a little higher.
I ordered the thai iced tea, and it was good. Since they charge $.50 for water, I guess the idea is to think "well, might as well buy a beverage." Darn, I'm a sucker.
Located in a little ghetto section of shops, but the inside décor is quite a surprise. It almost gives a sort of modern Japanese/Chinese fusion feel. Matching, dark marble tables and nice chairs laid out spaciously. Carved wooden art hanging around everywhere. Nothing noteworthy about their service; it was just okay.
Oh yeah, please make sure you check their strange business hours & days before you come. Cash only.
Cliff Notes: Fried tofu is bomb.Listed in: Thai EATS
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Review from Joey L.
Another week, another food venture. I have wanted to try the Siam Taste of Asia (STA) for a while now. I was at crossroad since my Fiancé was craving for French Vietnamese Cuisine. Is this fate or just pure coincidence that the legendary Favori was right next to the STA?
As we stood in front of both establishments, we could not decide where to eat... so we played a friendly game of "Rock, Paper and Scissors." As my Paper smothered her Rock we headed towards STA. With all the great reviews on this place, I had high expectation for this restaurant.
Here is what we ordered:
*Fried Tofu - The Deep fried tofu was AMAZING! Highly Recommended.
*Papaya Salad - The papaya salad was DELICIOUS. My questions are...Where is the Dried Shrimp in the Papaya Salad? Did it shrivel up and disappear? I was very disappointed.
*Sea Bass Fillet - The Sea Bass was crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside topped with tamarind sauce.
*Seafood Pad Thai - The stir-fry noodles were very thin but lack the tanginess in flavor. The seafood was so MINISCULE and close to non-existent. I had to do my civil duty and issue an AMBER ALERT. So if anyone can hear me, if you've seen the Seafood from this Pad Thai dish please return it to STA.
I was surprised that they charge a $1 for a bowl of rice and 50 cents for a bottle of water. What Asian restaurant would charge for Rice or Water? This is the first and the last for me. I know we are in a recession but this is going a little overboard. I do give it to them on the spicy-O-meter. So if you do not have a stomach or tongue of steel, I would stay with the medium heat. Also, this is a Cash only establishment. I would have to say this place is nothing to BRAG about...just your typical family owned Thai restaurant with AVERAGE Thai food. -
Review from Cindy C.
Orange County, CA
7/25/2011
Nom Nom...
This place is another one of those random thai places I explored since I do enjoy thai food. The outside doesn't look very eye-catching or attractive at all (sorry!) and even the inside is just plain and small. However, the food is pretty good.
Pricing is legit. Your typical thai food pricing. CASH ONLY!!
I've heard their thai tea is pretty good. Never personally tried because I'm not a fan of thai tea :\ only thai food! ;)
Pad thai is pretty good - Not the best I've ever had. Not the worst either.
Fried tofu - OMGGGG this is a must get! I came here once JUST FOR 2 orders of their fried tofu because it's THAT good. It's pretty much crispy heaven in your mouth. No lie.
If this place sold only their fried tofu, I'd give it five stars ^_^ -
Review from julie T.
Santa Ana, CA
11/5/2011
Pretty good fried tofu and papaya salad was pretty yummy too.
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Review from Louis I.
Oak Park, CA
11/15/2011
I love the originality of their food. I love spicy food and the spicy level is perfect. Oh, and their fried tofu is Da Bomb!
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Review from Peter P.
Siam Taste of Asia is a wonderful hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant hidden in the middle of a primarily Vietnamese and Mexican community in Santa Ana. The outside looks very inconspicuous and you would never think there was such great food inside. However, thanks to Yelp and word of mouth, foodies like myself have been lucky enough to experience this "taste of Asia".
The reviewers got it right. I've never been a huge fan of tofu, but oh my god the FRIED TOFU ($6.95) is amazinggg! It's lightly fried, tossed in garlic sauce and served with a light chili lime sauce for dipping. Oh my, what a wonderful combination of flavors! The outside is crispy, but not oily, and the soft tofu center provides great contrast. My only complaint might be that the center can be too soft, but it's all subjective.
The SEA BASS FILET with tamarind sauce ($9.95) is also excellent. It's fried until crispy and then covered in a sweet and spicy sauce that tastes great with white rice. Green curry sauce is also available.
The GREEN CURRY with chicken ($7.95) had great flavor and contained a good mix of bamboo shoots, eggplant and green beans. It was a little on the runny side though. I prefer my curry a little thicker and creamy.
The PAD THAI with chicken ($7.95) was okay but nothing special. Pad Thai is pretty standard everywhere you go though. It's an extra dollar if you want shrimp pad thai. They give you a very generous portion.
PROS
+Excellent food, especially the tofu
+Very friendly staff (although we only saw 1 woman, probably the owner)
+Cheap
+Good size portions
+Did I mention the tofu?
CONS
-They don't have tap water, so they charge 50 cents for bottled water
-Very small spot in not in the best of neighborhoods
-The menu is tiny in comparison to other Thai restaurants so they don't have anything really out of the ordinary
-Cash only!
I need to go back to try other items on the menu. But for now, Siam is getting a very solid 4 stars with potential for more. If you go, remember to get the tofu! -
Review from Tina T.
Anaheim, CA
4/25/2011 2 photos
I've been to A LOT of Thai restaurants, and when i say a lot i mean A LOT!!
My boyfriend and i have been trying to eat at this place for months now. For the last two times we've tried, it was CLOSED. Grrrrrrrr, i hate it when restaurants close randomly during the week. Anyways, we finally were able to eat here this past weekend. And i guess i can't stay mad at them for closing the store for those certain days. I LOVE THE FOOD HERE!
We ordered:
- Beef Pad Kee Mow ($8.95): Stir-fry flat noodles with bean sprouts, onions, tomatoes, green onion, basil leaves and chili. It was also suppose to have bell peppers and mushrooms but i didn't see any...
- Chicken Pad See Eew ($8.95): Stir-fry flat noodles with egg, chinese broccoli, and onion.
- Fried Tofu ($6.95): O-M-G! Enough said. The end. Period. Crispy on the outside and soft and awesomeness in the inside. The tofu had some sort of sauce drizzled over the top, which was great. It was also served with a sweetened fish sauce.
- Thai iced tea ($2.50): Nothing special, just simple thai iced tea.
The food was extremely flavorful and mind-blowing! The meat was tender and the vegetables were fresh. The sauces for each entree were distinctively different and yummy! Yay! I'm a fan.
The only reason why i did not give it 5 stars is because the prices are way too expensive for Thai food. I found it to be kinda ridiculous. If they lowered their noodle dishes by $1, then i would totally be okay with it. Also one thing i did NOT like, they charged for WATER here!!! Paying in cash is no big deal for me, but that fact that they charge for water is outrageous.. Anyways, if i am ever in the area in the future, i will most likely stop by. and when i do, i will bring my own water. problem solved.
Overall, the food was delicious!!! 3 out of 3 of my dishes came out great! Solid 4 stars!
*i also uploaded 2 of my dishes we ordered. by the time the 3rd dish came out, i was too busy eating, sorries! -
Review from Trang H.
This review is solely based on the TOFU!
If every tofu tasted like those from siam taste of asia, we'd see an immediate surge in soy bean futures. I already love tofu in every form. I grew up with it. I eat it like most people might eat mac and cheese. But these? These are tofu made into candy.
It may look like the same deep fried tofu cubes common to chinese/vietnamese/thai restaurants- the kind you dip into a sauce. And for sure it does come with its own dunking medium. With a coating of a sticky spicy, sugary-sweet glaze that might as well be, as i mentioned, a willy wonka confection.
So make sure u bring a probe thermometer. Either that or burn ointment, because i know you'll be impatient when it comes to chowing down these delicious bites!Listed in: Favorite Places to Eat
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Review from Miloni D.
La Palma, CA
10/21/2011
I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! They have the best Thai food I have tasted. You have to try the fried tofu. It is the best. It is crunchy and comes with a sweet sauce. Everything I have tried here is great! It really is hidden but worth the visit. Authentic Thai food. The only downside is that it is cash only and they dont have much when it comes to dessert but the food is great. If you are a vegetarian they have plenty of tofu dishes. The owner is great and she will specialize your order to your liking. MUST VISIT!
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Review from monica k.
Costa Mesa, CA
I went in for dinner and just HAD to order the fried tofu. I'd be stupid not to, right?
Although the lovely woman working there gave me a fair warning about how hot the fried tofu would be when it came out, I chose to ignore her due to the overwhelmingly amazing smell that was drifting from the plate she put in front of me. I just HAD to eat it. I COULD NOT WAIT!
Needless to say, burning my mouth was so damn worth the experience that my taste buds received once that tofu was inserted into my mouth. It was sweet, garlicy goodness. I couldn't stop eating, it was delicious. I happened to go eat alone, and I can shamelessly say that I managed to eat the whole plate in one sitting. It was too good, and I didn't want to risk having it be soggy later.
The only reason I didn't give this place 5 stars was because I asked for a Diet Coke, which I rarely drink, and was so amped on getting a caffeine boost since I was falling asleep. I received the can, opened it, drank half of it, and realized that it was caffeine free. What...the...hell? I've never been served caffeine free Diet Coke at a restaurant in my life. I mentioned it the server and she apologized, but didn't offer to replace it with something else or give me a refund for the mistake. I ended up paying for it later because I fell asleep the second I got home and ended up not being able to study for a massive final I had. Boo.
Besides the weird Diet Coke issue, the only negative is that it's cash only. It's my biggest pet peeve for ANY establishment and I spent $3.00 in order to use a Wells Fargo nearby just to pull out cash....but, it was worth it. Best damn fried tofu of my LIFE.
