I have since learned that Sushi Siam in Long Island City has permanently closed.
June 4, 2015
47-45 Vernon Boulevard
Long Island City, NY
(718) 361-9361
Those who are familiar with the Hunters Point neighborhood of Long Island City know that there is no shortage of Asian or Asian fusion restaurants to choose from -
BANY,
Ihawan 2 (review forthcoming),
Shi,
Sushi Siam, and
Tuk Tuk. When Sushi Siam opened last year, my coworkers and I were curious to see whether their food would make them stand apart from the other restaurants offering similar menus. We'd go in and order from the Lunch Special section of the menu and take the food back to the office. But, recently, Adrienne (one of our summer interns) and I decided to switch it up and eat at the restaurant. (Which is pretty amazing considering it was pouring buckets of rain the day we made that decision.)
Since Sushi Siam has a full menu of Thai food
and a full menu of Japanese food, we ordered lunch specials from both. Adrienne ordered the
Chicken Pad Thai ($8), which came with a salad and an appetizer. I chose the
Two Roll Special ($8) from the Japanese side of the menu and also opted for the salad. The vegetables were crisp and fresh and you could tell that the salad wasn't spooned out of a bowl containing a larger batch made earlier in the day. Our server noticed right away when we had finished our salads and came over to ask us how we liked the food. She was very happy to hear how much we enjoyed the salad and couldn't wait to dig into the rest of our lunch.
Well, we didn't have to wait long to do so. Less than a minute later, she was back with our food. After she had set the plates down in front of us, Adrienne and I realized what we had been missing during our lunch breaks -- the elegant presentation of food on a plate. I'm looking at the photos I took of our lunches as I'm writing this post and my mouth is
watering.
The
Vegetable Spring Rolls were hot and crispy, just as they should be, qualities that are inevitably lost when you order such an item for take-out or delivery. And, the rice noodles in the
Chicken Pad Thai were cooked perfectly, not overcooked or gummy. We couldn't put our finger on it, but something about the sauce made the Pad Thai taste sweet. Certainly sweeter than the Pad Thai you'd get at
Tuk Tuk, something Adrienne and I are very familiar with, as our office participates in something we call "Tuk Tuk Tuesday." That place must love us. But I digress.
Now, the Roll Specials at Sushi Siam are my weakness. The rolls are always prepared with fresh ingredients, and I'm always tempted to order three rather than two because I know how terrific the food is. But I restrained myself and stuck with the
Two Roll Special, choosing a
California Roll and a
Shrimp Tempura Roll. Remember what I said about presentation? Yeah, it just doesn't look like that when you open the take-out containers. Between the crispy sweetness of the shrimp tempura roll and the buttery creaminess of the avocado in the California Roll, it didn't take long for my plate to go from full to empty.
If you're in the Hunters Point neighborhood and are looking for an inexpensive lunch option, I implore you to try the lunch specials at Sushi Siam. The food is delicious, the service is friendly and attentive, and the prices are more than reasonable. Maybe I'll see you there!
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