Siam Garden - DT

Now that my favorite Thai restaurant is under new management, the search is on. Siam Garden, at 1111 Webster Ave just on the north side of the Winter Park Village, is said to have the best Pad Thai for the money. The atmosphere is clean and roomy. The lighting is dim and the reception was a bit more business than friendly. Typical number of customers for a mid-week lunch. I can’t pass them up so I ordered the Spring Rolls (a new item on the menu).

The spring rolls were fresh, good sized and provided adequate support for the peanut sauce. The peanut sauce could be a bit more peanutty. Even though everyone at the table was watching me eat them, I still feel this is a fair review. For lunch the Cashew Chicken is my favorite so I ordered #22, Stir Fried Cashew Nuts with Chicken, medium spicy.

The food was delivered in good time. The red curry base was not too sweet and spiced just right. The ingredients: Scallion, Onion, carrot, celery, water chestnut, chicken and cashews were all fresh and in good proportion, served hot but not overcooked.

Service: 4 (Out of 5)

Quantity: 4

Spring Rolls, Cashew Chicken and water $9

Viet Garden - DT

East Colonial, just east of Mills.

This is not my first trip to Viet Garden. I believe everyone I know has been there. Hands down the best garden rolls ever. Garden rolls, sometimes referred to as summer rolls, are rice wraps filled with rice vermicelli, shrimp, pork, lettuce and basil and served cold with a side of peanut sauce. I like to mix a bit of the red chili sauce in the peanut sauce. You can choose tofu instead of meat, but I wouldn't. I believe I have an unhealthy addiction to them. I picked some up on the way home last night. (It's not on my way). So far I have tried the Prig King Curry, the Cashew Chicken, the Grilled Chicken with lemon and the Pad Thai. They weren't bad, but they weren't standouts. Today I ordered the #58 Grilled Pork with Rice. It comes with their sweet broth on the side and a lettuce, tomato and cucumber presentation. The white rice is served with few crispy garlic chips. I mixed a touch of chili sauce in the broth before pouring it over the rice. I asked for another side of peanut sauce for the simple salad. I found myself tearing into this plate of food. I found it odd that the grilled pork was served cold. My friend ordered the same dish but his was served warm. I didn't care. It was outstanding! The marinade was light but sweet. I will find it hard not to order this again. Did I mention the Garden Rolls?