We followed some of the excellent advice given on this thread -- and elsewhere in these forums -- and finally, a couple weeks ago, tried I Am Siam in Wheeling. I was pleased with our meal which was very good with a few highlights and a few off-notes, too. Being our first time -- and with friends who are a bit more conservative than us -- we ordered up a 'starter' meal and let the plates come . . .
Soft Spring Rolls...happily, there was only 1 dish I didn't really care for. Unfortunately, this was it . . .
Spring Rolls, interior...the interior was promising but there was just way too much super-sweet plum sauce all over the place and it was hard to taste anything else.
Papaya Salad...a tasty rendition with bright flavors and decent heat, served with an abundance of peanuts.
Fish Cakes...distinctively 'homestyle' version in which the flavorful cakes were big -- think Bubbe Suburban's Salmon Patties -- and moistened with sauce before serving.
Siam Pancake...I loved this omelet-style pancake.
Thai Pancake, up close...stuffed inside the crispy folded pancake are shrimp, coconut, radish, tofu, sprouts and peanuts.
Tom Kha...a great rendition, which may have been the best item of the entire meal.
Pad See Ewe with Pork...loved these dense, chewy, pan-fried noodles and the not-too-sweet sauce. The pork was tasty too; nice and moist.
Panang Curry with Roasted Duck...complex flavor but the curry was a bit milder than I was expecting. It was also a little thicker than most Thai curries I've experienced. The roasted duck was delicious.
Pad Kra Praow with Chicken...probably near the middle of all the versions I've tried. The sauce was tasty but thin and it lacked a certain backnote that's normally present. As such, some of the richness and depth that are normally present, were absent from this dish.
I really enjoyed this meal and would like to go back to try some of their other items. What we had was certainly better than a lot of Thai we normally get in the northern 'burbs and I'm looking forward to making new discoveries on my future visits. I Am Siam is definitely a worthy spot and I can foresee hitting it with regularity, especially when I want good Thai that's nearby.
=R=
I Am Siam
1 Huntington Lane
Wheeling, IL 60090
847 419-0698
Why don't you take these profiteroles and put them up your shi'-ta-holes? --Jemaine & Bret
There's a horse loose in a hospital --JM
That don't impress me much --Shania Twain