A new Thai restaurant has opened its doors in the heart of Newport, bringing a fresh blend of East and West to the Isle of Wight food scene.
Siam Smile, located on Holyrood Street above Newport Ale House, has taken over the premises formerly occupied by Long Island and Wyatt’s Bar & Grill. The restaurant has been open for around a month and is already attracting attention for its authentic flavours and family-run charm.
The business is managed by Annie Savage, who was born in Thailand but moved to England as a baby. She was educated locally at Christ the King College.
Annie’s father met her mother, Rungarun – now head chef at Siam Smile – while on holiday in Thailand. To reflect their heritage, the dishes at Siam Smile originate from North East Thailand, the original home of Rung and where Annie was born.
The cuisine of Bangkok – the capital of Thailand – is said to be more Westernised and bland, whereas North East Thai dishes are considered more authentic, spicier and make greater use of herbs.
Although the inspiration for the cookery comes from North East Thailand, the ingredients are – as far as possible – locally sourced from the Isle of Wight.
The decor of the restaurant reflects Buddhist Thai culture with a Nang Gwak (welcoming lady) greeting guests and also a Thai shrine.
When asked the unique selling points of Siam Smile, Annie told Island Echo:
“Thai culture is welcoming, open minded and humorous. We hope to reflect this in the atmosphere of the restaurant. We aim to make people feel at home.
“The restaurant serves authentic Thai dishes from the countryside with fresh locally sourced ingredients.
“It is a genuinely family run business and not part of a chain. All the food is prepared and cooked in the restaurant by chefs from the North East of Thailand.”
To put the food to the test, Island Echo tried a Siam platter for starters. This included vegetable spring rolls, chicken satay, Thai fish cakes, Moo Ping (Thai pork skewers) and prawn crackers – sufficient for 2 diners – priced at £18.95.
For the main meal, we tried Tiger Cry – a speciality of North East Thailand – locally sourced sirloin steak cured for 35 days with a locally made Thai dipping sauce. This was the most expensive dish in the restaurant at just £20.95.
We also checked out a further main course – Pad Priew Wan with chicken, which includes stir-fried vegetables and comes with a sweet and sour sauce. This was reasonably priced at £12.50.
Siam Smile is located at 24c Holyrood Street, Newport, PO30 5AZ. Bookings can be made by phoning 07586 223343.
Can’t wait to give it a try, who doesn’t love a
good Thai.