Si Lom
Si Lom is a casual Thai eatery that serves boozy cocktail buckets. Munch on soft shell crab pad thai as you suck down technicolour tequila drinks served with multiple colourful straws and swizzle sticks.
This place comes to us from Phanom Suksaen, a.k.a. Patrick, who's also behind Eat BKK, Kub Khao and Jatujak.
The inside of the space is as colourful as the offerings on the menu, with brightly patterned tabletops, vivid metal chairs and bold graphics and gold patterning all over the walls.
Thin lotus chips ($8) are fried with labb flavour seasoning for a spicy, crunchy appetizer.
Nam tok with pork jowl ($11) is a spicy salad not to be underestimated, with the pork flavour nicely off-setting the spicy and sour dressing served with sticky rice. Form into a sticky patty for picking up and eating slices of pork.
Pad thai soft shell crab ($22) combines all the typical pad thai elements (stir fried rice noodles, shrimp, radishes, tofu, chives, bean sprouts, peanuts and julienned sweet mango) but tops them with an entire saucy soft shell crab that adds a meaty crunch not normally found in this dish.
Vegan pad kraprow ($15) is apparently only available if you’re truly a strict vegan, and because I’m not sure how you could confirm this, it probably means everyone can enjoy this standard Thai dish of stir fried protein with holy basil and hot Thai chilis on a bed of rice.
Pla pae sa ($24) serves chunks deep fried white bass fish with its head, swimming in an orange curry sauce in a deep metal dish, along with napa cabbage, long beans and watercress.
The Si Lom Windmill ($12.95) is a 32-ounce bucket of rosella juice, grenadine, sparkling soda and tequila on the rocks with a ton of citrus and straws for sharing. Though the drinks here are huge that means they’re relatively weak; still you can pick up the potent tequila.
A Jolly Bear & Friend Kamikaze ($15.95) is one of their boozy slushie buckets made with blended ice, vodka and blue curacao with ginger ale, lime, salt, and a generous helping of Jolly Bears.
It comes with a vial of Alize stuck in it that you additionally pour into this near radioactive drink.
It’s a little sweeter than the Windmill with less boozy taste.
The Beer Plus Rita ($15.95) is also a slushie bucket that sticks an upside-down Corona into a bucket of tequila and frozen lemonade.
Non-drinkers can have fun here too.
Pour a vial of lemonade into blue iced tea so it turns purple ($4.75).
Suksaen brings the same ease, deliciousness, and hint of complexity to the casual dishes here as he does at his other ventures.
Hector Vasquez