I’d spotted Siam Le Bien Thai Cuisine a few months ago while we were in the neighbourhood so finally decided to give it a try. It’s next door to Kamamarui Ramen & Don Heights.
Sign outside.
Seems to be very popular for takeout. Service is friendly and patient. Always a good sign when it’s run by Thai people.
They ask what spice level you want (our waitress suggested medium spicy) but I would go higher if you want heat. Barely a blimp/kick of heat with the medium level.
The menu consists of appetizer, soup, salad, noodle, fried rice, curries, wok and dessert.
They also have a weekday lunch menu ($13.00) that runs from 11:30am to 4:00pm.
Always a couple daily specials up on their chalkboard.
Trip #1
We dropped in on a Sunday evening (around 7:00pm) and only one other table was occupied.
Thai milk tea ($5.00)
Strong flavour, excellently made.
Som tum (#12) ($12.00)
Shredded green papaya, green beans, tomatoes, roasted peanuts, chili, plum sugar and lime dressing. Good portion size. Sauce was well balanced with good notes of sweet and sour. Solid way to start our meal.
Siam magic (#14) ($14.00)
Prawns and minced chicken, bean vermicelli, tomatoes, celery, fresh lime juice, chili and house dressing. The bean vermicelli was really interesting with a translucent blue colouring.
Had a bite of N’s dish; again, delicious with a well balanced dressing.
Crab fried rice (#22) ($18.50)
Thai-style fried rice with fresh crab meat, egg, green onion and diced carrots. Good wok hei to the fried rice. You don’t see many places offering real crab these days. Tasty.
Jasmine rice ($2.50)
Not sure what happened but the rice was mushy. The only miss in an otherwise tasty meal.
Red duck curry (#27) ($19.00)
BBQ duck in red curry, tomatoes, pineapple, lychee, bell peppers, bamboo shoots and Thai basil. Good portion of BBQ duck pieces and vegetables. Curry was good but we wanted it spicier.
Trip #2
We dropped in on a busy Saturday evening (around 7:30pm). Only had to wait 5 minutes for a table.
Tipsy mai tai ($8.00)
Orange juice, pineapple juice and rum. Didn’t taste too much of the rum.
3x Coconut rice ($3.00)
Chicken satay (#4) ($10.00 for 4)
Grilled marinated chicken skewers with a side of peanut sauce and cucumber salad. Skewers were excellent; tender and succulent.
Pad thai (#19) ($15.50)
Chicken, tofu, egg, shallots, bean sprouts, chives and ground peanuts in a tamarind sauce. B’s parents really enjoyed the tamarind sauce. One of the better quality pad thai’s that we’ve had.
Green curry (#23) ($15.50)
We opted for the pork. This came with bell peppers, eggplant and Thai basil. The green curry was slightly thicker and the coconut milk flavour was more prominent than in the red. Pork was more tender than the chicken too. Really enjoyed the nicely sized chunks of eggplant.
Red curry (#24) ($15.50)
We opted for the chicken. This came with bell peppers, bamboo shoots and Thai basil. The red curry had more of a kick than the green although it was much thinner. Bamboo shoots provided a nice crunchy element.
Spicy eggplant (#29) ($14.50)
Stir-fried eggplant with chili, garlic, bell peppers, onion and Thai basil. The sauce covering the eggplant was addictively good. Eggplant had a fantastic texture.
Both visits to SLB resulted in very enjoyable meals. Will be back soon to try a few more offerings.
Siam Le Bien
https://www.siamlebien.com/
4217 Hastings Street
Burnaby, BC
(604) 293-1343
CHERRY BOB-OMBS 