Manee Siam Thai Restaurant

About a month back, for John's birthday, we celebrated at Manee Siam Thai Restaurant in Goodwood, as I had read many positive reviews regarding this supposedly cheap but tasty restaurant - in other words, good food & good value!

The restaurant itself is situated in a quaint little cottage-like structure, and from the outside, appears plain and humble. However, upon being seated, one realises that this is another case of not judging a book by its cover. Clever interior set-ups gives the customer a feel of fine dining, only without the dread of leaving with an empty wallet.

Satay Chicken - $7.20

Starting off with the Satay Chicken, "sautéed chicken, marinated in Thai spices, served with mild peanut sauce", our tastebuds were treated to the first burst of delight. The tender chicken pieces were perfectly wrapped in a delicious sauce that had all the makings of all the right flavours. Guess I really don't have to tell you that the plate was completely empty before you could even say "yum"!

Drunken Noodle - $10.00

John wanted to have a least one noodle dish, and I was sick of eating Pad Thai all the time, so we settled for the Drunken Noodle, "stir fried egg noodles with vegetables, chicken, egg and dried chilli", which came at an incredibly great price! Although it wasn't outstanding, it was pleasurable and I have absolutely nothing to criticise about it. A safe dish to devour, I was pleased with this.

Basil Squid - $15.00

 If you're looking at this and thinking, "that's not very much...", it's because John dug into it before I got a chance to snap a shot of the dish. This was our biggest letdown of the night - basically squid "stir fried with fresh chili, vegetables & fresh Thai basil", the squid was the most bland tasting I've ever had in my life. Being a basil stir-fry course, I at least expected to taste some of the basil flavour on my tongue, but yet again, I was disappointed with the lack of the basil flavour. The dish was a flop.

Chi Curry Fish - $17.00

John insisted upon at least one of the 'Chef's Special' too, so this was our choice. A "mild sweet curry, in a thick creamy coconut milk with barramundi fillet", we decided upon this because John wanted a curry, and I wanted fish, so this was just the perfect combination. The fish fillet was just lovely, and the curry sweetly complimented the fish. Not calling it the best Thai curry I've ever had, it was still pleasant and I wouldn't mind having it again (although I'd rather try something else next time just to experience something new).

So there were hits and misses, but the good value of these dishes mean I'm keen to go back. My parents are visiting me in a few weeks and have specifically asked for a place to dine with cheap prices, but tasty food - so Manee Siam Thai, we'll be seeing each other again soon.

Manee Siam Thai Restaurant

150 Goodwood Road, Goodwood, SA 5034

Rating: 7/10