Na Siam: Fresh as ever with new owners

Na Siam Restaurant — a bit of Thailand at our northern border — has new owners. But the aroma and flavors are the same at the North Avenue restaurant.

Thitinant “Knock” Wareewanich and his wife bought the restaurant eight months ago. They arrived from Thailand with their two young children and a dream – an American dream to give their kids a great education and a solid start in life.

The menu at Na Siam is largely the same as it was before, but the Wareewaniches are careful with the quality.

“We go to market. I mean the raw material, we order by ourself and if some part we think is not fresh enough, we just go directly to the market by ourself,” said Wareewanich.

Many of Thai cuisine’s flavors benefit from this dedication to quality ingredients: basil, papaya, ginger, eggplant and others.

Their protein options range from the usual —tofu, chicken, shrimp, beef and pork—but the menu also includes duck as an option for many dishes.

Appetizers are a tempting list. Spring rolls filled with a fresh collection of tofu, beansprouts, carrots and cucumber are wrapped in rice paper and served with plum sauce. Steamed Thai dumplings are served with black garlic soy sauce. And crab Rangoon pleases the American palate with crab and cream cheese inside a puff of fried wonton.

The new owners listen attentively to reactions from customers, some of whom drive from as much as 45 minutes away to dine there, according to Wareewanich.

“We always ask, ‘How do you like the food?’ And if anything is in common with comments, we use that to adjust,” Wareewanich said.

When they decide to introduce a new item, they take a similar approach. This is true for an item they are currently considering: Taro in coconut milk.

“We give, let the customer try, and ask them if they like that for new items that we’re going to launch,” Wareewanich said.

He said he was an educator in his homeland. His wife, Honey, is also a fashion designer. Photos and examples of her wares are on display in the restaurant’s dining room.

Their children, whom Wareewanich calls the “bosses,” are two and three years old. The presence of young eaters in their own family might be the reason for the reasonably priced kid’s combo options that comes with either crispy chicken or chicken satay, eggrolls filled with steamed broccoli, carrot and other veggies, and served with jasmine rice for only $6.95.

Customer Dennis Egolf and his wife enjoyed a lunch in the dining room recently. When Egolf’s red curry bowl arrived, steam filled the air with the smells of good tastes to come.

“We drive by here often and decided to try it. The soup was great, the spice levels are excellent, and the service is friendly. We’ll be back,” Egolf said.

Na Siam’s menu includes all the expected dishes in a Thai restaurant: soups, like Tom Yum, curries, noodle dishes and salads. Panang curry with peanuts, coconut milk, lime leaves, veggies and a choice of protein, all served with jasmine rice, is one of the most popular curries in Thailand.

Wareewanich takes pride in his new role as ambassador for foods from his home, ensuring that his kitchen does not serve pre-cooked dishes to customers.

“For us, sometimes you have to wait about half an hour. Because we cook every dish fresh,” Wareewanich said. And they hope diners leave satisfied. “We are depending on word of mouth. The customer come in, eat. They go out and then they tell. That’s the way we will grow.”