Sushi Siam is a small Thai restaurant and sushi bar in the same plaza as Cheese & Crackers and Grovestone at the corner of Kirby and Mattis in Champaign. Opened in early 2020, Sushi Siam has two menus: a Thai menu and a sushi menu. Last year, Jess wrote about the restaurant’s bento lunch, and in October, I wrote about Sushi Siam’s beautiful rainbow roll with a spectrum of raw fish: white tuna, red tuna, yellowtail, and salmon. Since we last reviewed Sushi Siam in February 2020, it was time to check out the little plaza restaurant again.
I went on Friday to try some some sushi rolls I haven’t had before and a few Thai dishes, too. When we walked in, staff greeted and sat us at a table immediately. Tables for two and tables for four were available plus seats at the sushi bar in the back.
To start, we ordered an appetizer from the Thai menu.
Served with a house dipping sauce, our order of Siam fried dumplings ($8.99) had four handmade dumplings filled with ground chicken and pork. Though the dumplings looked different than we expected, they were so good. The soft pouches had a very meaty filling of peppery pork and chicken, and the dumplings tasted delicious dipped in the sauce.
Next, I had the Sushi Siam salad, one of five Thai salads on the menu. The house salad ($4.99) was very simple: undressed lettuce with dressing served on the side. The mixed greens were fresh, and the sweet, chunky dressing had a yummy ginger flavor.
We wanted to try things from both the sushi and Thai menus, so we ordered two Thai entrees and two sushi rolls.
The first roll was the sunset roll ($13.99), which had crabstick, avocado, and cucumber with salmon on top. I love salmon, so what’s not to like? This roll looked beautiful with its sunset colored toppings: orange roe, orange sauce, and pink fish. The star of this appetizing roll was the raw salmon, which tasted fresh and delicious, and I liked the texture and saltiness that pops of roe added to this sushi.
The volcano roll ($16.99) was a spectacle of crabstick and diced raw fish with eel sauce, yum yum sauce, and masago atop uramaki arranged in a circle like a volcano. The assorted fish salad on top had salmon, shrimp, white tuna, and red tuna, and the sweetness of the eel sauce went really well with the raw fish and strings of crab. The crunch of cucumber and smooth avocado in the roll were perfect pairings for the saucy fish. This volcano sushi roll wasn’t spicy, so we added wasabi which took the roll from great to awesome.
From the Thai menu, we ordered one of the chef’s specials: crying tiger.
The crying tiger ($16.99) had Thai marinated grilled beef with a house chili sauce. As much as I hate to say it, I did not like this. The flavor was lacking, and the slices of beef were tough and chewy. The unseasoned steamed veggies did taste good dipped in the chili sauce, better than the steak. Though we ordered this at a spice level of 4, the sauce was the only spicy part of the dish. With pepper flakes, red onion, and chopped cilantro, the sauce was good and quite spicy, but even dipped in the sauce, the beef was underwhelming.
Lastly, we ordered the chicken pad Thai because it is my favorite thing on the menu here, and if I’m eating at Sushi Siam, it’s a must have. I’ve written about the restaurant’s yummy pad Thai before (here and here).
Served with peanuts and raw sprouts on the side, the chicken pad Thai ($12.99) was amazing. Salty and so peanut-y, this pad Thai had chicken, softened green onion tops, seasoned egg, and flat noodles with cooked bean sprouts. The chicken was fantastic and packed with flavor, and the fluffy egg pieces were so delicious. Everything in the pad Thai was well seasoned, and I loved how the noodles tasted with crushed nuts. We ordered this at a spice level 3, and it was not super spicy, just a good, enjoyable flavor.
All in all, Sushi Siam is a good Champaign restaurant with nice staff and a big menu. The kitchen puts out food very quickly, so if you’re looking for a quick, sit-down meal with attentive service, Sushi Siam is a great option. If you can’t stay to dine in, get food to go because the sushi takeout game here is solid.
Check out the full menu on the restaurant’s website. Order online here.
Sushi Siam
1729 W Kirby Ave
Champaign
M-Sa 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. + 4:30 to 8:30 p.m.
