Healthy Menu Highlight: Café Siam Lightens Things Up With Ode To Veggies

The next time you happen to be craving Thai food, might we suggest the special menu at Michelin-recognized Café Siam. Debuting an exciting health-conscious menu, Chef Lo at Café Siam Central and Chef Somchai at its respective Kennedy Town location have teamed up with culinary nutritionist Kim Murphy (a principle Nutritional Advisor for luxury hotels, spas, and F&B industries worldwide) to create ten exciting, delicious heartfelt meals without compromising the authentic taste of Thailand the 15-year establishment is renowned for. For our plant-based readers, the new menu comes with vegetarian/vegan- friendly options galore. Even beverages are part of the action – with five newly launched healthy detox drinks all low in sugar and inoculated with non-dairy kefir grain. Below, we highlight our favorites from the new veggie-friendly Healthy Menu!

Por Pia Sod (Vegan Friendly)

Stuffed with loads of freshness including lettuce, sliced cucumbers, carrots, scallions, cilantro, mint leaf, glass noodles and tofu, every mouthful of these por pia sod feels like a salad- and it doesn’t hurt that Café Siam doesn’t scrimp on the ingredients! These Thai-Chinese (Por Pia Sod means ‘fresh roll’ in Teochew Chinese, to be exact) veggie rolls offer a resounding crunch with every bite. Dipped with a homemade peanut dip – slightly sweet and with a hint of chili – we could have would happily polish off plates of these!

Glass Noodles Broth with Tofu and Mixed Mushroom (Vegan Friendly)

There’s something comforting and soothing about having homemade broth when you’re feeling under the weather and this dish is no exception. Filled to the brim with mixed mushroom, rounded tofu and glass noodles in chicken stock to heal the gut and support healthy digestion, this was one of our favorites starters off the entire new menu.

Khanom Chin Goong Sod

Thai for Prawn & Vermicelli Wrap, this was a definite crowd pleaser. Small in size, we were taken aback at how zesty and complex could come from literally one bite! Fresh, thin rice noodles are mixed with skinny green mango slices, and Thai basil in a sweet and slightly tangy tamarind sauce all atop wildbetal leaves. The server instructed us to wrap all the ingredients with the leaves of the wildbetal and pop it into our mouth. Bursting with every flavour profile, from savory sweet, tangy and minty to sour, we loved these mouthfuls! Plus, it was fun to taste wildbetal leaves for the first time.

Stir-Fried Mixed Mushroom with Pumpkin & Garlic

(Vegan Friendly)

It’s hard to go wrong with a stir-fry and this one doesn’t disappoint. tends to be pretty good to begin with, often using a small amount of oil to quickly sear food at high temperatures. We loved the simplicity of all the different mushrooms used – plump oyster, savory button, and gelatinous black fungus – combined with semi-sweet, almost nutty (heart-healthy, fiber-thumping, potassium-rich) pumpkin that really stole the spotlight from veggie-friendly dish.

Red Curry with Mixed Veggies (Vegan Friendly)

We have such a soft spot for aromatic spices and this coconut creamy curry definitely hit the mark. Bursting with layers of flavor, the kaffir lime leaves and Thai basil added unsurpassed authenticity to this distinctive, heavenly taste of Thailand. Featured carrots, broccoli, and baby corn and served with organic brown Jasmine rice, the gently spiced, umami-rich flavor will  Red Curry fix and keep your veggie friends very happy!

The Kim Murphy Menu is available for lunch and dinner daily, at both Café Siam Central and Kennedy Town locations. Be on the lookout for healthier desserts and cocktails rolling out in the near future!

G/F, 38 Forbes Street, Sai Wan, Kennedy Town, +852 2855 0810; 2/F, 21 D’Aguilar Street, Central, +852 2851 4803, info@cafesiam.com.hk.

All images courtesy of Café Siam.