Family feel sets Siam House apart

"Think Bangkok, eat Bloomington," says Gary Cushinberry, CEO of Siam House on East Fourth Street. The small, yellow restaurant is a world of curry, Pad Thai and Tom Yum. Home to true Thai cuisine, Siam House has been voted Bloomington's Best Restaurant for Ethnic Cuisine.\n"It is a great feeling to be recognized in the IU community as being the best ethnic restaurant," Cushinberry says. "We look forward to serving our customers."\nWim Pok, owner of the restaurant, says she tries to maintain authenticity in the preparation of Thai food.\n"We cook for the customer the way we eat," Pok says. "I don't cook for Americans. I maintain the Thai." \nPok says Siam House's family feel is what sets it apart from other restaurants. \n"The important part is the owner cooking," Pok says. "We have original Thai food. The cooks have to be real Thai." \nPok's dedication to authenticity is paying off; the restaurant has developed a loyal following of Thai-eating customers. One customer told Pok he went to Florida and was taken to a Thai restaurant he was told was the best. He returned to Siam House, Pok says, only to tell her, "You are better. It is not the best. You are the best."\nFreshness and quality are also important at Siam House, and some of the restaurant's spices are actually grown right there in one of the pink, green or yellow dining rooms. Food isn't the only thing that's authentically Thai in the restaurant. Thai music plays continuously throughout the dollhouse-like rooms, and all of the decorations were imported from Thailand. Statues and mirrors baring "Handcrafted in Thailand" stickers fill the pastel walls and random shelves lining the restaurant. \n"Besides the food, you can see our culture, what we have back home," Pok says. \nThe most popular dishes are the Pad Thai and the Thai iced tea. Pok says she is always surprised by how spicy customers like their food. \n"People here eat so spicy," she says. "We underestimate customers. They say it's not spicy enough."\nAnnie Russell, a freshman, tried Thai food for the first time at Siam House and thoroughly enjoyed it.\n"I had never had Thai food before, so my boyfriend took me there," she says. "He had had it before, so he knew what he was talking about, and I was really impressed with it."\nRussell tried the Pad Thai, wonton soup and Thai iced tea. Her favorite was the tea, which she says isn't like regular iced tea.\nArpit Doshi, a junior, isn't a big fan of Thai food, but she tried Siam House and enjoyed the hot tea.\n"It's a good thing to try every once in a while," he says. "It gives students more diverse opportunities near the campus, and that's good. It also gives them a good perspective for knowing about other cultures." \nSiam House stands out in its individuality. Pok says she opened the restaurant because she loves cooking and eating.\n"I like to cook myself," she says. "It keeps the customer happy."\nPeople of all ethnic backgrounds have tried Thai food. Customer diversity has been one of the best parts of Cushinberry's experience with Siam House. \n"(I enjoy) meeting all of the different university people," Cushinberry says. "We have a variety of people from all over the world who like to try Thai food."\nIf you're up to try some of this Thai cuisine, Siam House is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner, on Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.