Small wonder, Thai style
It’s hard to believe anyone ever looked at the space that is now Siam I Am and thought, “That’s a perfect space for a restaurant”. They may have the smallest dining room in the South Bay, though I’d have to take a tape measure both here and to the nearby Cozy Café to be sure. By one standard the winner is clear — the Cozy has a substantial outdoor patio, while Siam I Am has only a single table in a converted carport. Siam I Am opened in 2008, an anomaly among Thai restaurants because the founder was a Japanese-American who loved Thai food, and Dr. Suess books. (Yes, the name is a pun on “Sam I Am.”) After six years in business, a Thai family took it over, led by cheerful chef Sirinapa Sirimongkhon, known as Siri for short. Siri grew up in the far South of Thailand near the island paradise of Phuket, but went to college in the northern city of Chiang Mai, which has a very different cuisine. Both of those experiences are reflected in the menu here, and also some of the Americanized fusion items that are popular everywhere. I took friends to dine in, and we took the only table for four inside. It’s a bit cramped, and the couple sitting on the side away from the wall were partly…
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