Som Tam Nua, Siam Square, Bangkok

I noticed this place (392/14 Soi Siam Square 5, Rama 1 Road. Tel +66 (0) 22 51 4880) while wandering the streets of Siam Square in the last trip and decided to give them a try. Apparently, they were awarded the best som tam by CNNGo's Best Eats in 2010 and have been around for about a decade. As the name of the restaurant may imply, they specialise, I use the word loosely here, in som tam; offering multiple variants of the popular papaya salad here.

The lunch crowd here was pretty intense and it was a good thing that we arrived shortly before the main bulk arrived.

The dishes here were pretty affordable, served in small manageable portions that were ideal for sharing. For those that may not be able to man up to the heat, their Earl Grey latte was pretty much the only drink that helps quell all that spice.

We had a pork liver salad. The livers in slivers were well cooked that it was neither under done nor overly so. The flavour was dominantly spicy, sour and savory. I liked this.

And there was a lemon grassy pork which arrived like a salad too. This particular dish had delicious soft cloves of garlic.

Well received were their grilled and sliced pork collar, with a nice thin caramalization on the outside while retaining juices in the meat. Delicious too.

Moving along, came a deep fried fish. I don't eat deep fried fish so often, so I don't know if they're considered great. But I thought it was well done, drained of excessive oil and very crispy to boot.

Of course, we had to give their claim to fame a go. These was what was described as the Thai som tam on the menu. The servers had explained that the regular one was spicier compared to this one. The salad still packed a mild heat, but what we really liked about this one was the very invigorating flavour from the lime. The mild heat and salt along with the medley of textures that came from the ingredients made it a very refreshing salad. Yes, that definitely included the crispy deep fried pork rinds as well.