Sushi Siam: Fish-N-Fusion
4236 Legendary Drive, Destin Commons, 650-5861
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By Bruce Collier October 19, 2006 Issue


The name of this restaurant suggests it is a sushi place that sells Thai food. Sushi Siam is a great deal more than that. As the fine print says, it also offers other Japanese dishes as well as “fusion” cooking.

Another fused element is the look of the restaurant itself. Sushi Siam sidesteps the austere decor traditionally — or perhaps stereotypically — associated with Asian dining establishments. Instead, Sushi Siam offers two sizable dining rooms, a sushi bar, with outside dining an attractive option in these cooler days. Lighting is subdued and the walls bear framed artwork. Tables are laid with cloth napkins, both silverware and chopsticks are provided, and a wine list comes with menus. Topping it off was our server, Eugene, a Hungarian with a polite European manner. Another server appeared to be Asian, as did a cook who emerged from the kitchen. A manager that came by to check on us was American, and so forth.

The menu requires study, and you may have questions. You can order a traditional meal of appetizers, salad or soup, main course, and dessert. Or, you can just eat sushi or sashimi. Or, you can graze all over the place, then head for the entrees. The latter is what we did. We chose food for sharing as well as individual dishes.

We started in Thai country, with two soups, and finger food. My friend ordered chicken coconut soup — tom kha gai — and I got spicy and sour shrimp soup — tom yum goong. Eugene asked how spicy we wanted them, and we both chose medium. My friend’s soup was on the mild side, while my medium was pretty hot. Still, they were first rate, especially the shrimp soup, which had about four large butter flied shrimp crowding mushrooms and sliced ginger root in a fragrant lemon grass-infused stock. The chicken soup, which also had mushrooms, helped cool my mouth.

Our finger foods, fried spring rolls and chicken sate, were both excellent examples of these Thai-style favorites. The spring rolls were sliced diagonally, for ease of dipping into the sweet chili sauce. The grilled chicken came on skewers, with a mild peanut sauce and a crunchy onion and cucumber salad in vinegar dressing.

Gilding the lily, we went Japanese with a chef’s special roll, the American Dream. It’s shrimp tempura, lettuce, cucumber, and a dab of spicy mayonnaise rolled in rice and topped with avocado. We had thought of ordering two rolls, but when this came out looking as long as a Viking ship, we stood pat.

The list of appetizers and rolls is extensive, and there’s any number of sushi and sashimi variations, including house specials. A partial listing includes fried squid, dumplings, fresh shrimp or vegetable spring rolls, salmon carpaccio with wasabi-lime aioli, seafood ceviche with Thai herbs, steamed Japanese soy beans (edamame), seaweed salad, and rolls with salmon, eel, tuna, snapper, lobster, conch, scallops, crawfish, crab, and soft shell crab. There’s also a good selection of Thai “dinner” salads, with chicken, squid, or steak.

Sushi Siam’s entrees follow the fuse-it-yourself philosophy. My friend chose a “rock & wok” entree. It’s a stir-fry, with your choice of duck, shrimp, chicken, scallops, tofu, beef, or vegetables, prepared with assorted vegetables seasoned with either fresh ginger, fresh garlic, chili and basil, sweet and sour, cashews, or orange sauce. My friend got shrimp with cashew nuts, celery, mushrooms, onions and water chestnuts. She found it a bit bland, so Eugene brought out three types of chili in vinegar, chili sauce, and Thai hot sauce. She asked for zing, and zing she got.

On Eugene’s recommendation, I got the roast duck, a half-bird with orange sauce served over vegetables in a light broth. It was a good suggestion. The duck was moist and greaseless, with crisp and slightly sweet skin. My friend thought she didn’t care for duck, but I witnessed a conversion.

A brief sampling of other entrees includes salmon, pork chops, Thai noodle and curry dishes, and some Western items such as filet mignon, tuna steak, snapper, and New York sirloin. Some are seasoned with Asian spices and curries. Others, like the sirloin, come with caramelized onions and peppers. There’s even grouper with scampi, dried tomatoes and garlic.

We decided to split one dessert, Thai beignets. They came dusted with powdered sugar, with dabs of raspberry and chocolate sauce. They were mildly sweet and tasty, but slightly tough. Other desserts are fried banana and apple, fried ice cream, cheesecake, chocolate cake, coconut flan, banana pudding, and green tea or peanut butter ice cream.

As my friend remarked at one point, you’d need to come to Sushi Siam several times to get the full measure of the menu. Good fusion cooking is like a successful partnership or marriage. As far as our meal went, the marriage worked.

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