Siam Thai Cafe sends QC foodies on a culinary journey

Nan Bowe wants people to experience her native country, Thailand. For the past month, many Quad Citians have taken a culinary journey to Thailand with dishes such as Crying Tiger, Larb Isan Chicken and crispy pork belly. Those dishes – and many others – are available at the new Siam Thai Cafe, located at 903 […]

Nan Bowe wants people to experience her native country, Thailand. For the past month, many Quad Citians have taken a culinary journey to Thailand with dishes such as Crying Tiger, Larb Isan Chicken and crispy pork belly.

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Those dishes – and many others – are available at the new Siam Thai Cafe, located at 903 State St. in downtown Bettendorf. “We’re definitely happy with how it's been going. … So far, so good,” said Ms. Bowe, an owner of the new restaurant, which shares the same building as her other business, Platinum Salon & Spa. (It’s also located next to a new parking lot that Ms. Bowe and her husband, Tim, built this summer.) Siam Thai Cafe is open Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and also from 4:30-9 p.m. It is closed on Sundays. It can be reached at (563) 549-8425. Since the new restaurant opened on Aug. 30, the two businesses have been helping each other. Ms. Bowe said it has been fairly common for customers to go from one business to another. “A lot of people will get their hair cut and then pick up food to take home,” she added. Since the Siam Thai Cafe opened some of the foodie favorites on the menu have included the spicy basil noodles; sweet mango sticky rice, which is a dessert dish; Pad Thai, which is rice noodles sauteed with Thai sweet tamarind sauce; and shumai, which is homemade steamed dumplings stuffed with ground chicken, shrimp, fried garlic, scallion, carrots and shiitake mushrooms. “We’re excited to bring the bold authentic flavors of Isan (northeast Thailand) to the QC. Our mission is to bring you the traditional cuisine of our hometown, Known Kaen/Udon Thani, with a modern twist and a casual dining experience. Whether you’re craving a classic Pad Thai, or looking to explore new flavors, our fresh-made home style dishes will take you on a culinary journey,” according to the Siam Thai Cafe website. Some of the other dishes on the menu include:

• Khao Man Gai: Simmered chicken and ginger rice served with a signature soybean ginger sauce, side of cucumber, cilantro and clear soup.
• Khao Moo Grob: Crispy pork belly and steamed rice with sweet and spicy thai dipping sauce served with cucumber, cilantro and clear soup.
• Spicy Beef Num Tok with rice: Isan-style marinated rib-eye steak mix with red onion, lime juice, chili powder, fresh mint, ground roast rice. Topped with cilantro, scallions and served with jasmine rice. 
• Num Tok Beef Noodle Soup: Thai style noodle soup with beef broth, steamed rice noodles, sliced beef, and beef meatballs, topped with chopped scallions, cilantro, fried garlic, bean sprouts, Thai basil leaves and crackling.
• Mama Tom Yum Ramen Noodle Soup: Popular Thai Instant Tom Yum Noodle broth with choice of protein, carrot, bok choy, topped with scallions, cilantro and boiled egg.
• Khoa Soi: Northern Thai style egg noodles in spicy creamy curry soup with choice of protein, topped with crispy noodles, red onion, scallions, cilantro, crispy onion, pickled mustard green, and lime.

The new restaurant has about 12 employees and is pretty much fully staffed. However, Ms. Bowe said the cafe might add some part-time employees in the future.  The business also is largely a family affair. Her mother and son, Ball Khachenthon, work in the kitchen. Her son is the head chef. Ms. Bowe said planning for the new restaurant has been months in the making. That planning was a challenge, but she was thankful to the many contractors and subcontractors that worked to make the Siam Thai Cafe a reality. Some of those contractors include: Streamline Architects of East Moline, Townsend Engineering of Davenport, Lakewood Electric & Generator Service of Milan, Illinois, C.Ewert Plumbing of Davenport and others. Also, she thanked Carole Bowe for creating a large, colorful mural on a wall inside the restaurant. That artwork includes symbols of Thailand, including an elephant and lotus blossoms. Other interior items inside the restaurant include Thai paper money placed inside five frames that Ms. Bowe put together. She also led almost all other aspects of the new business.  One of the big lessons she learned from the experience is to do your research before opening a new business. “It’s not easy. You have to put your whole heart in it. … You have to believe in yourself,” she added.