Thai Food at Samsen

This is the new restaurant Samsen, which literally means Thai noodles, located on Stone Nullah Lane in Wan chai.  It is in its soft opening and they serve fantastic, authentic Thai food, the likes of Chachawan.

This was the stir fried glass noodle salad with shrimp, squid, egg, napa cabbage, and morning glory.  The flavor was fantastic - slightly charred, with fresh ingredients and paired with a spicy sour chili sauce.

This was the larb moo, a zesty spicy pork salad with cilantro and onions paired with iceberg lettuce.

This was an impossibly refreshing calamansi and plum soda - wow!  I could drink this forever.

The Thai version of a Scotch egg, I guess - despite its simple appearance, the egg was the perfect mix of a slightly runny interior coated in a crispy exterior bathed in a tart tamarind reduction.  Be still my heart!

Stir fried morning glory - a necessity but nothing particularly noteworthy to state here.

The initial spread.

Then we got squid in a lightly battered sauce, with a delectable dipping sauce.  We made sure to squeeze all of the juice out of those limes.

This dish - this was the crowning glory of the night for me.  I love pad see euw, and this was a fantastic, straight-from-the-soi-of-Bangkok version.  The noodles were so thin as to be nearly glassine, and had the lovely, unmistakable silken texture of Thai noodles that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.  Turns out, the chef flies the noodles from Bangkok in sheets, and cuts them to order in Hong Kong.  When I heard this, I thought, I knew it!  I don't usually like baby corn, but it works perfectly in this dish to soak up extra smoky flavor and provide a crunchy contrast to the noodles.  The tofu was full of flavor.  The kale (one of my favorite vegetables on any given day) was perfectly cooked here, slightly tender but still crunchy and green.  It was all I could do not to eat all of those sour sliced banana peppers by myself.

Dessert was coconut ice cream, a milky ice with pomegranate and water chestnuts, and coconut dumplings in a salty coconut soup.

This was exactly the antidote that I needed after my terrible, no good, very bad week.  Fresh, spicy, delicious, authentic Thai food.  Yes, please!  

At one point, after our table was stacked to the gills with food and we were all too busy eating to make any conversation, I thought contentedly, it is one of life's greatest pleasures to share food with others, and I can really think of nothing better than finding a group of people who share the exact same taste buds.   

A very enthusiastic thumbs up!  I will be back.

Samsen
68 Stone Nullah Lane
Wan Chai
+852 2234 0001