The Minor Food Group has been expanding their F&B business with new concepts of the late — the group had recently opened Mamma Mia! Trattoria E Caffe at Suntec City Mall, whilst also opening another concept that focus on Thai noodles named Siam Smith Thai Noodle Bar at Palais Renaissance; the former having taking up the space beside a new bar named Binary. Focusing on Thai noodle soups, Siam Smith Thai Noodle Bar features items such as Beef Noodle, Tom Yum Soup Noodle and Soup Noodle with various condiments such as seafood, beef slices, Thai Hainanese Chicken etc. depending on which soup noodle is being opted. They also do offer small bites that are pretty much sides that can be shared around the table, whilst also offering rice dishes for those who aren’t big on the noodle soups — items include Thai Holy Basil Chicken over Rice and a Pan-Seared Salmon over Rice.

It seems that there are intentions to expand Siam Smith Thai Noodle Bar beyond its current operations at Palais Renaissance — the Smith Baked Pie is being mentioned as an exclusive at Palais Renaissance, and is available in three different variations; Beef, Chicken and Seafood. Essentially a baked pie that features Thai Red Curry and fried on the side, we went for the beef rendition — the item also does come with pickled cucumbers on the side as a palate cleanser. Digging into the pie, one will be able to notice how the pie isn’t really quite the ordinary pie — there isn’t a flaky, buttery pastry here; instead, we are greeted with a layer of dough almost akin to that of a Prata (Thai Paper Prata, perhaps?). Conceptually similar to the Massaman Curry with Crispy Thai Prata served at Thai Express but in pie form, we really loved that chewy layer of dough over the top; the perfect vehicle for that creamy, coconut-y rich Thai red curry that is beneath, which eagerly drains out of the bowl as we pulled the pastry apart. Inside the red curry, one can find bits of basil, chili padi, and chunky slices of beef — liked how the beef wasn’t particularly gamey, yet easy-to-chew; the red curry also providing much of the spicy kick that sets the taste buds tingling. The fries came unseasoned; they were crisp without being greasy but otherwise rather decent and nothing much to shout about — we found ourselves dipping them into the red curry to mop up the remaining sauce. The pickled cucumbers were a great break from the heavier flavours going on here; gave a zingy, refreshing crunch.

Whilst we felt that the Creamy Tom Yum lacks a spicy punch that made it feel like it stopped short somewhere (we were told that they adjusted the level of spiciness to suit their clientele here), we were actually really impressed with the Smith Baked Pie; the right notes of creamy, spicy and richness that got us yearning for more; all that with a genius pairing with the right sort of dough — definitely the dish not to be missed when one dines here!