Baan Ying @ Royal Square - The Great Baan Ying Brunch

Established since 1999 in Bangkok, Baan Ying has been known for its home-style Thai cuisine created by founder Aunty Ying. From a small humble eatery to a restaurant group in Bangkok, its first Singapore outpost in Royal Square set up last year made quite an impression with its bright and airy space. Other than bringing home-style dishes from Aunty Ying's hometown, Baan Ying shall bring to you another type of experience - The Great Baan Ying Brunch.

Salmon Steak 3.5/5

Drop by on Saturday or Sunday from 11am to 3pm, you can indulge in popular Thai favourites that include a choice of one main course along with a buffet spread of 12 to 15 delectable appetisers, sides and desserts on rotation every week. Priced at $38.80++ per adult and $19.40++ per child (four to ten years old; kids under three dine free; child price includes a complimentary fruit juice). Top up $29.80 for a free-flow of beer and wine. Out of the four mains that I get to choose from - Angus Beef Steak, Bone-in Iberico Pork Chop (approx. 250g, additional $9.80++), Pan-fried Salmon Steak and Grilled Large River Prawns, we had the Salmon Steak and Pork Chop.

Pork Rib 3.8/5

Iberico Pork Chop, that has been marinated with Aunty Ying's secret blend of Thai spices. My favourite part is definitely the portion near the rib, as I really love the luscious and flavourful fats. The lime wedges served together with the main dishes is a nice touch to cut the richness of the meats.

Thai Salad 4/5

That said, coming to a Thai restaurant, the main drawn is still the spread of the traditional Thai dishes such as salads, soups, the curries etc. One of the highlights for me is definitely the DIY Thai Salad station where I get to mix and match own ingredients such as peanuts, dried shrimp, cherry tomatoes, long beans and either, tangy green papaya (Som Tum) or green mango (Yum Mamuang) and toss them in Aunty Ying’s secret salad dressing. We were fortunate to have a staff to demonstrate for us the techniques and skills that go into making a good Som Tum. Seems tedious but with a dressing that good, I am quite sure yours will turn out just as great too!

Yum Woon Sen 3.8/5

Out of the entire spread, my favourite would be the Yum Woon Sen (Glass Noodle Salad) which was loaded with seafood. The ingredients were really fresh, especially the thick cut of fish slices.

Larb Moo Tod 3/5

Mu Tod Nga 3/5

A few bite size items that is good to accompany your beer is the mini Larb Moo Tod, deep fried spicy meat balls mixed with toasted ground rice, mixed herbs and lime. The other delectable bite is the Mu Tod Nga which is Baan Ying's very own white sesame pork, and you may find it as moreish as any fried chicken wing. It would be much better of course, if you are able to consume them while still hot as they tend to get a bit dry and tough when out for too long.

Green Curry with Chicken 3/5, Salted Egg Fried Rice 3.5/5

A few quintessential Thai dishes such as Green Curry and Tom Yum Soup are also available. There was no pineapple fried rice, but we had an equally sumptuous Salted Egg Fried Rice.

Rainbow Ruby 3/5

Yam Soup 3/5

Desserts are of comforting taste, such as Rainbow Ruby, that has colours obtained from natural ingredients such as sweet potatoes, Lord Chong (green tapioca noodles in sweet coconut milk) and Yam Soup.

Overall, although there are a few interesting Thai dishes among the buffet spread, I might have a more satisfying experience if I were to go for ala carte option. The main dishes were all right but the key to satisfy my Thai food craving would still be that few Thai style dishes that I have grown accustomed to.

Words and photos by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Baan Ying
Royal Square @ Novena
103 Irrawaddy Road
#02-07
Singapore 329566
Tel: +65 91117852
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Novena (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Fri: 11am to 3 pm, 530pm to 10pm
Sat-Sun: 11am to 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Novena MRT station. Take Exit A or B. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 mins. [Map]

A-Roy Thai Restaurant @ Velocity - Yummy Authentic Thai Food Which Used To Be At Funan

We were deciding where to have dinner at Novena Square when we came across A-Roy Thai Restaurant at Velocity which we thought it was rather familiar. It was not after we decided to dine at the restaurant when the memory starts to settle in. We remembered that we have dined at the restaurant when it was at Funan. We didn't know it has moved to Novena. It was quite an accidental discovery.

Upon settling down, we are served a plate of Keropok with green chilli dipping sauce. This is really addictive with the appetising dipping sauce. Initially I thought this will cost me around three dollars, like those peanuts serve at Chinese restaurant. I was quite surprise to see that I was only charge a dollar for this. I thought it is quite reasonable.

Tom Yum Talay 4.2/5

The Tom Yum Seafood Clear Soup ($15.90) comes with generous portion of seafood such as prawn, squid and fish. The clear soup may look rather ordinary but its rather potent with its fiery spicy kick. I am glad that it did not tone down the spiciness level.

Pad Pak Bung 4/5

For the greens, we decided to go for the Stir Fried Morning Glory with Chilli ($10.90). I always find that Thais know how to cook their vegetables, especially with the used of fish sauce that brings out the sweetness of vegetable. Not sure whether its there wok skill but it always seems to retain a good crunch too.

Kaeng Phet Pet Yang 3.8/5

For the protein, we had the Thai Green Curry with Beef ($15.90). Diners have the choice of pork or chicken too. The beef is a bit tough but what we enjoyed is the sweet green curry gravy. We were drenching our steamed rice with it.

Overall, I enjoyed my meal at A-Roy Thai Restaurant. What I like most is that the restaurant did not tone down the spiciness and the flavours we really close to what I ate in Thailand. While the food is on the authentic side, the price is on the steep side. I would suspect it is due to the higher rent in shopping mall. By the way, plain water is chargeable here.


A-Roy Thai Restaurant
Velocity, Novena Square
238 Thomson Road
#03-61/63
Singapore 307683
Tel: +65 63383880/ 63521446
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Novena (NS Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sun: 1130am - 3pm, 530pm - 930pm

Direction: 
1) Alight at Novena MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Took Lae Dee @ Tai Seng - Enjoy Thai Classic Dishes Starting From $3.80

Took Lae Dee, Bangkok’s most famous 24/7 restaurant chain, has found its way to Singapore, making Tai Seng its first ever branch outside Thailand after 45 years. Took Le Dee means “cheap and good” in Thai. In Bangok, their menu is extensive with not just Thai dishes but also Chinese and Western dishes such as American breakfast, steak & fries. With just a few dollars, you get filled up with good quality food even in the wee hours. That actually sounds like Hans during my secondary school days!

Pad Krapow with Egg 2.8/5

As Took Lae Dee Singapore is still trying to settle down, the menu is restricted to offering Thai staples only. What may first caught your eyes is the signature Pad Krapow (Minced Chicken/Pork with Chilli & Basil Leaves & Rice) which cost only $3.80! But just when you may think its really cheap and good, you will realise that you need to fork out another $1.20 to put that quintessential sunny-side up onto your plate. Cost aside, what's notable is that the original holy basil is being used in this dish, which is a lot stronger than the regular basil. But somehow, I couldn't detect much of the distinct peppery basil taste in this dish, unless I deliberately chewed on the leaves. I also expect quite a bit on my $1.20 egg, which turned out to to like those from cookhouse, with deep fried edges tainted with black flecks. I thought even Thai stalls at hawker centres serve more beautiful suuny-side up these days.

Yum Woon Sen 3.5/5

Som Tum 3.5/5

Both of my favourites Yum Woon Sen ($6 ) and Som Tum ($6) didn't disappoint. The Thai spicy vermicelli salad was full of crunch and a lot of heat with lots of chopped onions, chilli, celery and black fungus. Unlike some versions which the fish sauce tends to overwhelm the entire dish, these 2 salads remained bright and refreshing, though somewhat on the spicy side.

Pad Thai 3/5

Like any outlets in Bangkok where you will find them tuck inside Foodland supermarket, it comes with both table seating and counter seating, where you get to see the chefs in action, even fire blazing at times. That's when you know your dishes will be exuding that extra element of wok hei. The Pad Thai ($5/6.20) comes with a choice chicken or prawn, though on the sweeter side, was redeemed by that extra flavour.

Pad Pak Boong 3.5/5

The Pad Pak Boong or Thai Morning Glory ($5) has that wok hei flavour as well, and quite crunchy.  Some of you may prefer this to the sambal chilli style.

Kang Keaw Wan 2.8/5

The Kang Keaw Wan, Thai Green Curry with Chicken/Pork/Beef ($7/$8) surprised me with its lightness as all the recipes are said to be the original. I was expecting it to be a lot more robust and rich. This spicy dish of a creamy consistency calls for freshly made green curry paste, basil leaves, chillies, kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk and fish sauce.

Tom Yum Soup 2.8/5

The Tom Yum Soup ($6/$8)) was actually not too bad but the seafood seemed to be from remnants.

Took Lae Dee Iced Milk Tea 3.5/5

I don't usually order Thai Milk Tea because the sweetness is just too much but the Took Lae Dee Iced Milk Tea ($2.80) was really well balanced with the acidity and sweetness. Best part is that I got to add in the milk myself! After all the spicy and strong flavours fighting in my mouth, this is a much needed remedy to cleanse the palate.

If you are lucky, there may be seasonal Mango Sticky Rice available on your visit.

Took Lae Dee here is not 24hours unlike Bangkok, which is a pity as I really feel that much of the spirit of this brand is lost - the vibrancy, the extensive menu of comfort food, affordable pricing. Perhaps dining at the counter seats will allow you to have a better feel of it, it will elevate the taste of the food for sure.

Photos and words by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Took Lae Dee
18 Tai Seng Street
#01-34/35/K9
Singapore 539775
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Nearest MRT: Tai Seng (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 9pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Tai Seng MRT station. Take Exit C. Go to ground level. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

Feelsion @ Old Phuket Town [Phuket]

Off the beaten track at Old Phuket Town sits Feelsion. Rather common in countries like Australia, where you will find warehouse-style cafes in suburbs or industrial chic spaces right in the middle of a neighbourhood. As I turned into the lane, the sight of this steampunk design space in a sleepy town bewildered me for seconds.

The European style chairs fall aptly into place alongside with other vintage furniture and antique exhibits which bound to intrigue you in one way or another. My favourite place is the toilet and if you ever drop by, you will know why. Sit on the mezzanine level allow you to appreciate almost the entire spectrum of this place.

Butterfly Pea Flower Macchiato Mix 3/5

The drinks come across as rather archaic to me, like how some other cafes tried to make their food instagrammable. Still, we ordered one just to complete the experience.

Spicy Seabass Soup 4/5

I half expected the food to be amateurish but it turned out to be real good, way better than the watered-down version that I had in Patong beach. The Spicy Seabass Soup was fiery and tangy, and if you like XO sauce, the sweet-spicy shrimp paste at the side may make you want to get a bottle back.

Green Curry Spaghetti 4.2/5

A fusion dish is the Green Curry Spaghetti, similar to our Laksa pasta. The green curry sauce was rich and robust, and the housemade crispy prawns say a lot about the quality of their food. I would imagine most would have given us the ready-to-eat prawn tempura version.

Rum & Banana ICe Cream 3.5/5

Homemade ice creams seem popular in Thailand and I remember having really delicious ones in both Thailand and Cambodia. I tried the Rum & Banana. The rum taste was quite pronounced and the sweetness level was quite right.

For cafe-hopper, include this off-the-radar cafe in your list!

Words and photos by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Feelsion
445/1 Phuket Rd
Tambon Talat Yai
Amphoe Mueang Phuket
Chang Wat Phuket 83000
Thailand
Tel: +66 831819845
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Opening Hours:
Daily: 1030am - 8pm

Cha Thai @ Telok Ayer Street

Often it’s when you talk to people that you know about your own biases. For example Leah, the bubbly owner of Cha Thai, shows me the prices on her menu, and then states exactly what I was thinking, that these prices are a little dizzying for Thai food. Singaporeans, she explains, have been influenced by the prevalence of street food into thinking of all Thai food as being cheaply priced.

Well, I’m guilty as charged. In my feeble defence, I might have noted that Cha Thai’s decor doesn’t exactly scream fain daining - which I mean as a compliment; with its blond wood tables and lighting that allows you to actually see your food, it’s a relaxing spot, the sort of place you go to for dinner with friends. The food, however - while also simple, casual, relaxed and other such words - is also food with real quality.

Leah starts off with a little talk on the regional variations in Thai cuisine, of which Singapore is only gradually becoming more aware - for example in the uptick in places serving food from the Isan region in the northeast. Cha Thai, though, serves cuisine from the central region, and in fact it can hardly get more central; Leah speaks proudly of familial associations with the Royal Palace, from which her grandmother got the recipes that she is now using and adapting.

Prawn Cakes 3.5/5

From the starters we have two items, the first being your standard issue Prawn Cakes ($15). Except they’re not standard issue - made in house from fresh tiger prawns, the cakes keep plenty of the prawn’s sinewy texture. Tiger prawns are quite the thing in Cha Thai, valued for their relative toughness and size; we will see a lot of them later too.

Nam Prik Khai Pu 4/5

The starter that really gets my attention, though, is the Nam Prik Khai Pu, which literally means dipping sauce of crab roe. It looks a little like your standard crudités platter, with batons of carrot, cucumber and slices of fried aubergine. The sauce, though, is the definition of an appetiser - the typical Thai combination of refreshing acidity and spice leading the way, then behind it the pop and brine of crab roe. Curiously, crab roe is a lot cheaper in Singapore than in Thailand, and Leah says we should expect to pay double the price to have this nam prik in Bangkok.

Train Fried Rice 3/5

Pineapple Fried Rice 3.5/5

We had two varieties of fried rice - the Pineapple Fried Rice ($18), which is also given a generous serving of lap cheong, and the Train Fried Rice ($16) topped with crokking chunks of fried pork belly. It is not bad, given that fried rice is rarely ever bad; the train fried rice is meant to evoke Thai comfort food, with little crunchy slices of kailan among the dark rice grains.

Green Curry 3.5/5

The Green Curry ($18) at Cha Thai is actually rather mild; instead it is heavy with notes of coconut and lime leaves, in which generous helpings of bamboo shoots and tender fishballs nestle. The liberal use of coconut cream is also enough to make the green curry viscous and thick.

Panang Curry 3.8/5

Panang Curry ($28) looks a lot more spicy than its green counterpart but also turns out to be mild and thick, and sweet as well. Leah explains that the tropical climate and abundance of sugar cane makes sweetness - a luxury in many cuisines from more temperate regions - a staple to central Thai cooking. Were it cooked ‘authentically’, she says, it would be way too sugary for Singaporean palates. Here, though, instead of being cloying, the sweetness is fruity, coming mainly from the addition of lychees. It plays well with the curry spice and also with more of the attractively curled up tiger prawns.

Glass Noodle Claypot with Tiger Prawn 4.2/5

Those Tiger Prawns, though, have nothing on the giants which top the Glass Noodle Claypot ($159). While size in a tiger prawn tends to be a mixed virtue - the impressively big ones can also be resilient and hard to chew - careful cooking has rendered the meat crunchy but tender inside, filled with the aroma of prawn shells. The heads are too big for sucking, but the residue of roe and fat within is enough to scrape out with a spoon. It’s not good for you, but none of your senses will agree. The glass noodles themselves have also taken in the rest of that crustacean fragrance, glistening with just a little lard. This dish costs $159, which feels a little excessive if you’ve not seen the size of it, but what came to our table was enough to make the neighbouring table gawp and take pictures. Exercise your own judgement accordingly.

Stir Fried Sliced Pork Cheek with Basil 4.2/5

In an upmarket twist on krapow moo, the stir-fried minced pork with basil which would be a tired cliche were it not so tasty, Cha Thai has an option to substitute sliced and Roasted Pork Cheeks ($22) instead of mince. While mince fully soaks up the flavour of its sauce, oyster sauce and sugar and basil, the pork cheek slices here bring something else to the mix - a subtle char and a firm but fine texture.

Toast Cubes with Thai Milk Tea Dip 3.8/5

The appearance of cubes of toast bring an inevitable comparison to mind. Not to make any clear statements about who came up with this first, but in terms of quality, Cha Thai’s Toast Cubes ($8) and dip clearly have the upper hand. Despite their larger size, the cubes are nicely buttered and therefore moist to the core; the dip, made from milk tea powder with coconut cream, is thick enough to cling without dripping, almost like a custard. The coconut cream is content to be the soothing base for the tea’s herbal notes.

Just so we’re clear how giant those giant tiger prawns are. 3 to the kilogram.

The quality of Cha Thai’s food is not just the result of old recipes, but also of plenty of effort. Seafood is sourced locally from our own kelongs for freshness; and everything, from the crab roe dip to the milk tea sauce, is made in house. Knowledge is key here - knowledge of traditions which still have not made an appearance in Singapore, such as the ubiquity of nam prik, or the ‘right’ method of adding acidity to a pad Thai (not solely limes, it turns out, but also unripe green mangoes for a more varied pinch).

But pride is crucial too - from what Leah says about her family back home, she hardly needs to come down to Singapore and sweat it out in the local F&B scene. It was passion that first led her to a culinary school in France (where she met the head chef), and then set up in Singapore, first at Loaves Me in the SMU campus, then here at Cha Thai. This determination to run a restaurant does show, along with portions so generous you should always come with friends. At some point in the meal, picking up on the whole royal palace theme, one of the fellow writers asks if this is a meal fit for a prince.

‘Well, not a prince or king,’ she says. ‘But maybe if you were a general…’

Me, I can’t imagine mounting an elephant and defending the kingdom after a meal like this. But getting on the train and bringing friends out to Cha Thai, that I can see myself doing.

Guest Writer: Wilson’s perfect day consists of a good meal and a laptop, on a table, next to a window, overlooking the sea, in a rainstorm. You can see more of his reviews at his blog, Dear Babette.


Cha Thai
82 Telok Ayer Street
Singapore 048467
Phone: +65 66363696
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Telok Ayer (DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon - Sat: 11am - 10pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
Alight at Telok Ayer MRT. Take Exit B. Cha Thai is on your left, across Telok Ayer Street.
Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]