"Why did I only discover this Gem of a Thai Cafe now?"
That's what crossed my mind right after our flavourful
makan session at
Spicy Thai - Thai Cafe last night. I cannot exactly recall when did my penchant for Thai cuisine started but I really
like love Thai food a lot specifically Tom Yum Soup and Mango Sticky Rice. I love it so much that when my craving strikes, I go to Thai restaurants in the mall to satisfy my taste buds.
Speaking of well-known and heavily commercialized Thai restaurants in the mall, never did it occur to me that the most authentic Thai food in Singapore is found in the heart of an HDB area in Aljunied. The moment I learned that
Spicy Thai - Thai Cafe is located right across a wet market, I decided not to scale up my expectations too high.
Little did I know that I was in for a complete surprise, and one very pleasant and unforgettable surprise at that! I was expecting to be served with the usual Tom Yum Soup, Pad Thai and Pineapple Rice but instead, we were introduced to some of the most authentic North-Eastern Thai cuisine combined with a little bit of Teochew touch.
Here's the list of food we tried from their extensive menu:
1) APPETIZER
This appetizer is called
Larb Moo Tok. It is spicy minced pork with roasted crush rice shaped into little balls and fried to perfection. Christina, our lovely host for the night, explained to us that these meat balls are best eaten with raw vegetables to get the authentic North-Eastern Thai cuisine flavour. Its level of spiciness is perfect to whet your appetite but if you are not so much into spicy food, you have to get your glass of drinks ready for a gulp.
2) HEARTY SOUP
How authentic can a
Fish Maw Crab Meat Abalone Soup get, you ask me? I say what you see is what you get! This hearty soup, as you can see from the photos above is served in a coconut shell and it comes with coconut flesh for that authentic Thai cuisine taste. I could have finished the entire
bowl soup in the coconut shell if I wasn't expecting to try more dishes.
3) SIDES
This
Deep Fried Kang Kong with special Thai sauce is utterly addicting! It's like chips that when when you start to pop in your mouth, you can't stop. The only difference is, you know that it is a vegetable so you can actually indulge and eat more, if not the entire serving! I might just try cooking this at home.
Hommok or Thai Style Otak is a crowd-favourite. It is so rich and flavourful that if you only don't need to count your calorie intake, you can easily polish what's inside the entire coconut shell.
Out of determination in serving good food that will last an impression to his patrons, Ron, the passionate owner decided to use only Japanese squid for their squid dishes. This
BBQ squid is naturally sweet and savoury. It does make a difference when you choose a high quality squid. It came with squid roe which my taste bud didn't like much.
The BBQ-loving Filipino in me enjoyed this
BBQ Pork Belly ($18) tremendously. Cooked over traditional charcoal method, it came out smelling so good and it tasted juicy and it's smoky, just the way I like my BBQ. If you are not controlling your carb intake, this would go so well with a steaming hot rice. Otherwise, you can savour it on its own like I did.
4) MAINS
This
Deep Fried Sea Bass with Mango Salad is another crowd-pleaser. The fish meat tasted fresh, not so oily and when dipped with the Mango Salad is just perfect. I was salivating whilst typing that! Haha!
That's the huge
Thai Walking Cat Fish with Spicy Lemon Soup on the photo. It looks a little blurry due to the hot steam coming form the blazing charcoal underneath but don't be deceived by it's appearance.
Here's a clearer photo taken from my iPhone. This fish dish is cooked under constant charcoal heat and it comes with generous bowl of Spicy Lemon Soup which you can either slurp on its own or use to bathe your fish meat to give it that authentic Thai flavour.
When Christina mentioned that Spicy Thai - Thai Cafe's
Lala (Clams) Bee Hoon comes with more clams than bee hoon, she wasn't bluffing us. Apparently, Ron wanted the bee hoon to soak in the flavourful clam soup hence he always add generous amount of clams in every serving. This was comfort food to me.
Last but one of my ultimate favourite, was this
Thai Style Curry Crab (seasonal price). My family is a huge fan of chilli crab and we don't mind buying one priced at $38 in our neighbourhood hawker centre every time we crave for it. I might just go back with my family to have this as my husband and my teenager love both curry and crab. After having a taste of this, I am sure they will think twice before deciding between chilli crab and curry crab the next time they crave for a crab dish.
We were so full by the end of our
makan session that we have no more space for dessert but do note that Spicy Thai - Thai Cafe also serves Mango Sticky Rice, Thai Red Ruby, Lemon Grass Jelly and Tapioca in coconut milk.
Apart from all the food mentioned above, there are a lot more authentic Thai dishes on their
menu (more than 50 to be exact!). The passion for Thai cuisine of the owner,
Mr Ron Poh is very evident in all the dishes he came up with. We had the privilege to chat with him after our hearty meal and he mentioned that he frequently flies to Thailand to observe and study their food and culture.
Last night was one of the most authentic, tummy-filling, casual, hearty, and laughter-filled food tasting I've had in a long time. I have been declining food tasting invites because as time passes by, more and more young food bloggers are sprouting and I feel old mingling with them. LOL. All thanks to
Little Miss Honey for bringing me along, I ended up having so much fun with her,
Farrah,
Reg and
Alvin.
It was a great bonus that the owner is also a passionate gardener. The al-fresco dining area is surrounded by lush greenery and bathtubs with fishes and plants. The nature lover in me is delighted! Thank you so much Christina and Ron of Spicy Thai - Thai Cafe for the generous spread and graciously hosting us! We will definitely come back for more!
Spicy Thai - Thai Cafe
Blk 115 Aljunied Avenue 2, #01-35
Contact nos.: 6747 8558
Opening Hours: 11am to 12am daily
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