Coconuts Hot Spot: Cha Thai

Ah, Thai food, we can never get enough of you. Telok Ayer’s Cha Thai popped up in our fish sauce-drenched radars recently when it opened mere weeks ago, and is the latest addition to the long list of upscaled Thai food joints around here.

Eschewing all the usual traditional Thai furnishing aesthetics (think elephant imagery, lotus flower motifs and portraits of the King Bhumibol Adulyadej), Cha Thai went for the chic Scandinavian/industrial look — but don’t expect any truffle fries or poached eggs in the menu.

Don’t get us wrong though, we do love our grimy hole-in-the-wall establishments, especially when it comes to Thai food. In the case of Cha Thai, their inclination towards high-end appearances does reflect well into their food and of course, their price as well.

The quality and the authenticity shines through their very appetising appetisers including the Papaya Salad ($16) and the Glass Noodle Salad ($18), both containing that spicy crunch without being too overwhelming. We didn’t even have to touch any of the condiments provided; the chefs definitely knew how to balance all its complex elements perfectly.

A word of warning though — their menu is surprisingly vast for a fairly new restaurant. Expect the usual Thai fares such as Tom Yum Seafood Soup ($28) and Pad Thai ($22), but they had their own originals as well. Their Signature Tiger Prawn Panang Curry ($28) is a great dish to be shared — the al denté prawns were superb — but too bad it was a wee bit sweet for some of our palates. Their Sautéd Crab Meat ($35) tasted pretty decent as far as crab dishes go, but frankly not worth its steep expense.

Here’s the thing — for Cha Thai’s high price, you do get a decent, hearty meal that should satiate that gaping Thai-cuisine hole when you have the craving. But considering the expenses, it wouldn’t appeal much to those who expect the utmost fine-dining food quality for that kind of bill.

Cha Thai is at 80 Telok Ayer Street, +65 6636-3696. Open Mondays to Saturdays 11am–10pm.

Photos: Coconuts Singapore



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