Ever since the opening of Cha Thai at Telok Ayer Street, I have been hearing a lot of people raving about their authentic quality thai food. Two weeks ago, together with J and another thai food lover G, we headed down to Cha Thai to satisfy our Thai food cravings. 
As we got seated at our table, we couldn’t help but to notice these Ǹā rạk (น่ารัก aka cute) bottles that are used to hold the condiments. Little details like these made me look forward to the dishes that we have ordered.
As the Crispy Prawn Cakes ($15) arrived at our table, we have noticed the 4 unevenly shaped prawn patties looking nothing like those that were commonly seen in many other thai eateries. As our teeth sink into the crispy exterior, there was a blast of flavours when the juicy interior and the tongue met. We enjoyed the sweetness and the freshness from the ingredients used in these homemade patties. The small pieces of prawns have also provided more texture to these yummy babies.
The Crispy Prawn Cakes somehow got our expectations up for the dishes that followed. The Sauteed Eggplant with Sweet Basil ($16) didn’t disappoint us! The eggplant was cooked to perfect softness with a tease on the palate with that umami from the fish sauce seasoning. The heavy handed usage of the sweet basil perfumed the dish so well that make it very addictive for sweet basil lovers like me. Give me a bowl of rice to go with this and I am your happy girl.
Grilled Kurobuta Pork ($28) was served with glutinous sticky rice and a mildly spicy sauce. My dining partner enjoyed the well marinated and tenderised Kurobuta pork with the mildly spicy sauce. He likes how the sauce was speckled with a hint of tanginess which we speculated to be from tamarind. But we have all agreed that the glutinous sticky rice was somehow out of place for this dish. As compared, it was hard, dry and lackluster.
When we first look at the price before we ordered, we felt that the price that tagged along for the Tom Yum Soup ($28) was somehow on the steep side. But as the dish arrived, we were like “wow.. so much liao (ingredients in hokkien)!” Besides generous serving of ingredients such as shimeji mushroom, squids, prawns and mussels, I am surprised to find fishballs in the bowl too. This is definitely the must order at Cha Thai for any spicy food lovers out there. Despite us ordering the tom yum soup with “normal” spiciness, this soup was served with such heat that would make us sweat and down more water to kill that fiery attack on the palate. Nevertheless, this is an enjoyable bowl of soup to order. I drank 3 servings of these. I like the complexity of flavours in the soup and how it captures the soul of how a good tom yum soup should be. In the midst of spiciness, there was sweetness and sourness that complemented each other so well that you can’t help but to reach for another serving despite the heat.
We ended our dinner with Golden Brown Toasted Cubes ($8) which comes with a choice of pandan or thai milk tea flavoured dip. We had the thai milk tea flavoured one which we like that strong distinct flavour of thai milk tea in the dip. The golden crusty toasted cubes were slightly salted with fluffy innards. Definitely a delightful way to end a meal (If you are not too full).
It has been a while since we enjoyed a good Thai dinner. It is a common consensus that all of the dishes served were outstanding except for the glutinous sticky rice that was served at the side of the Grilled Kurobuta Pork. Despite the slightly steep price tag, given the location, food quality and generous servings of the food, I am very sure we will be back in no time. Together with 2 bowls of rice and 3 beverages ordered, we spent about $130 but we felt it is worth every cent spent. So do give it a try and share with me how you feel about the food at Cha Thai. =)
Cha Thai
82 Telok Ayer St #01-01 Singapore 048467
Tel: +65 6636 3696
Operating Hours: Mon ~ Sat 11am to 10pm
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