Video
Read full review
2009-01-01
6 views
There is always SOMETHING wrong with Thai food -- too tart on the lime juice, too much heat in the chilies, and too salty in everything else. The lightness and freshness within the popular cuisine has been lost through 'tuning up' to locals' palates. It's not a good thing, it's like fusion food took a wrong turn. I couldn't say Red Chili has authentic Thai food, but at the very least, I didn't have the same awful experiences I've had recently in two other joints. I found the location rather conv
Location and seating aside, Red Chili has an open ambience to it, so casual and unpretentious of it all. The wooden window and mirrors decorations and the other wall-painting of Thai sculptures offer an ethnic accent to the entire place. The menu was extensive and easy to read, with plenty of pictures featured in it. During the week set lunches are available, pricing below $50 you will get a bowlful of noodle soup or plate of featured rice (say, Hainanese Chicken) and a complimentary beverage. We had Hainanese Chicken with an iced "bel fruit tea" while the other a Lemongrass Pork Chop with Rice and iced hibiscus tea ($38). We also ordered an order of Deep Fried Shrimp Cakes ($30). The chicken was tender and moist, with a good flavour on the rice as well, accompanied by the lightest flavoring with pandanus, lemongrass and lime. The porkchop was deep fried after marinated in lemongrass and a blend of herbs, served piping hot and cut into strips. Not to miss out the dipping sauce is oil-based homemade dipping sauce made with a handful of dried chilies, palm sugar, lemongrass and dried shrimps. The rice was fluffy and vegetables were green and sweet to the core. The shrimp cakes, 4 pieces per order, were rather dense and white throughout with laces of coral colour throughout. It tasted fresh without the sweet chili dipping sauce. An accompanying beverage of iced hibiscus tea was served, the colour of purest puce, with a taste most resembled a sweeter version of the blackcurrant drink we mix up at home, but with a decided tang to it.
The signature "Tom Yum Soup Noodle Soup with Prawns" ($48) was also good. Served in a white soup bowl, the soup spread the aroma of lemongrass, red chilies and a whiff of coriander leaves. The soup itself was milky with an orange glow of oil floating on the top. The noodles were of the thinner rice quality. Green Papaya Salad ($38) was a heaped portion of julienned green papaya, tossed with a tart dressing made primarily with fish sauce, lime juice and for a texture, roasted peanuts and toasted dried shrimps chopped up blended in with small bits of green beans and a few cherry tomatoes.
Fish Cakes (4 pcs, $25) are chewy and piping hot, with a fragrant aroma of thin strips of kaffir lime leaves blended in throughout. Coriander leaves were also in the mix. This herb and fish combination is common in Thai cuisine and certainly working very well in this dish. We had Glutinous Rice with Mango ($38) for dessert. A heart shape of glutinous rice, half white, half dark variety, and half a ripe mango served on the side, with a thick jacket of coconut sauce on the top. The coconut sauce provided a perfect foil to the rice but I would prefer it a little cooler (temperature wise) and the dark glutinous rice to be softer. The mango, on the other hand, was flawlessly ripe and sweet as honey.
Having the courage to try Thai food in CWB again is something new, and more encouraging for me to pay a second visit and possibly more in the future. I realized that Red Chili can easily become a popular place among CWB dwellers. My only hope is that the establishment will continue to serve up quality food, and not to be affected with the comeback of the cuisine that emphasizes on "freshness" and "clean flavours".
Post
