Thanying Restaurant

It was easy to decide what to have for lunch yesterday. It had to be something that goes well with rice. The last rice meal I had was the Nasi Padang lunch on Tuesday. To last from Tuesday afternoon till Sunday afternoon without rice is not easy for me. Not that I was in any way deprived, because I was eating other good things too, like sumiyaki at Shun Juu, breads fixes at Cedele and terrific tandoori at Andhra Spices. Hmm, there was also that carb-free dinner of cabbage wrapped around steamed chicken and cauliflower, very dreary that was. The thing is, my body needs rice at least 2 times a week, otherwise I will get very cranky. Rice is the perfect starch choice for spicy food, and since this week we've already had Malay and Indian, the next obvious candidate must be Thai.

I don't usually eat Thai food because I don't know any place that does it well. It is always very hit and miss, and in the end, we usually end up at either Thanying or YingThai which to me represent the best of the whole sorry bunch ( like they say in Singapore Idol). But our last dinner at YingThai was very lacklustre, so that left Thanying, which specialises in Royal Thai cooking. Royal Thai food, as I understand it, is more refined and the recipes are more complicated and/or extravagant than the usual Thai fare. I don't seriously believe what I've been eating at Thanying qualifies as Royal, but the food is in general, better than most other Thai restaurants here. They've been around for about a decade, and have a track record for decent cooking. The royal tag also guaranteed that the bill will be equally royal. Thanying easily qualifies as the most expensive Thai restaurant in Singapore. Our bill for lunch for two people, at the Amara hotel outlet, of mango salad, fish maw soup, tom yam soup, spicy prawns, red roast duck curry, rice and dessert (no drinks) came up to a kingly $113 after taxes, and seasoned eater-out that I am, the bill still managed to surprise me. There, gripe over, we now move on to the food.

A good start. The fish maw soup is my favourite version in Singapore and Malaysia; they piled on the fish maw and crabmeat and go easy on the starch and the soup stock was very robust and flavourful.

The prawns cooked in a dreamy creamy messy spicy gravy is also another old favourite, satisfying the old rice-buds. See what I mean about my sceptiscm that here we were getting the real deal on the 'royal cuisine' part, the presentation of this dish cannot make it ( local phrase to mean that something is not up to par).

The other dishes didn't come out too well. The roast duck in red curry had an off-taste perhaps from over-handling of the coconut milk. The mango salad was lacking in taste dimensions, it was mostly sweet and salty with a little nuttiness from the toasted coconut. No tang, no heat. Seems to me the cooking at Thanying has been toned down a lot, especially the heat level, I remember my tongue burning in agony from previous visits and really missed this sensation yesterday. I was not looking for pain per se, but expect my Thai food to be more exciting, the flavours and tastes to be more pronounced and balanced. Instead, I got the impression that the standard of cooking here has gone down a few notches. They were impressive in their first few years, now I would rate them as just acceptable.

But no matter, it all sorts itself out in the end. Most people look forward to eating at Thanying for one very good reason, and that is their dessert buffet ($7 per person). Custards, steamed tapioca, candied banana, tar-ko, agar-agars and the sweetest fruits of the season make up a beautiful spread and provides a delightful finish to the meal. I couldn't exactly make out what the sweets were made up of, but it was mostly enjoyable. My favourite was the one in the centre, the custard was light, moist and pleasantly eggy with a caramelly tone. Perhaps at my next visit, I could just eat the desserts.

Thanying
175 Tanjong Pagar Rd. Amara Hotel 2F
2622 4688

Comments

[andrew]

There's a not-bad thai restaurant on purvis st., a few shops up from garibaldi and for the life of me I cannot remember its name... one thai? It's open air and has tiled walls, and glass-top tables; not too expensive either. Their tom yam kung isn't fantastic but their other stuff is.

[Catherine]

Woohoo, a Singaporean food blogger :) I'm studying here for a semester, and I'll watch your blog from now on :)

[Catherine]

Woohoo, a Singaporean food blogger :) I'm studying here for a semester, and I'll watch your blog from now on :)

[Shirley]

Hi Umami,
Have you tried Patara at Raffles City or Paddyfields? I find that they are ok. I personally have not been to the two you mentioned but I've heard good things about Thanying.

[umami]

Thanks Andrew, we'll give it a try someday.

Welcome Catherine :)

Hi Shirley, I have not tried Patara. But I pass by the one at Tanglin Mall every Saturday when I go for my quilting class. Hmm...

[Gim]

oh patara at tanglin mall is pretty gd.. but personally i still like thanying at amara. if anyone here is even thinking of trying other thanying outlets such as the one in taka - dont. the tomyam is so sour its actually bitter... and this is coming for someone who LOVES tomyam btw :P

http://www.businesstravellerindia.com/200501/gourmetcorner02.shtml

is it my imagination or did they plagiarise your blog entry?? was surfing for reviews on thanying when i found this, and thought you should know.