Update: Gin Khao have relocated to the following locations:
Gin Khao (One Raffles Place)
1 Raffles Place #04-29 One Raffles Place, Singapore 048616
Gin Khao Bistro (Sentosa Cove)
31 Ocean Way #01-12 Quayside Isle, Singapore 098375
A new Thai Restaurant has opened right in the heart of East Coast Park. Gin Khao (also known as “eat rice” in Thai), is just beside Long Beach Seafood and Burger King, if you are wondering which part of East Coast Park they are located.
It’s a casual Thai restaurant with a simple and nice interior. Although it’s simple, their creations here are not. They are actually quite bold and adventurous, especially with their desserts. Read on and you will understand why.
Prawn & Green Mango Relish [S$7.80] – I tried curries with thai rice crackers before and it’s really good! The version here is served with prawn and green mango relish instead. Being an appetiser, it will be lighter on your stomach. The prawn and green mango relish tasted similar and it’s a good alternative to Som Tam. How to eat this? It will actually require a little hand action. Put some prawn and mango relish on the rice crackers together with the sauces. Let it seep into the rice crackers and you are ready to eat. A nice mix of crunch and flavours in one mouth.
Larb Moo [S$7.80] – This warm minced pork salad with mint was really spicy and sweet. Another appetiser to consider if you want more meat. I would prefer the Larb flavour to be stronger though.
Gai Tod Had Yai [S$7.80] – Gai Tod is “Deep fried chicken” and this version comes fried with Thai Garlic. The chicken was easy to eat since there were no bones and the thai garlic gave this dish a dash of garlic flavour, which I felt could be stronger as it was quite mild for my taste buds. Perhaps majority of Singaporeans prefer a mild garlic flavour?
Moo Yang [S$12.80] – Moo Yang is thai grilled pork and the version here uses the pork belly. The smoky flavour on the pork was good and it was easy to chew. Remember to dip it with the seafood sauce provided for more flavours. I personally prefer Moo Yang using Pork Neck because of the texture it gives.
Stir-Fried Squid with Runny Salted Egg [S$14.80] – The squid here is imported from Japan as it gives a better bite and texture. This runny salted egg cream is so familiar to me because this is the kind of salted egg dish you get in Thailand. The cooking style is different from what you get in Singapore restaurants. This version is wet and it makes use of both the egg white and yolk to bring out the full flavour. If you want salted egg in thai style, this is it. And this dish is definitely a MUST ORDER!
Kang Ob Woon Sen [S$16.80] – Claypot vermicelli with juicy crayfish simmered in thai garlic and pepper sauce. This is definitely Instagram worthy because of the crayfish! This version is a little different from what I usually eat at Thai restaurants because it’s quite wet. Other places tend to be on the dry side but I like this version. It makes it easier to eat and while it’s still hot, it just shiok to have the vermicelli together with the wet sauce. Another MUST ORDER!
Cake of the month [S$7.80] – I believe this is what made Gin Khao so popular on Instagram. This is their Thai Flag cake with hints of lemongrass. On the top, you actually have coconut and almond bits and in between each layer is actually lemongrass cream. An interesting and new flavour for me but please share this cake because it’s very filling.
Mango with Black Sticky Rice [S$6.80] – This is not your normal sticky rice. Gin Khao uses Black Glutinous Rice and it actually gives a better texture as compared to the normal white sticky rice you find in Singapore. At least, this version you don’t get lumpy bits of the rice. This black glutinous rice reminds me of road trip out of Bangkok to Pattaya where we would just stop by the road to get bamboo sticky rice and the black glutinous rice tasted exactly the same! You should really try this!
Thai Tea Molten Lava Cake [S$8.80] – This is definitely the best seller here with the younger generation. Who doesn’t love taking video of the lava oozing out from the centre. You have a choice of Thai Tea or Chocolate flavour and the warm lava centre is actually white chocolate for the thai tea cake. A pity that the white chocolate in my cake did not flow out. But nevertheless, it was still very delicious. The cake had a nice Thai Tea flavour to it. You have a choice of gelato and for me I chose Sticky Rice Gelato which had nice little bits of sticky rice in it.
If you are more adventurous, you can try their Tom Yum and Green Curry Ice Cream. It’s really interesting as it’s spicy, saltish and tasted exactly like its namesake. However, I still prefer my ice cream to be sweet.
Thai Ice Rose Milk Tea [S$4.80]
Coconut Mojito [S$6.80] – Coconut Water with Mint leaves (without the alcohol). Interesting combination.
The food at Gin Khao is generally quite good even though some of their dishes come with a twist for novelty. There are also some dishes that gave that “WOW” factor and if you have stomach space left, do try their desserts!
