Patara Fine Thai Cuisine has been in Singapore for 22 years and they have been at Tanglin Mall ever since they opened in Singapore.
If you are a fan of Thai Fine Cuisine, Patara should be familiar to you. I was recently invited to try out their new dishes. These new dishes are creations by Thai Iron Chef Mr Thanintorn Chantrawan (also known as Chef Noom) and head chef, Lisa Khamphuang.
Upon entry into Patara Singapore, I was greeted by a familiar lemongrass smell which I like.
We are here for Thai fine dining!
Some Thai Milk Tea first before the food comes out!
Note: The dishes we had below were just tasting portions
Our appetiser started with Chor Muang [S$20++]. It is a handcrafted flower dumpling with fillings of caramelised chicken, sweet turnip and peanut filling topped with coconut cream. The dumpling skin is dyed with butterfly pea hence the purple colour. It is hard to find this even in Thailand because of the amount of work needed to make it into a flower shape.
Portia Ped [S$18++]. This is also known as popiah or spring rolls, a Thai rendition of Peking Duck Wrap. The secret is in the filling where it is filled with shredded duck, leek, corn and five-spice served with herbed prune sauce. The dish left a deep impression and everybody loved it. The pickled cucumber was also very refreshing. I love this dish!
Koi Nua Hor Bai Cha Plu [S$18++]. Thai style minced beef tatare wrapped with betel nut leaf. To eat this you have to squeeze the lime over it, wrap it with the leaf before putting it into your mouth. I felt that it was a little too salty for me.
Gang Mala [S$30++]. Red curry with prawns and bittergourd. This was definitely the star since it was one of the main dish which goes well with rice. The prawns were fresh and the added bittergourd made this dish healthier. I don’t really take bittergourd but I must say that it worked well with the red curry. The red curry taste is quite strong so it covers the bitterness of the bittergourd. It is definitely still good even for those who don’t take bittergourd.
Khao Ob Maprao [S$7.50++] – Roasted coconut rice with smoked coconut water. This is not your typical rice or coconut rice. During our Q&A session with Chef Noom, he revealed that this was one of his favourite creations. The coconut is roasted so that it gives the coconut water a roasted flavour and removes the sourness. The rice is then put into the coconut husk and roasted. Lots of work for this roasted coconut rice!
Talay Prik Phao [S$32++] – Stir-fried mixed seafood with spicy Thai herbs. This is another good spicy dish to go with rice. The ingredients were fresh and this feels like eating a drier version of Tom Yum.
Nua Yang Jim Jaew [S$38++] – Grilled Australian 300 days grain-fed beef tenderloin served with spicy tamarind sauce. If you take beef, this is a must order! The tender beef was smoky and addictive with the spicy tamarind sauce.
Nua Toon Prik Sod [S$26++] – Stir-fried braised beef shin with fresh chilli and wild basil. The beef is marinated for three days before it is cooked. I felt that this dish might not be a favourite for some because the wild basil taste is present. If you can overcome that, do try this.
Red Ruby [S$13] – This is Patara’s best seller dessert and the chestnuts were so fresh and crunchy!
We had a short Q&A session with Thai Iron Chef Mr Thanintorn Chantrawan to hear about his future plans and his experiences working with well known chefs such as Gordon Ramsy.
Of course, I needed to have a picture with him! :)
[Singapore] Patara Fine Thai Cuisine
This was an invited media tasting. As always, all reviews and opinions are entirely my own.
