Merlion Wayfarer's Walking Singapore: Thai

Showing posts with label Thai. Show all posts

PastaMania’s Fusion Spicy Creamy Otak-Otak & Thai Style Aglio Seafood Dishes

9:26 PM European, Food, Fusion, Italian, Malaysian, Thai

SINGAPORE, July 2018 – In a city of contrasts where culinary adventures await at every turn, adventure seekers and foodies alike can gear up for a whirlwind of thrills as PastaMania launches two new dishes, Spicy Creamy Otak-Otak and Thai Style Aglio Seafood. Inspired by the exotic flavours of Southeast Asia, the mouth-watering concoctions delve into Penang’s fiery spices and the rich, piquant flavours of Thailand, tantalizing the taste buds with a kaleidoscope of flavours.

"We are very excited to introduce the award-winning dishes from this year’s Chef Creations Challenge to our menu."

--- Roy Chua, Head Chef, Product Development and QA of PastaMania ---

Synonymous with PastaMania’s fusion menu, the Spicy Creamy Otak-Otak and Thai Style Aglio Seafood trace back to the origins of Italian and Asian cuisine, blending in a perfect fusion that transcends traditional culinary borders. Innovatively created by Chef Luth and Mu Yang, the East-meets-West dishes are a unique amalgamation of modern techniques and creativity using all-time seafood classics - stealing the spotlight at the Seafood Fusion-themed annual Chef Creations Challenge 2018, with a medley of flavours brimming with cultural diversity.

The spread of aromatic ingredients that goes into each pasta dish...

Taking the menu to new heights with a taste of nostalgia, the Spicy Creamy Otak-Otak is a savoury treat to the palate. Tossed in a velvety-smooth cream sauce, the al dente pasta sends a burst of smoky-fish flavour before sweet notes of coconut milk and the spicy, garlicky flavour of belacan (spicy dried shrimp paste) enter the fray on the back-palate.

Inspired by the classic Pad Thai recipe, the Thai Style Aglio Seafood captures the vibrant flavours of Thailand in a host of condiments - fish sauce, tamarind paste and basil leaves - giving the Italian classic a refreshing lift. Topped with generous chunks of seafood and crispy bacon bits, the dish packs a flavourful punch.

"We pride ourselves on creating innovative dishes with wholesome ingredients, and the Spicy Creamy Otak-Otak by Chef Luth, representative from PastaMania at FairPrice Hub, and Thai Style Aglio Seafood by Mu Yang, representative from PastaMania at Causeway Point, are a fitting tribute to PastaMania’s contemporary take on classic Italian recipes."

--- Roy Chua ---

Organized by PastaMania, the annual Chef Creations challenge invites representatives from their outlets in Singapore to create a new dish according to a theme. This year, the Seafood Fusion-themed challenge received a submission of 24 recipes and six chefs were selected for the final challenge. The challenge was judged and scored by a panel of five judges - Jeremy Cheok, Chef and Co-founder of Garang Grill by New Ubin Seafood; Bruno Gillet, Chef and Production Manager at Kuhlbarra; Roy Chua, Head Chef, Product Development and QA of PastaMania; and two customers from PastaMania. Watch the six chefs battle in the final round of cookout, with their Seafood Fusion creations to a panel of five judges here.

Chef Mu Yang cooking the Thai Style Aglio Seafood Pasta with his special blended sauce...

Chef Luth scoured several markets to find the most delicious otak for his Spicy Creamy Otak-Otak Pasta...

Customers can look forward to the two new dishes of Spicy Creamy Otak-Otak and Thai Style Aglio Seafood, now available at all PastaMania outlets.

Price is $13.90 a la carte. There will be a $1 discount when customers order through the COMMONS Sg app using promo code ‘CC1OFF’.

COMMONS Sg is available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It allows customers to order and make payment directly through the app, removing the need for customers to wait in queue. Plus, one can earn 10% rebates on their net bill and rebates can be redeemed to offset their next bill.

About PastaMania

PastaMania is the largest Italian casual dining chain in Singapore with over 50 stores in eight countries. Established in 1998, the brand offers affordable authentic Italian cuisine with remarkable ambient modelled after the Italian piazza concept. In PastaMania, only “in-house PastaMania” brand of whole-peeled Roma tomatoes from Italy are approved and used worldwide. PastaMania farms and produces their tomato sauce in the northern part of Italy; and before shipping out for consumption, go through an intensive quality control process to assure product quality. PastaMania is committed to serving fresh and quality ingredients, while making it available and accessible every day to everyone.

Headquartered in Singapore, PastaMania also has a presence in Malaysia, China, Brunei, Kuwait, Myanmar, United Arab Emirates and Egypt. PastaMania has won numerous accolades, including ‘Franchisor of the Year’ and ‘That’s Shanghai Best Italian Casual Dining Restaurant Award’ just to name a few. PastaMania is part of Commonwealth Retail Concepts Pte Ltd whose wholly owned brands also include Swissbake, Kraftwich by Swissbake, Zac Butchery, portopantry and Commons. For more information, visit: www.pastamania.com.sg.

PastaMania is available on delivery at www.pastamaniadelivery.sg and all delivery food app providers (Deliveroo, FoodPanda, GrabFood, Honest Bee).

Bangkok Jam - Misleading Promotion, Unpleasant Staff

9:50 AM Central, Food, Marina Bay, South, South East Asian, Thai

Marina Square

Marina Bay, Singapore

09 February 2015

It was some time since we stepped into the Marina Square mall. Due to the renovation, there were few shoppers. The aircon was freezing cold. Despite the very attractive promotions, many of the shops and restaurants had few visitors.

Feeling a need for steaming hot food after some shopping, we opted for Bangkok Jam. Opened by Creative Eateries, this restaurant is located at the Level 2 dining zone near the Marina Mandarin exit.

This poster was what attracted our attention at dinnertime:

DINNER SPECIAL

50% off second main course

Hesitant about such claims, we clarified with the restaurant staff (lady in black uniform with long rebonded hair) that all the items under "Thai Classic Noodles", " Exotic Spaghetti" and "Aromatic Rice" were included. She even ran her finger down the column to indicate the coverage of the promotion.

Agreeable, the order was made. For a review of the food, refer to "Mini Portions, Intense Flavours".

When it came to the payment, we were shocked to discover the promotion was not extended to us. We queried on this, and were told that the items we ordered were not included in the promotion.

We were shocked. The long-haired lady in black was the same one that welcomed us at the entrance and later, took our order. We were positive that she knew that we were ordering based on the promotion. We tried to call her to verify with her, but she ignored us, being more interested to stay behind the bar counter to handle other tasks.

We had no choice but to contend with the cashier (lady in brown with long hair and spects). She did not seem to understand what we were saying and kept repeating that the promotion included only "fried rice" among the "Aromatic Rice" options.

Thinking that we had misread the Terms and Conditions of the promotion, we double checked the poster. These were the exact words:

"Main Courses applicable to Thai Classic Noodles, Exotic Spaghettis and Aromatic Rice"
[Yes, we had ordered 2 different Aromatic Rice dishes.]
"Promotion only available at selected outlets"
[Yes, this promotion is definitely available at this outlet.]

There was no mention that it was limited to any dishes. Among the list of dishes that the cashier had included as part of the promotion, some were also not featured in the poster. So why is it that the two dishes we ordered were excluded?

As we were leaving the manager came out and said "不好意思" and that she could not do anything, as it was part of company policy.

We are very upset by this experience - the promotion is misleading, the staff are unpleasant and unprofessional, and the food portions are small.

Afternote

Creative Eateries has responded promptly to this incident with an apology and has taken the necessary corrective action, including feedback to the staff at the Marina Square branch.

Bangkok Jam - Mini Portions, Intense Flavours

9:49 AM Central, Food, Marina Bay, South, South East Asian, Thai

Marina Square

Marina Bay, Singapore

09 February 2015

Attracted by this poster, we were drawn into the Marina Square outlet of Bangkok Jam.

To know more about the false claims in this poster,

see "Misleading Promotion, Unpleasant Staff".

Our orders came within 10 minutes.

This was the Basil Rice with Beef option. Part of the "Aromatic Rice" options, it comes with an egg and is priced at $13.90 (excluding GST and service charge).

Infused with small chili padi and a thick sweet sauce, the flavours for this dish were intense, although a tad salty. The beef was tender and not overcooked, resulting in a pleasant palate. However, the egg was dripping with oil and dark at the edges, indicating the use of old oil to fry it.

This was the Green Curry Seafood with Rice, part of the "Aromatic Rice" list. Priced at $11.90 (excluding GST and service charge) for the Chicken version, a top-up of an additional $2 is required for the Seafood version, i.e. $13.90.

The Rice was a regular sized portion, about fist-sized. On the white plate, the pickled vegetables looked really sparse - with a thin strip of cucumber, some cauliflower and a single slice of carrot. The curry was really mini. Here's the size compared to the spoon that was part of the cutlery set provided with the meal.

As it can be seen from this angle, the width of the pot was barely bigger than the small head of cauliflower and could not even accommodate the spoon provided. With a price of $13.90, it was hardly any value for the price.

The curry was thick and aromatic. However, there was a sweet aftertaste, indicating the use of excessive sweetener, which did not taste natural. Despite the small size, the portions of seafood were somewhat adequate with 2-3 pieces each of cuttlefish, shrimps and fish slices.

All-in-all, it was a meal which was not worth its price, especially with the staff's unpleasant responses to the promotion. (See "Misleading Promotion, Unpleasant Staff")

Thai Sweetness & Spiciness

2:57 AM East, Food, South East Asian, Thai

Sakon Thai
Jalan Wangi
MacPherson, Singapore
August 2012

Tucked away in a private housing estate, Sakon Thai is a Thai-theme restaurant with both indoor and outdoor sheltered seats. There is a wide variety of Thai dishes - from noodles, soups, rice to desserts and beverages.

This Honey Chicken was the first to come. Honey is not a easy ingredient to use in cooking. Pour it in too early and it gets burnt easily. Pour it in too late, and the taste does not soak into the meat. The chicken skin was lightly crispy, yet the dish was doused with a healthy sheen due to the richness of the honey....

What's Thai food with the staple Tom Yum Soup? There are two versions here - red or clear. The Tom Yum is strong enough to zap up your nose and zing your ears!

For a taste of healthy carbohydrate infusion, try the Olive Rice...

Balancing a meal requires some vegetables. For a variety of greens, try this Mixed Vegetables. Unlike the oily zichar version, it was so crunchy and fragrant with the fried garlic bits that Merlion Wayfarer nearly ordered another serving...

To balance off the tasty dishes, it was time to order something sweet. What's better than the Thai Glutinous Rice topped with Durian and the Mango version? The Durian version was a bit mild and more expensive at $6 per portion, but the Mango version was just right at $4 with the right amount of coconut milk and fragrant honey mango. Slurp!

The full album is available at:Merlion Wayfarer's Picasa (Food - Thai)

Cosy Thai Diner In A Housing Estate

2:42 AM Food, North East, South East Asian, Thai

Sakon Thai

Jalan Wangi
MacPherson, Singapore
August 2012

Merlion Wayfarer has just spent her morning climbing hills and decided to top up her calories with some flavourful Thai food.

Hidden in a little side road in a housing estate, Sakon Thai is a cosy non-airconditioned restaurant with multi-national comprising of Singaporean/Malaysian Chinese, Filipino and China Chinese. The place can get a little humid and stuffy at times, but the food is mouthwateringly-delicious...

Starting off lunch with an aromatic minced meatball soup boiled to perfect tenderness...