Gin Khao (Closed)

For picture and full review, pls visit:http://madamechewy.com/2015/09/01/gin-khao/Gin Khao, which literally means Eat Rice, is a casual restaurant located in East Coast Park that serves Thai Food. It’s interior is spacious, and ambience laid-back with homely and welcoming décor. The local company takes pride in using only the freshest ingredients, and even imports rice, garlic and sauces from Thailand for authenticity.We started the meal with the Tom Yum Talay ($12.80), a classic soup often used as a benchmark for Thai restaurants. While most other places use water as a base, Gin Khao uses chicken stock to provide sweet undertones. Fresh prawns, mussels and squid bathe in a spicy broth that awaken the senses which was thankfully, not overly numbingly spicy, hence went down the throat easily. If you prefer more “oomph”, just inform the waiter to increase the heat levels.Larb Moo ($7.80), a warmed minced pork salad with mint leaves, also comprises of diced onions and tomatoes for that that addictive crunchy texture. The little chilli padi bits certainly made its fiery presence known. This was too spicy for me, but hubby took it with no sweat.Seafood Green Curry ($12.80) with crunchy rice crackers were lovely, but it was Moo Yang($12.80) that left a deeper impression. Thinly sliced three-layered pork belly is grilled over charcoal for that alluring aroma. The delectable, tender meat is accompanied with a specially concocted sauce prepared with Thai green chilli, garlic, lime, fish sauce and a secret ingredient.Another unforgettable dish was the Kang Ob Woon Sen ($16.80), which is essentially juicy crayfish simmered in Thai garlic and pepper sauce in over high heat in a claypot. What shone in this dish, was the springy glass noodles, which soaked up the mouth-watering sauce well. It comes piping hot, so be careful when you dig in.Gin Khao’s Watermelon Fried Rice ($11.80) is a welcome change to the usual Pineapple fried rice available in most Thai restaurants. This satisfying staple, brightened up with refreshing cubes of freshly cut tropical fruit, should not be missed.Thai Tea Molten Lava Cake ($8.80) is not a common flavour but is undoutedly a befitting end to a Thai meal. The thai tea flavoured cake itself is moist, however its core of condense milk was not very flowy. You can choose from coconut, mango, palm sugar, tom yum (yes, tom yum!), chocolate, vanilla or lychee sorbet to accompany the lava cake.Beverage options at Gin Khao are aplenty, which comes in handy to douse the fire from tantalising spices. We tried Thai Ice Rose Milk Tea ($4.80) and Perrier with Honey & Lime($6.80). The former is delightful, without the heavy bitterness and acidity one would find in poorly prepared Thai teas.If you’re a fan of bold Thai flavours at wallet-friendly prices, Gin Khao is a good choice. Its comfortable, upbeat setting makes it a suitable venue for family meals and gatherings with friends. continue reading

Recently a new Thai restaurant is opened next to Burger King in East Coast Park. It is called Gin Khao กินข้าว which means to eat rice in thai language. Although there is already many restaurants selling thai food in Singapore, the chefs here use conventional and non-conventional herbs and ingredients to present a spectrum of contrasting flavors - sweet, sour and spiciness of varied degrees.The restaurant is decorated in a plain and simple way, which gives it a clean, sleek, industrial look that complements contemporary décor, which is often characterized by neutral color schemes, angular shapes, and the use of modern materials such as steel and glass.Before the meal, we get to try order from the DRINKS menu.THAI Ice Coffee with Coconut Juice ($4.80)(Chef's Recommendation)It actually tastes like coconut juice with a barely there hint of coffee in it. Very refreshing drink to have especially in this hot weather.Coconut Mojito ($6.80)(Chef's Recommendation)Next we are treated to various MAINS dishes.Prawn and Green Mango Relish ($7.80)(Chef's Recommendation)Served with THAI rice crackersThis is quite an appetizing starter. In one mouthful, I could feel the crunchy crispy cracker, the sweetness of the prawn and the tangy taste of the dressing, which is quite stimulating.Gai Tod HAD YAI ($7.80)Deep fried chicken in HAD YAI styleDeep fried strips of meat, topped with deep fried garlic, and served with a tangy chilli sauce. A rather addictive dish, which makes one wishs for some ice cold beer to go with it.Lard Moo ($7.80)Warm minced pork salad with mintAlthough I am not a fan of mint, I could barely taste mint in this savoury and yummy minced meat dish. I could have lots of this with just plain rice.TOM YUM Talay ($12.80)TOM YUM seafood soupAlthough it looks normal, the soup is quite tangy with lots of fresh seafood in it.Stir-Fried Squid with Runny Salted Egg ($14.80)(Chef's Recommendation)Pan-seared squids coated in savoury salted egg creamThis is the dish which everyone will sure to order when dining in this restaurant. Unlike the usual salted egg sotong which commonly used battered squid topped with salted egg sauce, here the squid is unbattered. This gives a chewy, sticky texture with the real salted egg taste in it.Ka Nah Phat Pla ($8.80)Stir-fried kai lan with oyster sauce and salted fishA simple green leafy vegetable with lots of meaty chunky salted fish in it, which adds flavours to the simple dish.Phat Neua ($13.80)Stir-fried spicy sliced beefAlthough it looks common, the thinly sliced beef has very tender texture, while soaking up the spicy and pepper flavours.Clams Steamed and Simmered in THAI Beer Broth ($12.80)(Chef's Recommendation)It smells very strong of alcohol when served. The broth is clear with just the fresh juicy black mussels in it, topped with some cilantro sprigs. One could feel the burning heat sensation of the alcohol as the broth flows down the throat. Super powerful. Si Bei Power Ah! Confirm not your usual soup!Kang Ob Woon Sen ($15.80)Fresh prawns simmered in THAI garlic and pepper sauceServed in a metal claypot, with well braised tang hoon and lots of garlic cloves underneath the prawns. Interestingly the garlic used here are in whole cloves, instead of minced garlic, which I feel have not bring out the true flavour of garlic. Oddly the tang hoon leaves behind a slightly sweet aftertaste. Although peppercorn is used in the dish, one could not feel its fiery taste.Lastly we are treated a range of desserts.Molten Lava Cake ($8.80)(Chef's Recommendation)(THAI Tea) or (Chocolate)Baked to perfection with a warm lava centre oozing out jaggery sauce with choice of gelatoWe have selected Thai Tea flavoured cake to be served with Vanilla gelato. Although the lava cake is served hot, there is no lava flow of its filling when cuts open. Inside it is filled with rich and thick condensed milk which barely flows. The cake itself is moist, soft and fluffly but one can barely taste the thai tea flavour in it. Mango with Black Sticky Rice ($6.80)(Tradition or Fusion)In replace of the usual sticky rice, the fusion version served here is made to have the dessert served with Sticky Rice gelato. The sticky rice gelato seems to be white glutinous rice mixed with vanilla gelato. However due to the cold tempurature, the rice harden and has a texture similar to uncooked rice.Green Curry Gelato with Sticky Rice ($8.80)Spice up your tongue with our green curry gelato on black glutinous riceThe green curry gelato gives a blast of the curry taste which shakes me up. The taste is slightly balance off with the slightly sweet sticky rice.Gelato ($3.00 Single scope/ $5.50 Double scope)Palm Sugar, TOM YUMFrom the first mouthful of TOM YUM gelato, I am hit with the full blast of the tom yum soup's spicy and sour taste, which soon follows by a slight salty aftertaste.The Palm Sugar gelato on the other hand has rich and creamy taste, which agrees with everyone's palate.Overall the meal has been a wonderful experience with a lot of unique dishes which I have never tried before and which one would not expect from a Thai restaurant. continue reading

Gin Khao is one of the newest addition to the F&B scene along East Coast Park joining Long Beach Seafood, Ju Shin Jung and the others. Gin Khao is yet another familiar phrase to me, when i first came across it during my OCIP trip, bringing back so much fond memories. It basically means ‘To Eat’ in Thai. It has a vintage hut looking appearance which open its door to a brightly lighted modernized rustic dinning corner with dining tables adequately spaced out.We decided to place our order for drinks first while waiting for the dinner to begin. Instead of the usual Thai iced milk tea, i decided to go for something different – Coconut Mojito ($6.80). I was pretty excited and looking forward to it, but it turns out to be quite a disappointment. The coconut taste though was thin due to the numerous ice cubes but somewhat was still overpowering which makes the drink seems to be lacking of the mojito flavor.Soon after, our dishes started to arrive one after another. First up was one of their Thai Street Delight – Prawn and Green Mango Relish served with Thai Rice Cracker ($7.80). The relish that was a little sourish with piquant sensation from bits of chilli padi is a total appetizer to whet ones’ appetite. It goes pretty well with the Thai Rice Cracker which was light and crispy.The intriguing flavors did not seems to stop at the appetizer, somehow the flavor begin to build up one on top of another. The tangy Tom Yum Talay ($12.80) was up next. First mouthful of soup brings about the sourish note followed by the picante note at the aftertaste. What you will need now probably is a bowl of rice to go with this tantalizing soup base filled with fresh succulent seafood.I find this Clams steamed and simmered in Thai Beer Broth ($12.80) quite an interesting dish. It’s more of a love or hate dish as it has an invasive strong taste of beer, so if you neither like beer nor alcohol, you probably will not take a liking for this dish. I myself was pretty surprise how strong the beer taste was and how it lingers around your taste buds for quite a while. I guess i still prefer my clams to be in white wine broth instead. Nevertheless, the mussels were really fresh, sweet and succulent!Gai Tod Had Yai ($7.80) – Deep fried golden chicken chunks with the fragrance from the toasted garlic topped with bonito flakes accompanied with sweet chilli sauce. Meaty yet not oily, makes it a good dish to go with a glass of beer.Stir Fried Squid with Runny Salted Egg ($14.80) was the gem for the night. The golden yellow runny sauce filled with bits and remnants of the salted egg coupled with it’s fragrance makes it such a delightful pairing with the soft squid. The dish has totally hit the right notes of taste, flavor and color!Another surprise find was this Ka Nah Phat Pla ($8.80) which is basically stir fry kai lan in oyster sauce with salted fish. Simple it may sound but tasted well beyond its looks. Thick gravy filled with the aroma of oyster sauce and flavors enhanced with the salted fish giving the veggie a stronger overall taste. Kailan was fresh, crisp and flavorful. A dish that was refreshing to the taste buds from all the other taste stimulating dishes.Phat Neua ($13.80), a plate of spicy stir fry slice beef. What attracted me most to the dish is none other than the smooth, tender and flavorful beef slices that have pretty much absorb all the gravy of the dish.Phat THAI Kung ($13.80) – wok fried tang hoon with fresh river prawns. Lavish servings of 5 big and fresh prawns on a bed of tang hoon. Tang hoon was first stir fried with various spices, herbs and their secret sauce and after which cooked with the prawns to absorb and lock in the essence. Good that the tang hoon has a wok hei flavor but it has an over-sweet aftertaste when i was expecting something more savory instead.After a round of hearty mains, it’s time for some mind-blowing and provocative desserts creations. First round was 2 scoops of ice cream – Palm Sugar and Tom Yum! Yes, you had it right, Tom Yum flavor! Tom Yum flavor may sounds a little shocking and heavy to many, and that’s pretty true. Instead of the usual sweet or light flavored ice cream,what we are having here is something a little salty, a little sour and a little spicy all concentrated into this tiny ball of ice cream. Palm sugar on the other hand is more manageable, sweet but not too overwhelming. Both scoops of ice cream melts pretty fast due to it being a little airy and icy.Green Curry Gelato with Sticky Rice ($8.80) & Mango with Black Sticky Rice ($6.80) are another two enthralling fusion style desserts served to us that night entailing the burst of different flavors. The green curry gelato resembles that of an actual bowl of green curry but at a milder tone. The black sticky rice on the other hand was rather appealing with the right texture to chew on. Unlike the usual white glutinous rice, this black sticky rice is a little more grainy and gives a better mouth feel. For Mango with Black Sticky Rice, there’s a choice of traditional or fusion and what you are seeing here, is the fusion version. Instead of the usual chunk of glutinous rice that accompany the mangoes, it has transformed into a ball of glutinous rice ice cream. But the glutinous rice ice cream has failed to entice me as the sticky rice that was mixed within the ice cream was a little too hard to chew on. I guess i will prefer the pairing of sweet mangoes to the black sticky rice instead!Last but not least was another different from the norm dessert – Thai Tea Molten Lava Cake ($8.80). The cake was moist and dense with subtle taste of thai tea. I was expecting thai tea lava to be oozing out but to my surprise, it was condensed milk instead. The condensed milk sweetens the overall taste of the lava cake but did little to bring out the taste of thai tea though. I find it special, but more could be done to perfect it!If you’re looking for traditional Thai food served with a twist and novelty, Gin Khao is the place for you!https://poohlovesfood.wordpress.com/2015/07/26/food-tasting-gin-khao/ continue reading