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2013-06-12
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We first noticed this Thai restaurant when we intended a visit to Tom's Palette, for 'Ah Loy' was located opposite, along a corridor at Shaw Leisure Gallery (within Shaw Tower). We were drawn particularly to the long queue of diners waiting patiently for their tables.Making a point to try it before we leave Singapore for UK, we rang up 'Ah Loy' at approximately 6pm to make a reservation, only to be told that they were no longer accepting any but walk-in customers would be welcomed. Thankfully th
Making a point to try it before we leave Singapore for UK, we rang up 'Ah Loy' at approximately 6pm to make a reservation, only to be told that they were no longer accepting any but walk-in customers would be welcomed.
Thankfully the restaurant was only half-filled when we arrived at about 6.40pm. After being shown to our table, we were handed a 'tear-off menu' for us to tick off our orders. We were then supposed to make our way to the counter to make payment before food gets prepared and sent to us. Personally I always preferred self-service more than having a waitress hovering around our table, giving us that 'pressured' feel. The prices listed were what you pay for, no hidden costs nor service charge were levied.
There were 2 parts to the restaurant, separated by a partition in the middle, effectively taking up 2 shop lots. The interior decoration was simple and pleasing to the eyes but nothing too fanciful to shout at.
While waiting for the food to come, we were served our drinks. The pink guava drink was too sweet for my liking and what repelled me most was the 'artificial' taste and colouring to the drink. I was expecting some fresh guava juice (or at least similar to Marigold's quality) only to be severely disappointed.
What it failed to deliver for the beverages was more than made up by the first dish served, Tom Yum soup. It would be a crime probably to visit a Thai restaurant and not try the Tom Yum soup, considering that it is ranked No. 4 last year on CNN GO - 'World's 50 Most Delicious Food'. The balance in flavours was certainly worth flattering, not to mention the generosity in ingredients, namely prawns, squid and abundance of herbs and spices to give the soup a solid punch of sour tinge and lingering spicy aftertaste. It was so good that I could not help but emptied the entire bowl! What was worth commenting too was that it was not MSG loaded, i.e. would not leave you sorely thirsty after the meal.
Another praise-worthy dish was the butter calamari rings. It was not overly cooked so the young calamari retained the firmness and chewiness. Texture was smooth and good, complimented by the crispy layer of batter. The best part was definitely the savoury flavoursome sauce that enhanced the fragrance of this dish. Coupled with some fresh coriander and the spice-rich marinade, this would certainly be a must try.
Next up was the mango crispy chicken. The accompanying sauce underlying the crispy fried chicken certainly made the meal very appetizing, tasting mildly sweet and sour at the same time. The sliced green mangoes were firm and offered a varied mouth feel to the very crispy chicken pieces. However, it seemed slightly overcooked for the meat was too 'stiff' and tasted dry. Otherwise it would have been perfect.
Sadly the starchy portions to our Thai meal were not as flattering as we had hoped it to be. The Pad Thai noodles were slightly too 'soft' (i.e. overcooked) for my liking, for personally I preferred a slightly firmer texture to my noodles. Despite the generosity with ingredients, especially with the prawns, the inherited flavours from tamarind and lime failed to deliver. It was not spicy at all and I would have preferred it better if the serving of crushed peanuts were more to offer that good crunch to complement the noodles.
The Pineapple Fried Rice was not what I had expected, i.e. the traditional way of serving it in a carved out pineapple. This was a simple dish of fried rice, rich with ingredients but sorely lacking the taste and fragrance expected that of a traditional Thai-style pineapple fried rice. The 'wok-fire' of the rice was good though, which went well with the dishes, sufficing perhaps a good plate of fried rice.As we were seated close to the front of the restaurant, we got pressured by the amounting queue of hungry diners to finish our meal fast. Nonetheless, it was a very pleasant Thai dining experience. Some hits and misses, but it was certainly value for money for the quantity and quality of food served. We would certainly revisit when we next return to Singapore, for the allure of tom yum and butter calamari rings beckons.
For more pictures, please visit us at http://www.makeyourcaloriescount.com/2012/03/sg-ah-loy-thai-at-shaw-towers.html
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