July 07, 2014

Thai Village Restaurant @ Singapore Indoor Stadium ~ The Place To Go For Crab Vermicelli!



It has been many many years since I had a meal at Thai Village Restaurant, and the food is still as good!

Thai Village Restaurant (泰国村酒楼) is no stranger to the local culinary scene, having served consistently good quality Thai-Teochew Cuisine in Singapore for the last two decades since 1991. The move from their old premises at Kallang Leisure Park saw them now helming a simply decorated yet elegant space at Singapore Indoor Stadium, with much of the regulars still following them faithfully for their many tried and trusted delicious dishes. Besides the 3 outlets in Singapore (Indoor Stadium, Goodwood Park Hotel and Jurong), their presence is also successfully established overseas in China, Vietnam and Indonesia.


Synonymous with serving shark's fin soup back in their early days, Thai Village's Shark's Fin with Crab Meat ($65/$98/$130) is still perceived to be a delicacy today among fans who love its rich flavorful broth and premium caudal (tail) fins used. Issues on sustainability has greatly lessen the demand for this dish and impacted the business, but Thai Village has much much more than this to offer. Really.

For instance, the one dish that would draw me back to Thai Village again and again would be their Baked Crabs with Vermicelli ($36/$54/$72). It was exactly how I remembered it, the translucent threads of mung bean vermicelli absorbed the ambrosial braising sauce and sweetness of the Sri Lanka crabs exceedingly well, and was beautifully cooked to a perfect springy bite. Pairing it with the green chilli which is finely minced to a spicy dip propelled it to another addictive dimension. Shiok lah!


Most dishes such as Baked Thai-style Cod Fish ($30/$45/$60) and Braised Duck Web ($20) are served in the same mini-pot they're cooked in to better retain the heat and ensure minimum loss of flavors. You can see that the cod fish was prepared with a medley of garlic, ginger, spring onions, dark sauce for that delicate aroma, gently enveloping each smooth creamy mouthfeel of the fatty fish.

We almost did not order the duck web, but decided to give it a try since it's highly recommended as one of their specialties. Not much of a looker when served, but its lip-smacking taste and texture soon blown all of us at the table away. Sucking each bit of the luscious brown soft gelatinous skin off its bones was a total joy, I imagined getting my daily dose of collagen from this dish already. Beautiful! (both the dish and me! Haha!!!)


Besides perennial favorites such as Basil Sauce Prawns ($20/$30/$40), Salt Baked Chicken Drumsticks ($16/$24/$32) and Deep Fried Beancurd with Breadcrumbs ($12/$18/$24), Thai Village has also recently introduced premium beef which is getting increasingly popular, to the menu. Our platter of Wagyu Beef ($88/$132/$176) with mushrooms was stir-fried to an enjoyable doneness, fatty and still wonderfully juicy to bite.

For you who find a meal incomplete without a carbs dish, the Seafood Fried Rice ($16/$24/$32) and Abalone Rice ($33) will serve to fill in this void. While the fried rice came with generous chunks of seafood such as prawns, crab meat and crab roe, it was the abalone rice that reached the epitome of simple yet luxurious bliss with indulgent slices of Argentina abalone and plump Shiitake mushrooms in a sweet-savory gravy over fragrant white rice. I called it the 'atas mui fan' (upgraded version of local zhi char dish of ingredients cooked in gravy over rice). Totally delish!


All the desserts we had were ordinary, yet executed to extra-ordinariness! The Mango Pudding ($4) used only fresh mangoes, the real taste is evident in every spoonful (none of that fake essence flavour). Yam Paste with Ginko Nuts ($5), a classic Teochew dessert, also won us over with its smooth texture and yam flavour, even without the traditional use of lard for enhancement. Double-boiled Hashima ($12) was a great refreshing end to it all.

Prices may be a tad on the higher end but I guess the premium ingredients used put a justification on that. Besides, all the dishes we tried were very good, non-gimmicky and down-to-earth, which really allowed the quality to shine through. Definitely worth a visit especially during special gatherings and family celebrations.


Thai Village Restaurant
Website: http://www.thaivillagerestaurant.com.sg/

Outlets
Singapore Indoor Stadium
Address: 2 Stadium Walk, #01-02/03 Singapore Indoor Stadium (Carpark L), Singapore 397691
Contact: +65 6440 2292
Opening Hours: Daily 11.30am-2.30pm & 6.00pm-10.00pm

Goodwood Park
Address: 22 Scotts Road, Goodwood Park Hotel, Singapore 228221
Contact: +65 6440 8251
Opening Hours: Daily 11.30am-2.30pm & 6.00pm-10.00pm

Jurong
Address:19 Yung Ho Road, Singapore 618592
Contact: +65 6268 3885
Opening Hours: Daily 11.30am-2.30pm & 6.00pm-10.00pm

All prices are subject to 10% service charge and prevailing GST.


2 comments:

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  2. My wife would love this Singapore restaurant. She loves lobster and crab.

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