KHA: Soothing modern Thai cuisine on No. 38
Vampires like cool, dark sun-forsaken places. So do I. But dark shadowy areas can sometimes be such a bore (without the right props); this one isn’t. KHA, tucked away in Martin Road No. 38, is a very cleverly lit space. It’s sheltered from the scorching sun, with a basement feel about it. Its shadowy interiors and dark wooden furniture are brought to life, contrasted with beautiful conversation pieces and enamel vases. The only windows in this restaurant provides a view of bamboo plants and nothing else, locking out the rest of the world and leaving you only a tranquility and quiet restfulness. Something about the textures of Kha’s interior makes you feel like you’ve been instantly transported to a fancy schmanshy restaurant of a private resort and yet as welcome and at home as you would be in the living room of a close friend. I really appreciated the menus which were printed as an archived Thai newspaper on browned paper. The design, typography and uniqueness of such an idea surely wasn’t lost on me.
And of course, neither was the food – which was beautiful, immaculate, an exotic explosion of colours and flavours, a real spectacular display of Thai cuisine. It helped that the inviting interiors of Kha were cloaked in a seductive shadow creating a romantic candlelight ambience whilst the plates on your table were slyly shone a spotlight from the snazzy lights above. The food took centrestage really, and everything else appeared but an effortless afterthought. It was a thoroughly delicious and satisfying meal, which left me a little breathless but dessert picked me right up and obviously hit the g-spot well and good. Instantly, I had favourites. The tom yum soup was just gorgeous and extremely comforting for me (I wasn’t feeling that up to scratch in fact I felt as though I was on the verge of destruction with only myself to blame); the prawn & crab cakes were light, refreshing, citrusy and had a lovely crunch against the melting softness of its insides; the desserts were to-die-for and prettily presented (and flavoured – I mean there were FLOWERS in the red ruby). Even the regular mineral still water was delicately flavoured with lemongrass. That’s beaute, dedication and everything which makes a real foodist’s heart flutter!
But lemme really talk about the food (with pictures to show for it).
I was sipping a watermelon juice quite happily waiting for the real queen of drinks to turn up – the pomegranate mocktail – known quite glamorously by the name Ruby Starlet (now you mustn’t mind that it has a real burlesque dancer feel to it). This is Kha’s maroony red signature mocktail with pomegranate, fresh mint leaves, lychee juice and fresh lime juice. It’s a little on the sweet side, but if you’ve a sweet tooth then you’re sorted. Thoroughly refreshing.
Then came the appetizers, hefty, delicious and a force to be reckoned with.
Appetizers
Papa Adun’s Phad Tow Hu – a crispy fried tofu with crispy basil and three flavoured sauce. Light and creamy tofu encased in a paper thin crispy crust which had a sweet savoury flavour quite similar to that of Indonesian fried chicken.
Tod Man Poo – Thai Crab & Prawn Cakes served with green mango salad, yoghurt and sweet chili. This was a real favourite of mine since crab cakes are something I really adore and it was interesting to taste a Thai rendition of this classic. The sweet chili went really well with the smooth sweet taste of crab and prawn. Nice touch on the yoghurt as I’m not a fan of mayonnaise which restaurants so love to pair with crab cakes.
Yam Nua Wagyu – grilled red curry rubbed wagyu beef with papaya salad, yoghurt & chili jam. Like red curry? You’ll love this which goes terribly well with the richness of the wagyu. So tender the whole thing just melts in your mouth once you bite into it. They’re extremely generous with the yoghurt and chili jam here but it isn’t too spicy. The jam would go so well in a salad or just on a cracker.
Crispy Whole Green Chili stuffed with Pork & Herbs with Malibu Chili Soy, Tom Yum, Honey Mustard dipping sauces – In all honesty, I was a real pussy with this one. My reaction when the plate was placed before us, ‘Oh, I don’t eat chilis really and definitely not whole green ones.’ My fear was for naught. The chili seeds have been removed and replaced with a fragrant herbed pork. The chefs obviously do a little surgery thingy on the chilis, seal ‘em back up and then deep fry them in a deliciously flavoured batter. Light like tempura. The three dipping sauces were quite something and so very creative. I liked the tom yum dip. The Malibu chili soy had a real impact in every sense of the word. Careful, it’s bleedin’ hot, like a lady in a red dress.
Tom Yum Goong – soup is always comforting but even within the world of soups there is a hierarchy with my mumma’s herbal soups being at the top, carrot coriander and anything with churned butternut coming way close at second, homemade miso varieties at third, kimchi jjigae kinda tied actually, fish steamboat soups or hotpots coming close after…I mean there’s lots. And of course Vietnamese pho broth. And then I forget that somewhere out there, a tom yum soup is demanding to be acknowledged. I acknowledged, and bowed down. This is one humbling experience. A cacophony of flavours all captured within a bowl – sweet, savoury, citrusy, spicy, sour, taste of the sea, zing of lemongrass. There’s so much going on in here with different bits shrieking for attention, shouting and pulling at your tastebuds but at the same time the warmth and spice of the soup tugs at my heartstrings and breathes life (or fire) into the hearth of my chest. It wouldn’t go away even after I was done with this soup, like a clingy girlfriend or a burning tattoo freshly inked onto tender skin. Yea. It was soooo sick I wanted more.
Main Courses
Gaem Sam Yang – 3 Signature Curries: Penang Beef Curry, Green Chicken Curry, Red Vegetable Curry – The penang beef curry was quite chicly presented. Red vegetable curry very rich and creamy but maybe not so much my kind of thing. The Thai Green Curry? Winner. Enough said.
Red Vegetable Curry
Green Thai Chicken
Penang Beef Curry
Pha Yang Bai Tong – Chargrilled Seabass with Lemongrass in Banana Leaf and Dill Chili Sauce This was a real stunning dish. Maybe it’s cause my poppa loves fish and I am a pescetarian myself but this was really good and had the soft flake-away melt-in-your-mouth texture as steamed fish dishes normally do (and this wasn’t even steamed!). The lemongrass marinade on the fish skin was a nice touch although I couldn’t quite grab any banana leaf fragrance from this. Nonetheless, the dill chili dip was amazing in a violent way. Think wasabi. Wasabi’s perfect with raw fish. Dill is perfect with fish, whichever way. So really…this is >> Genius, fiery and so unexpected. (If you’re thinking of a steamed seabass with Thai flavours quite similar to this, Westlake Restaurant does a pretty snazzy one too)
Pad Thai Noodles – Delicious of course (tasted similar to mee goreng noodles) but not quite what I was expecting. This was a little too sweet for my liking not that it was bad at all but not the pad thai I have usually eaten at other restaurants. But to be fair, I’ve never had pad thai in Singapore so this was fun.
Desserts
Thap Thim Krwap aka Red Ruby – red rubies, coconut jasmine syrup, shaved ice and real jasmine flowers to boot (don’t eat them though!). A childhood favourite of mine because I used to think I was eating real rubies but they’re red coloured starch-covered bits of water chestnuts.
Khao Neaw Ma Muang – Mango with Sticky Rice and Pandan Coconut Cream A Thai favourite and classic, jazzed up with a minty green coloured pandan flavoured coconut cream. Love that coconut cream has a vanilla-y, almost savoury flavour and gives this dish real depth. Hmm, rephrase? Yea, coconut cream can expand your horizons people. Take that.
Sang Kha Ya Pug Thong – Pumpkin Custard with Coconut Ice Cream, shredded apples & strawberries and mango purée Blew.me.away. Really. I wasn’t expecting this pumpkin funny-looking thing to taste so good and rich like a cake, yet pretty light and wobbly in the mouth. Press a bite of it gently between tongue and roof of your mouth and all sorts of wonderful begin. The coconut ice cream impressed my dining partner. It was true to its taste, kinda like a real coconut bashed up into an ice cream maker with lots of coconut milk, a bit of sugar and nothing else. Nice. Simple, raw, uncomplicated food. In a sense. I really liked what I saw (and ate) on this plate.
So, after all that I was nearly reaching a state of food coma. Had to have tea to wash it all down and soothe a rapidly expanding stomach. This helped: Lemongrass Tea from Gryphon Teas. Fragrant and soothing, and it certainly helped bring on a wave of sleepiness.
Meal concluded. I was such a satisfied fat cat. All I wanted to do was lie down to die.
Anyway, remember I was banging on about the ambience and light in Kha? Well that’s not the only clever thing about Kha (and its food), its space is inspired by the industrial warehouse lofts in the big NYC and the big smoke (London) and it kinda does feel like that judging from my repertoire of warehouse partays (Shhh.A lot more civilised, sophisticated and less grunge and grimey of course). What’s more awesome, however, is that Kha is just a humble child of boisterous triplets – No. 38 Martin Road is where a 3-in-1 dining concept has been born. Here, you’ll find Kha, Provisions (all decked out with royal blue Smeg fridges and gourmet food for takeaway) and Graze which is apparently the shiz for brunches housed in the same block. Kha’s siblings interestingly are well-lit and decked out in lots of white walls and furniture. Bright, cheerful yet cheekily rustic. I’ll be visiting soon – the two chirpy siblings and the black sheep of the lot.
Curious? And curioser? Go check it out yourself.
Kha
No. 38 Martin Road
Singapore 239059
Tel. 6476 9000
Web. http://www.kha.sg
