Korat Thai Cafe

Our visit to Orchard Towers for a meal at Korat Thai Cafe came with a surprise, the entire building was bustling with life. Many patrons were already dining in, while others patiently waited in queue for their turn.

Korat Thai Cafe

Our meal kicked off with a plate of crispy chicken skin, golden and tantalizing. We eagerly picked up a piece, dipping it into the accompanying chili. The first bite was pure bliss, addictively crunchy and crackling good.

Crispy Chicken Skin

The Signature Crispy Omelette was impressive, large, golden, and delightfully crispy. That perfect crunch comes from deep-frying, meaning it does require quite a bit of oil, which might be a bit much for some. Nonetheless, it was absolutely worth the calories!

Signature Crispy Omelette  - $12.50

If you’re a fan of deep-fried meat, their garlic pepper pork is a must-try, flavorful, crispy, and downright delicious. It’s also one of the recommended dishes on the menu. You can opt for beef, chicken, or prawn as well, but the pork really hit the spot!

Deep Fried Garlic Pepper Pork - $13.50

The vegetable selection on the menu is limited to three options: spicy kang kong, mixed vegetables, and kai lan. However, you can choose to add meat like chicken, beef, or seafood. We opted for the mixed vegetables in its plain form, without any meat. I loved the medley of vegetables used, it felt simple yet comforting, reminiscent of a hearty home-cooked dish.

Mixed Vegetables

Tom Kha, the Thai-style crispy sea bass in spicy and sour coconut milk soup, was incredibly appetizing. The tangy broth paired beautifully with the crispy fried fish, creating a perfect balance of flavors. It’s no surprise this dish comes recommended on their menu!

Tom Kha - $38

The sea bass skeleton was beautifully tucked along the pot's perimeter, with its meat placed directly into the broth. This thoughtful presentation made it so convenient, we could easily pick out the tender meat chunks without the hassle of deboning in the pot.

Fish Meat Chunks

The Chu Chee, a Red Thai Curry style dish, is available for both meat and vegetables. We opted for the beef, which was tender and coated in a sweet, creamy curry. Though the presentation looked a bit messy and lacked visual appeal, the flavors had that distinct Thai essence, making it a comforting and satisfying dish.

Chu Chee Beef - $13.50

It complemented the plain rice well with its savory and flavorful gravy. However, the richness of the curry might feel a bit overwhelming after a few mouthfuls, making it slightly gelat over time.

What will you have? Beef, chicken or pork?

Korat Thai

Location: Orchard Towers, 400 Orchard Rd, #03-28, Singapore 238875

Tung Lok

Having a Buffet has never been considered, but Tung Lok's Buffet has given me a different view.  If not for friends meetup, I would have never known such an interesting buffet that Tung Lok had brought us. We had their Seafood Dinner Buffet with cost:

Adult: $43.80++
Child: $33.80++ (Below 12 years old)

While in their Ala Carte Buffet Menu, there are some exceptions that the diners need to know. A few items can only be ordered and served once while the rest can be catered for unlimited servings. 

For Example, the Braised Shark's Fin with Fish Maw is limited to 1 pax per serving. It was a good start to keep our dinner rolling. 

Braised Shark’s Fin with Fish Maw 红烧鱼鳔翅

Enjoy the bowl of Chinese delicacy with vinegar and pepper.

Added Condiments

Another Delicacy that is limited to 1 Serving Per Table will be none other than the chilli crab served with Man Tou.

Chilli Crab (served with ‘Man Tou’) 辣椒螃蟹伴馒头

These buns were crusty on the exterior and pillow soft on the interior. Pairing them with the chilli crab sauce was fantastic.

Man Tou

A Dim Sum staple, the Pan-fried XO carrot cake with sausage was fried with bean sprouts and topped with spring onions. The natural sweet taste of egg wrapping up the plain cubes of carrot cake.

Pan-fried X.O. Carrot Cake with Sausage  

A different style of clam served from the usual ones I had. The taste was well-balanced and not salty at all. I could not stop just at one calm

Stir-fried Clam with Black Bean Sauce 风味豆豉炒啦啦 

Enjoy a plate of Seafood Horfun loaded with beautiful egg gravy. The Wok Hei taste from the Hor Fun was laudable and ingredients were a handful.

Seafood Hor Fun with Egg Gravy 滑蛋海鲜河粉

A simple execution of the dish yet makes it so delicious with Scallion Oil and topped with fried onions.

Poached Baby ‘Kai Lan’ with Scallion Oil 葱油芥兰仔

The Drunken Herbal Prawn broth was herby and sweet tasting to my liking. 

Drunken Herbal Prawn 药材醉虾

Sweet & Vinegary Coated pieces of bite-size Pork Ribs were tasty and definitely an addiction to us.

Pork Rib with Chef’s Special Sauce 京都排骨

Here comes another prawn dish, the deep-fried prawn with crispy oats. Fragrant and inviting dish too.

Deep-fried Prawn with Crispy Oats 麦片虾

Big and sweet Sauteed scallops were succulent and pleasant with the French beans and capsicums.

Sautéed Scallop and French Beans with Capsicums 脆椒扇贝炒四季豆

Tender slices of beef was uniformly coated with sauce. Delicious.

Sautéed Sliced Beef with Ginger and Spring Onions 姜葱炒牛肉片

The deep-fried sea bass with soy sauce was to my liking too. It was crispy in the exterior and meat was tender and fresh. The fragrant soy sauce enhanced its taste too.

 Deep-fried Sea Bass with Soy Sauce 油浸炸金目鲈

            

 

The Chilled Jellyfish with Pomelo Sauce was refreshing topped with roasted sesame. The shredded cucumber was crunchy, adding a different texture to the cold dish.

Chilled Jellyfish with Pomelo Sauce 柚子酱凉拌海蜇

Here's another cold dish of our liking. The garlic vinegar sauce complements the eggs perfectly, making it a standout dish. This dish is sure to impress guests with its bold flavours and elegant presentation.

Century Egg with Garlic & Vinegar Sauce 蒜辣皮蛋

Fresh & Yummy. I was kind of surprised that they are also serving Salmon Sashimi. 

Salmon Sashimi 三文鱼刺身

Chilled Herbal Jelly with Honey, Chilled Aloe Vera ‘Ai Yu’ Jelly, Green Bean Soup & Ice Cream puff were what we had before ending our buffet meal.

Chilled Herbal Jelly with Honey 养颜龟苓膏, Chilled Aloe Vera ‘Ai Yu’ Jelly 芦荟爱玉冻, 
Green Bean Soup 绿豆沙, Ice-cream Puff 雪糕夹心酥 

Tung Lok's Seafood has already spoken for itself as there are many returning customers. Considering a weekday night, the place was already bustling. It's a good place for business gatherings especially when one is craving for varieties and a Ala Carte Buffet.

Tung Lok Seafood
Location: Orchard Central, 181 Orchard Road,  #11-05, Singapore 238896 
Website

Cheeky Bee Hoon (Lucky Plaza)

Cheeky Bee Hoon has been viral for quite sometimes back and is known for their Malaysian handmade Bee Hoon dishes. 

Cheeky Bee Hoon

The Bee Hoon gave a twist to the usual Bee Hoon we had as it was curly with an appearance that looked like instant noodles but a texture of Mee Kia. It was quite confusing if I was not told that it was Bee Hoon. Toss them in the Sambal Chilli Sauce and this gave the meal a piquant flavour. Pairing this with the soft and braised pork was simply delicious while the crispy pork lards elevated the texture too. Irresistible. 

Cheeky Braised Pork Bee Hoon (Dry) - $7.80

Cheeky Signature Bee Hoon comes with option of Soup or Dry. It was worth mentioning for the bowl of Signature Bee Hoon Soup was overwhelmed with ingredients like Lala, Meat Ball, Minced Meat,  vegetables and topped with Goji Berries as well as two types of onions to elevate the taste.

Cheeky Signature Bee Hoon (Soup / Dry) - $10.50

The Charcoal You Tiao was crispy and stuffed with Otah fillings. It was inviting and addictive for me.

Charcoal You Tiao - $1.80

The Crab Dumplings Soup comes with 3 plump dumplings. The crab fillings were encased by the soft and chewy dumpling skin. This side if pretty okay for us just that the soup was a tad peppery for us.

Crab Dumplings Soup - $4.80 

Take a look at the dumpling fillings. Pairing the dumplings with their Signature Sauce makeup of peanuts and coriander.

Dumpling

We had a delicious meal from Cheeky Bee Hoon.

Our Meal for 2 Pax

Besides this outlet that is in Lucky Plaza, Cheeky Bee Hoon is also available in East Coast, Thomson Plaza and White Sands Food Court.

Cheeky Bee Hoon 麒记米粉 (Lucky Plaza)
Location: Lucky Plaza, 304 Orchard Road, #B1-38, Singapore 238863

Tora-San

Chirashi & Donburi lovers, check out this newly opened shop, Tora-San, at Centerpoint. Tora-San is a Japanese dish concept that serves creative rice bowls garnished with fresh sea products in an authentic and conducive Japanese Street Dining Experience.

Tora-San

The shop is decorated in the line of food street and pretty interesting with Japanese furnishing. They offered 3 kinds of Sashimi dons, Chirashi Don, Bara-Chirashi Don & Kaisendon (Kaisen San).  

Interior of Tora-San

They highlight the quality and variety of ingredients used in the dish, emphasising a harmonious balance of flavours. Tora-San aims to give diners a memorable and satisfying choice of a Japanese street dining experience.  

Interior Of Tora-San

Wall

Impressive menu with more than 50 dishes available. Do check out their Don Buri as well as the Chirashi.

Menu

Enjoy the sides of 2 Mentaiyaki Aka Ebi where they were flamed torched perfectly cooked to retain its natural flavours as much as possible. Aka Ebi is one of the common sashimi prawns where one can enjoy them raw. The combination of Mentaiyaki sauce greatly added flavour with its thick creamy sauce.

Mentaiyaki Aka Ebi - $7.90

Tora-King Chirashi Don is a popular dish as recommended by the server. The presentation was enticing with different colors of premium seafood like Salmon, Hamachi, Hotate, Zuwaigani, Anago, Tuna and other ingredients. The use of Anago instead of Unagi gave a balance palate in terms of texture and flavour, overall giving a dining satisfaction.

Tora-King Chirashi Don - $29.90

Mount Fuji Kaisen San was literally a mountain with fresh cubes of Sashimi with shredded zuwaigani, imitating the snow covering the mountain. There are also Hotate Sahimi with ikura.

Mount Fuji Kaisen San - $26.90

We each was offered a bowl of complimentary Miso Soup to pair with the mains. The Miso soup was tasty and packed full of ingredients like mushroom, carrot, radish etc.

Complimentary Miso Soup

We had the Truffle Seafood Chawanmushi as a side too. The Truffle topped the hot wobbly cup of Chawanmushi.

Truffle Seafood Chawanmushi - $8.90

It was fragrant, addictive and we emptied it in a short while.

Washing down the meal, we ordered the Iced Honey Citron Soda as well as the hot 

Iced Honey Citron Soda & Hot Honey Citron Drink - $6.90 & $5.90

Thank you Jimmy and Tora-San for the invitation.

Tora-San
Location: The Centerpoint, 176 Orchard Road #03-44, Singapore 238843

Ah Yat Kitchen

While looking for a quick dinner at Orchard, we stumbled upon this and finally decided to have our meal at Ah Yat Kitchen.

Ah Yat Kitchen

While not many places can search this dish and making it a stand out in the realm of Chinese Cuisine. I'm glad that the chef had doled out a delicious plate of silky texture of 'E-Fu' Noodles in combination of the earthy richness of mushrooms. This dish is delightful in a combination of flavours, textures and aroma.

Braised 'E-Fu' Noodles with Mushrooms 草菇焖伊面 - $8.80

The star of this deep-fried beancurd roll is undoubtedly its crispy exterior, perfectly fried to golden color and delivering a satisfying crunch with every bite. The textural contrast against the soft interior creates a delightful mouthfeel that makes us feel addicted. Within this crisp embrace lies the a soft and savoury filling with a comforting taste. 

Deep Freid Beancurd Roll (3 Pcs) 香脆腐皮卷 - $6 

The Yang Zhou Fried rice is a classic in our Chinese Cuisine, known for its aromatic fragrance, beautiful presentation as well as its well-balanced flavours. We enjoyed this dish standalone with its flavourful medley of ingredients and polish the plate empty.

'Yang Zhou' Fried Rice 扬州炒饭 - $8

The steamed chicken feet is a staple dim sum delicacy that I will order in every of my Dim Sum Meal. For the love of its texture and rich flavour, this dish definitely has flavourful marination. The gelatinous and tender texture of the steamed chicken feet creates a unique and memorable eating experience.

Steamed Chicken Feet 柱候蒸凤爪 - $6

The delicate charm of traditional Cheong Fun with the irrestible curnch of a golden, crispy interior and its silky rice roll wrapping it up. The texture together with the well-crafted dipping sauce is a perfect accompaniment to the Crispy Cheong Fun. We enjoyed the sweet and savoury soy-based sauce adding layer of complexity to the dish and enhancing its overall appeal.

Crispy Cheong Fun with Shrimp 脆皮肠粉 - $7.50

The Stir-Fried Radish Cake with Shrimp was surprisingly good. The harmonious blend of flavours, contrasting textures and the aromatic appeal of stir-fried goodness with beanspouts and chives were simply yummy. The visual allure had captivated both the senses and the palate. 

Stir Fried Radish Cake with Shrimp 香辣虾仁炒萝卜糕 - $8.80

We enjoyed this carrot cake with the plump and glistening shrimp.

Plump Shrimp

All in all, we were pretty surprise with its standard. If there are chances, we will want to be back here again for more.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Ah Yat Kitchen
Location: Far East Plaza,14 Scotts Rd, #05-36, Singapore 228213