Those who loves Thai food would appreciate traditional Thai food which is often cooked with Thai herbs and spices that gives Thai food that unique flavour and punch. There are many Thai eateries in local food centres or malls which served traditional Phad Thai, green curry or Tom Yum Kung but if you are looking for a proper dining venue to enjoy some modern Thai food which are cooked with a modern twist yet infused the traditional flavours found in Thai cuisine, you should make a trip down to Som Tam. It’s one restaurant that gives Thai food a new lease of life without taking away the traditional roots of Thai cuisine.
I was here last evening to witness their creative use of ingredients to get people excited about Thai food again.The man behind these creative dishes is Ralph Liow, the managing director of Jus Delish Group, who is also a chef by training. Their new menu with the list of creative Thai fusion offerings was launched since 1 December 2016 and last night, we tried some of their signature dishes.
Som Tam is currently located at Orchard Central, which is linked to Sommerset MRT station. It is located on the 8th floor and when you are taking the lift up, do ensure that the lift you are taking do goes to 8th floor.
The restaurant is perfect for small casual or initimate dinings as the tables could sit up to 6 pax but of course, the tables could be extended if there are more than 6 diners. The setting is rather cosy too and by 8 pm on a weekday evening, the restaurant is packed so be sure to make a reservation.
For drinks, we tried their Thai herbal tea called Nam Matoom or Bael fruit tea. It helps with digestion and this is perfect before a huge feast. But if you prefer something cold, you can try their Thai ice tea and other various cold drinks are served in beautiful glass jars.
For starters, we ordered the Tom Yum truffle fries which tasted like truffle fries with that Tom Yum spice added to it for that extra kick. These are skinny golden fries which are evenly coated with truffle oil and Tom Yum spices. The truffle aroma is prominent and the Tom Yum spices added relish to the cripsy fries.
Tom Yum ‘Black’ is another favourite at our table. It’s black because of the squid ink added to it and this really intensify the seafood flavour of the Tom Yum soup base. For seafood lovers, this is a must-try especially when you can find a generous amount of seafood like prawns and squids in it.
You can pair the Tom Yum black with this plate of Thai Garlic Seafood fried rice served with crushed peanuts and fresh seafood. It would be nicer though if they could serve this with some chili sauce to spice it up.
Don’t forget to try their Deep Fried Tom Yum Soft Shell Crab which served on some salad. This needs to be eaten while it is still hot and cripsy. I haven’t really eat soft shell crab before but it is pretty amazing that you can actually eat the whole crab together with the shell which is fried til it is cripsy. Each basket comes with 4 soft shell crabs.
If you fancy some noodles, you can their Thai Laksa with Chicken. It is classic Thai noodles soaked in Thai laksa broth which is actually sweeter than the usual traditional Malay laksa we have in Singapore. The coconut milk is richer in the broth and thus it is less spicy too. They are really generous with the portion and I believe I couldn’t finish this bowl of laksa on my own and it has to be shared. Even the barbequed chicken thigh is quite large too!
The King Crab Pasta is my favourite among all the new dishes in the menu because it is a western dish recreated with a slight Asian piquancy. This dish managed to marry both Western and Asian flavours together real well. Though the King Crab meat wasn’t as sweet, but the pasta which is well-seasoned with Tom Yum seasoning and cooked to al dente has made up for it. I also like the fact that the cook has prepared the crab meat in such a way that it is easy for us to peel the flesh from the crab shell.
If you are burger and fries person, you might like this Pan-Seared Salmon Rice Burger where you get to enjoy pan-seared salmon doused with specially concocted sweet black sauce, sitting on a bed of lettuce and layer of rice burger. It comes with a tin filled with skinny fried and some sweet chili sauce. If you have a teenager or a kid dining with you, you can go for this kid-friendly meal.The tangy sweet black sauce is the one that makes or breaks this dish. The fries is also well-seasoned with some salt and sugar which makes it quite addictive. They may have added some other seasonings to make the fries tasty too.
For desserts, we had this Charcoal Toast served with matcha gelato, whipped cream and salted egg concoction. There are several gelato flavours for you to choose and if you are game for it, you can try their green curry-flavoured gelato. For me, I still prefer Matcha gelato as I know that it matches well with salted egg sauce. Don’t forget to drizzle the salted egg sauce over the gelato and toast.
How to Skip the Queue at Som Tam
Now, if you are planning to dine at Som Tam and want to skip the queue, you can now make your food orders online at their E-commerce Platform, https://som-tam-sg.myshopify.com. You can simply log on to the website and order off the menu then head over to the restaurant to enjoy your meal which will served within 15 minutes from the moment you arrive. If the first dish is not served within 15 minutes from the time you arrived, you get to enjoy your next meal at Som Tam on the house (or equivalent or lesser value to the purchase amount on their e-commerce platform).
To further reward their loyal customers, Jus Delish Group which owns Gin Khao, Som Tam, Kwan Inn Vegetarian, Talay Kata and other restaurants has launched their membership programme. You can sign up for this membership at $19.90 and get a $30 worth of food value which could be used to offset your next meal at any of the restaurants other Jus Delish Group. With this Membership e-card, you can also earn points as 10% of the amount you spent will be converted into rebate points. On top of that, you get to redeem a free $25 Jus Delish Group voucher during your Birthday month! For more information their membership, you can visit this link http://www.somtam.com.sg/membership/.
Som Tam @ Orchard Central
Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road
#08-13
Singapore 238896
