Thai cuisine is often categorised as one, whereas the truth is that each region in Thailand has its own unique flavours, hero ingredients and delightful dishes. If you want to break out of the box and go beyond the usual Thai curries and Phad Thai noodles, I suggest you book a table at Restaurant Khiri immediately.
Perfect for a date night, a celebratory dinner, or just a fabulous meal because you deserve it, Khiri, formerly known as Chedi, showcases Thai favourites wrapped up in contemporary glossy wrapping paper. Possibly the only ‘Contemporary Thai’ restaurant in Singapore, the food here is a far cry from the curries you may have in mind. However, from the amuse-bouche to the dessert, Khiri’s eight-course menu takes you on a delectable journey through the wonders of Thailand’s culinary heritage.
Located inside a shophouse on Hamilton Road, the restaurant’s industrial interiors in greys and browns offer table seating as well as front-row counter seats. We chose the latter for our dining experience, allowing us to witness the chefs in action as they seamlessly executed a multi-course meal like clockwork.
The meal began with a betel leaf amuse-bouche, Miang kham. Topped with Rayong shrimp and fish roe, the betel leaf was placed atop a shot glass with homemade lemongrass reduction. Fold the leaf, eat it whole, and chase it with the reduction, we were told. Theatrics aside, what a wonderful curtain opener. In one bite, there was an explosion of sweet, salty, sour and umami flavours.
We swiftly moved on to the appetisers which had been grilling on skewers behind the counter. Served with a trio of condiments to dip in, the lemongrass chicken skewer was my favourite of the two street-side snacks, with velvety minced chicken wrapped around a lemongrass stalk, highlighted with a quick dip in the pickled achar.
The salad course, Yum phonlamai ruam pla grob, came with a side of a very crispy fish roll that was more like fish floss. The spicy mango salad was refreshing and tangy, an elevated version of the raw mango salad that we often eat at Thai restaurants. Similarly, the soup, Kaeng Liang Kao Phod, was a departure from the familiar Tom Yum or Tom Kha. A Hokkaido white corn soup, it was comfort in a bowl. Base flavours of sweet corn and coconut were highlighted with a centrepiece consisting of hand-dived scallops with a swirl of holy basil oil. Complexity in each spoonful, it spoke volumes of the talent in the kitchen which had cleverly placed two strips of charred corn on top of the scallop to give it the illusion of a corn cob.
Where appetisers delighted, mains took it to a crescendo. My favourite dish of the evening, Pla kra pong daeng yang, where dry aged barramundi was placed upon an incredibly zesty green chilli sauce. Not for the faint-hearted, the sauce was a fiery one, but the grilled garlic sprouts on the side balanced out the spice when it got a bit too much. The fish was flaky and moist, with a crispy skin that added a sensorial element to a well-balanced melody.
The melodious gastronomic orchestra continued with a choice of grilled Iberico pork or slow-cooked Angus beef (+$22). It was tough to pick a favourite amongst the two, with the perfectly cooked pork being smoky and charred, with nothing to hide behind, and beef short ribs that melted in your mouth, slathered in a massaman curry that dreams are made up of.
The mains were served with an add-on side of fried rice (+$14), the Signature khao pad kid terng, one of the only two items that the restaurant has retained from its earlier menu. The rice was its own version of heaven, with wok hei smoky notes in each mouthful, accentuated with six-month cured salted threadfin and crab meat. It was served with a chilli condiment made up of lime, fish sauce, chilli and a hint of sugar, but to be honest, the rice was so delicious by itself that I would find it disrespectful to mask it under a condiment.
Mains were followed by a pre-dessert and a dessert. First up, a small bowl of Priaew waan/soursop sorbet, a lovely palate cleanser with notes of kaffir lime. The main dessert was a melodious final act that balanced hot and cold, creamy and refreshing, all in one mouthful. A warm and silky purple yam paste formed the base of the bowl in the middle of which sat a gorgeous palm sugar dumpling shaped like a flower. House-churned coconut ice-cream topped with toasted desiccated coconut was served on the side as the cold element.
The knowledgeable server, who had been an amiable friend throughout our meal, suggested that we take a little bit of all the elements in each spoonful, to understand the yin and yang at play. And play they did. What a seemingly simple yet unexpectedly complex finish. Which could be said for the entire meal. The gourmet concert lasted merely 1.5 hours, another delight in a world where multi-course meals linger for three long hours.
Khiri may be the understated yet uber-chic cousin you had heard about but perhaps never met. Singapore’s restaurant scene has been elevated with such a refined expression of Thai cuisine on our famously competitive shores. A must-try.
Meal for one: $148++
All prices are subject to 10% service charge & 8% GST
Open for dinner only
a. 15 Hamilton Rd, Singapore 209185
fb. www.facebook.com/restaurantkhiri
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