Advertorial (photos-Courtesy of Thai Express. Thank you!)
I have heard about Thai Express in Singapore. My non-Muslim friends often commented on their yummy food and good service back home. And I have always wished that it is Halal-certified.
Anyway I was invited to do some food tasting in Thai Express, in The Mines, Malaysia. And I was happily surprised that they told me it’s Halal.
And they further explained that the food in Singapore are also from Halal sources and ingredients , the only thing that is preventing them from obtaining the Halal-certification is that they have to serve liquor.
I was intrigued on why they wanted the food to be from Halal sources and Halal ingredients, when the restaurant is not even Muslim-owned…
Rae, the sweet PR lady who embraced my presence answered almost immediately with a smile… Because they want their food to be enjoyed by all races and religions. (I like that!)
(FYI: Thai Express is owned by Minor Food Group Singapore, a F&B lifestyle company with a portfolio of brands including Xin Wang Hong Kong Cafe, Poulét, Penang Street, New York New York, Buffet Town, Kiseki Japanese Buffet Restaurant, Shokudo Japanese Coffee House, Heng Heng Curry Café and Pinle.)
But anyway, dear readers, as mentioned before and in every post of mine, my job is to convey whatever I’ve learnt. The “halal-ness” of the food you consumed ultimately depends on you.
I actually walked… (do not ask where I walked from)to the Mines because there was a huge “jam” somewhere nearby. And I was really flustered and hot (and very sun-tanned…).
The distance was quite near but because it was not “pedestrian-friendly”, I had to go up and down the “hills” and residential areas, overhead bridges and many more “obstacle courses”. (Sorry, no more complaining… It’s a good workout. I have to exercise before my celebration with the feast , right? lol.)
But I made it! I reached the Mines on time! I took some time-out of about 5-10 minutes before entering the restaurant.
This restaurant was new. It was only officially opened recently. I like the “clean-look” theme. I can see families enjoying themselves with the gorgeous looking food spread on their tables.
Ok, I had breathed in and out and I thought that I looked really “calm” but Rae noticed that I may need a good homemade concoction drink to “settled in”. She asked the Chef to prepare me a really cool drink with a “lotus” looking fruit (which I have not seen before).Thanks Rae & Chef, You both are awesome!
It was really refreshing and rejuvenating. I believed its called “Naam Ma Toom”, a traditional Thai Herbal drink.
We were then served with the Appetiser: Thai Mango Salad.
At first glance, it looked very colourful with the yellowish greens of mango slices and lettuces, reddish fiery bird eye chillies and the raw shallots slices with crumbled peanut bits scattered richly all over and ooh…the sweet “pungent” scent of Nam Pla (I love fish sauce!).
Its a great start to any meal. I love the electrifying combination of the sweet, sourish, saltish, tanginess and especially the crunchiness.
It kinda prep my tongue for the next dish… “BRING IT ON!”
Second was the “very” clear broth of the Tom Yum Prawn soup aka Tom Yum Koong.
I remembered when I was in Thailand, I was really shocked that the real Tom Yum soup was actually very subtle in spicy-ness and very rich in brothy-ness and it was so good, I never find anything like that, anywhere else. (if you realised, most Tom Yum soup served in Singapore were really masked by the fieriness of the chillies, sometimes its too hot, it numbs the tongue and one cannot really taste the authentic flavours of the actual wholesome soup)
So I was a bit sceptical. But the clarity of the soup kinda “turned me on”. It’s “purity” enchanted me and flirted with my mind. I decided to take a sip.
Oh boy, it was a good sip that eventually, I almost ended up slurping the soup from its bowl like a Japanese with its delectable noisiness. But I stopped myself, a lady got to behave like a lady…and especially in the presence of another lady and a good group of staff waiting on us. Lol.
The sweetness of the presh prawns further enhanced the subtle sourish goodness of the soup. I love it! The fragrance of the crushed lemon grass with the lime leaves and the galangal slices, OMG. I love it!
Sometimes, when you feel like “jerlak” (“muak” or the after effects of eating too much fried foods), this is a good soup to cleanse the palates and rejuvenate the senses.
The next one was named as one of the best roasted chicken in Pattaya. “Gai Op Pattaya” , Thai-styled Roasted Chicken.
I was told that the chicken was lovingly marinated for a day, before they were roasted. I like that they were very tender, not much chewing was needed. The accompanied dip was very refreshing.
The famous Massaman Chicken Curry with Thai Style pancake was served next. The medium-thick gravy was rich but I don’t feel overwhelmed by it. I enjoyed the slight sourishness of it. The chicken was nice. It absorbed the flavours of the curry.
The only thing, I wished was that the light and fluffy Malaysian “Roti Canai” with crispyness at the sides were served instead of the Thai pancakes (Wait, I didn’t know their pancakes were like instant roti canai?!)
Oh…next in line was the SIGNATURE dish…. drum roll please!!
Presented to you in multi-colours and multi-flavours, fresh from the wok, is the famous Phat Thai Talay, a stir fried noodles with abundance seafood and flavours of sweet, sour, spicy and my favourite… NUTTY-ness!!!
Squeeze the lime, add dashes of the chilli flakes and please do not stop yourself from adding loads and loads of crushed PEANUTS!!!
I like that the noodles were not too oily, soggy or unhealthily imbalanced as many stir-fried noodles out there. Every strand of noodles was flavourful.
And of course, the sweetness of the fresh seafood like prawns, squid and even fish meat were bonuses! Even without them, the noodles were good to eat on its own.
Last but not least, the desserts were too wonderful for me that I ate them without caring whether they were even photographed (oops!)when served.
The creamy coconut ice-cream with red rubies and the glutinous sticky rice with warm coconut milk and slices of ooh…sweet mangoes. LOVE IT! Perfect ending to a perfect “date”.
Overall, I must say, this was a satisfying feast. I would love to come back again. Perhaps, I shall order desserts first.
Location:
The Mines Ground Floor,
East Court L3-17(p)
Tel: +603 8953 9967
Website www.thaiexpress.com.my
Heartfelt gratitude to:
Thai Express efficient and wonderful staff who served us well. And not forgetting the behind-the-kitchen scenes, the Chefs did a great job in whipping up a good feast for all of us to enjoy. And lastly Ms Rae Ng for dining with me. Food and people must always go well together. And this, I must say the dining experience was remarkable with the whole team working cohesively together. Thank you.
Disclaimer: WHQ doesn’t care how other foodies do it. We are not critics. We are simply food lovers who love to eat with all our senses and especially our hearts. We are not representing anyone. Halal is an act of individual’s responsibility. What we feast on may or may not fulfil your standard of 100% halal. We are not responsible for your own tummy and bodily experience. Our intention is to make Halal a no.1 brand in the world for the world …in our own unique way. .