68 Roast Duck Red Curry

Sabai
391B Orchard Road,
Ngee Ann City 04-23,
Tel: 6333-8491
Open: 11am to 3pm, 6 to 11pm

The roast duck red curry ($20) is a dish I never fail to order when I dine at Sabai.

It is simply the best version of the dish I have eaten anywhere, beating even some of the top restaurants in Bangkok.

The duck is always tender and very fragrant. And the curry is delicious, with a lovely aroma of spices and coconut milk.

It is a bit heavy, but the luscious lychees and skinned grapes in the curry add a sweet note that does lighten it somewhat.

My only grouse is that the servings in this restaurant are very small, which means I never have my fill of the dish.

Served in a dish rather than in a deep bowl or pot like at other restaurants, there isn't enough curry for me to soak my rice with, especially if you have to share it with a few people. WAY

69 Vermicelli Crab

Thai Village Restaurant
22 Scotts Road,
Goodwood Park Hotel,
Tel: 6440-8251
Open: 11.30am to 3pm, 6 to 10pm

This dish comes with at least a whole crab in it, but that is actually not the point.

The best part of this Thai favourite is really the vermicelli or tunghoon that the crab comes with.

First fried with fish sauce and cloves of garlic, among other seasonings, it then goes into a covered claypot with the crab.

Over a low fire, the crab starts sweating, letting its juices slowly seep into the vermicelli and infusing it with its natural sweetness.

The result is that all the goodness goes into the bean noodles which are particularly good at soaking up flavours.

Then, the chef also throws in a Thai herb which looks like a coriander into the pot. When you take off the lid, the first thing that hits you is the whiff of its perfume.

As for the crab itself, it's edible but a little dried out from the cooking. You can perk it up though with the piquant green chilli sauce that comes with the dish.

Just don't get too greedy with the chilli; it's fiercely fiery.

The vermicelli crab comes in three sizes: $28 for a pot with one crab, $42 for 1 1/2 crabs and $56 for two crabs.
WAY

70 Tay Po Curry With Codfish

Thanying Restaurant
Amara Singapore,
165 Tanjong Pagar Road,
Tel: 6222-4688
Open: 11am to 3pm, 6.30 to 11pm

Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa,
Tel: 6825-3881
Open: 11.30am to 3.30pm, 6.30 to 10.30pm

In recent years, this well-known Thai restaurant, which opened a second branch in Sentosa this year, has gone beyond its menu of traditional dishes to include some interesting modern creations.

My favourite among these is the tay po pla cod ($40), which is tay po curry with codfish.

It's actually a matter of putting two dishes together: deep-fried cod and the traditional tay po, which is a thick curry cooked with kangkong. But it's a perfect match.

The two components are still cooked separately, with the fish fillet first deep-fried till a golden brown.

Meanwhile, the curry is bubbling in another pot. Once ready, the kangkong is laid out at the bottom of a plate and the fish placed on top of it.

The thick curry, fragrant with the aroma of kaffir lime leaves and a hint of cumin, is spooned over the dish just before serving.

And there you have it. WAY

71 Papaya Salad

Yhingthai Palace (main head picture)
36 Purvis Street 01-04,
Tel: 6337-1161
Open: 11.30am to 2pm, 6 to 10pm

You can find mango salad at most Thai restaurants here but papaya salad is a rarer item.

But I like this popular dish sold on roadside stalls in Bangkok a lot more because it is not as sour as mango.

The long shreds of green papaya are lightly pounded with a dressing of lime, fish sauce, sugar and chilli that is blended to just the right balance of sweetness and tartness.

Roasted peanuts are added for crunch and fragrance.

The version at Yhingthai ($15) is rather unusual in that it comes with pieces of fried chicken on the side.

I'm not complaining though because the chicken is delicious and very tender.

There is also a wedge of raw cabbage for you to clean your palate if you find the salad too spicy.

For me, though, it tastes just right. WAY

HSBC credit cardholders get a free tup tim krob dish with every $50 spent until April 30 2008.

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