ONCE upon a time, there was a restaurant in Penang that was perched on a hill, in an extension behind a semi-detached house which didn't have a signboard except for a large, round yellow light in front. As its fame grew - for its fine, authentic Thai fare - it quickly became known as Yellow Light. The food was definitely great, but a big part of the draw was how it developed its shady ambience - in more ways than one. It was a dimly lit, open air restaurant, for one, with a charming view over its neighbour's overgrown orchard with tall mango trees and glittering nightlights across the horizon.

Thanks to rumours that it didn't have a licence to operate, it quickly developed a cult-like following. One talked about it in hush-hush tones, always afraid that the best Thai eatery in Penang would be closed down if too many people got to know about it. And it was in the part of the island that was just a bit far and a bit remote in the 1980s, being at the beginning of a dark, windy road snaking around a hill where every so often, a dead body - supposedly from gang murders - would be found at the bottom of the hill.

All of which made dining at Yellow Light quite exciting and a veritable treat. Now, the original restaurant owner and chef's daughter has brought Yellow Light to Singapore.

Loh Shih Erh is carrying on the family tradition - having learnt to cook these dishes from her mother, who in turn learnt them from her aunt who used to work at the Royal Thai kitchen. As a result, practically all of Yellow Light favourites are available here. For those who have been to the original restaurant, it'll be a nostalgic dining affair; for new patrons, it's a chance to try out several new dishes that aren't served at regular Thai restaurants.

Chef Loh does a good job with some of the must-try dishes. The miang khum appetiser (right), for example, is typically Thai, but it is rarely offered in eateries. Yellow Light sticks to the original form of the betel leaf 'salad' which sees a pinch of peanuts, grated and roasted coconut, lime cubes, shallots, bird's eye chilli, dried prawn (hae bee) wrapped in a fresh betel leaf, drizzled with a sticky-sweet sauce and popped whole into the mouth. The leaf could be an acquired taste but the blend of flavours was amazingly wholesome. The $8 version comes with six leaves.

The boneless chicken wing ($4 per piece, cut into three chunks), which sees chicken mixed with grated shrimp and spices, battered then deep-fried, was also quite tasty and worked well as an appetiser. But the real 'Proust' moment for one of my dining companions, a fellow Penangite, and myself, was the steamed fish ($28 or market price).

Yellow Light's version sees fish (choice of red snapper or seabass) submerged in a hearty, clear broth infused with sour plum, topped with delicious braised black mushrooms, and laid out on a bed of Chinese cabbage. It's not spicy, and if you like the sourish 'Teochew' style steamed fish, this one tops the charts. The cabbage isn't just for looks by the way, but meant to be savoured as it soaks up the broth.

For a spicier version, the deep-fried seabass ($28 or market price) with a sweet sambal chilli sauce is guaranteed to set your tongue on fire.

Another dish we found yummy was the fried rice with shrimp paste ($12) served with a variety of condiments which you mix in - sliced egg omelette, mango strips, seasoned pork or chicken, and dried shrimps. They also do kang kong vegetables fried with sambal belachan or tau cheo (preserved soy beans).

The claypot-cooked crab with glass noodles ($38), though, was a disappointment. The chef was too liberal with the sauce, and the quality of the crab wasn't very good either, even if Yellow Light's version comes with ample herbs and spices like coriander root, fresh garlic, black peppercorn and cloves.

But for dessert, the Thap Thim Krawp ($4, right) - red rubies in coconut cream - is easily the best in town. The iced coconut was rich and creamy, the red rubies suitably chewy, and the jackfruit slices further enhanced the mix. The mango sticky rice ($8) was so-so, as the glutinous rice could have been fluffier.

The restaurant in the foodie stretch of East Coast Road has been opened since January by Chef Loh and a Singaporean friend. But somehow, being housed in a standard shop lot, without the atmosphere of its original cosy Penang setting, seems to have taken some of the exciting edge away from the food. Maybe my next visit should be for dinner, so one can ignore the busy traffic just outside.

Yellow Light Thai Food
95 East Coast Road
(opposite Katong Village and Katong Mall)
S (428793)
Tel: 6345-7324
Rating: 6/10

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