PUBLISHED May 22nd, 2021 05:00 am | UPDATED May 28th, 2021 11:26 am
Nestled on the breezy fifth floor of Park Hotel Farrer Park is Blue Jasmine. Sporting a high ceiling and an amalgamation of Peranakan decor and Thai street signs, this casual-chic restaurant is perfect to dig into some elevated Thai food.
Get fired up for your meal with one heck of a starter, the dangerously addictive Tom Saap Beef Soup (S$24++). Morsels of tender beef chuck swim together with juicy cherry tomatoes and shallots in a fiery broth thickened with Northern Thai toasted rice powder. A punch of spice would be an understatement; this was a whole one-two-uppercut combo, but with prominent flavours of galangal, lime, and lemongrass keeping you coming back for more.
Quench the flames in your mouth with Crispy Kang Kong (S$13++), accompanied by a more tame tamarind chilli sauce. This dish’s appeal lies in the fish sauce and pepper seasoning of kang kong and oyster mushrooms, that pairs perfectly with the tangy chilli. The Cha-Om Crab Meat Fried Egg (S$22++) is distinctly Thai, with its use of cha-om, or notoriously pungent acacia leaves. But when fried in the omelette, and then dipped with homemade nam prik kapi made from fermented shrimp paste, it takes an indulgently savoury turn. This was our favourite sauce, hands-down.
For all things savoury and well-balanced, the Chiang Rai Style Stir-Fried Basil Squid Kaprao (S$24++) is definitely up there in the pecking order. Squid is stir-fried in a fragrant homemade chilli paste, alongside Thai basil, crunchy long beans and sliced chilli for extra spice. Even the gravy was not spared as we emptied the plate into our rice bowls.
On a dish with less sauce, the Sun-Dried Chicken with Green Chilli (S$20++) involves marinating the chicken overnight in palm sugar, pepper, and fish sauce before it’s “sun-dried” in a combi oven and then deep-fried. The green chilli dip was comparably light on the palate, compared to the fiery concoctions previously, and had a nice zest to it for a change in flavour.
Switch up from the spice-intensive dishes before with the sweet, almost soupy Gaeng Som (S$26++). Cooked with half-ripened green papaya slices, this sour seabass fish curry is based off a homemade yellow turmeric chilli paste, giving it its iconic orange hue and has a sweet dimension to its spiciness. A little switch-up from the spice-intensive dishes prior.
For a better fire-extinguisher, there’s always their timeless Homemade Thai Milk Tea (S$6++) garnished with dainty blue pea flower, but the Ruam Mit (S$14++) is sure to calm your palate. Made with seasonal tropical fruits, red ruby, and several jellies, the coconut milk-based dessert features a ball of coconut ice cream for a sweet treat to your meal.
Blue Jasmine is located at 10 Farrer Park Station Road, Level 5, Park Hotel, Singapore 217564, p. +65 6824 8851. Open daily from 6.30am-10.30am for breakfast, and 11.30am-10pm for a la carte dining. Blue Jasmine is delivering island wide, order here.
Top Image: Sun-Dried Chicken with Green Chilli