Sabai Fine Thai: Authentic Thai with a classic Singaporean view
PUBLISHED April 8th, 2014 02:15 am | UPDATED May 22nd, 2017 05:25 pm
Before moving to Singapore I spent 6 months living and working in Thailand on an island called Koh Tao, and the truth is, even in Thailand good Thai food can be hard to find. Farangification has turned far too many Thai dishes from fragrant masterpieces into breaded, syrupy abominations. So if it’s a challenge to find decent Thai in Thailand you might assume that in Singapore we haven’t got a hope, but seek, my friends, and you shall find.
Sabai Fine Thai is nestled in Customs House with a stunning view of the Fullerton Bay and Marina Bay Sands and is just a hop, a skip and a jump from Raffles Place, making it the perfect location for either a business lunch or a romantic dinner after work. Prices reflect its location, and while they are not going to make you cry into your Pad Thai, you are probably looking at around $100 per person for 3 courses with a glass of wine.
We started with the Stuffed Chicken Wings ($4.90 per wing), which were chubby, joyful little things packed with a seasoned mince and served with a delicious sauce full of fresh garlic and chillis which was eye-wateringly good!
Second on our list was the Som Tum ($16.50). Otherwise known as papaya salad, this seemingly simple dish is the true test of any Thai chef’s skill, as achieving the correct balance between the lime, garlic, chillies and fish sauce (too much of which can make the dish taste like a teenage boy’s old socks!) is notoriously difficult. The best I ever had was from an old auntie (a.k.a. Papaya Salad Lady) on Tao who made nothing but papaya salad from her roadside stall. As we all know all too well, hawker food is often the most authentic and we can sometimes feel loathe to spend twice the amount for inferior restaurant versions of our street food favourites, but Sabai Thai passed the test with flying colours – refreshing, spicy and perfectly balanced and as good as Papaya Salad Lady’s which is high praise indeed and well worth the price tag.
The two prawn dishes we tried were both exemplary, the classic Tom Yum Prawn ($8.50) had a wonderful lemongrass aroma and was filled to the brim with succulent prawns, while the Chargrilled Prawns ($32.70) contained 3 giant tender prawns served with a green garlic sauce. Both were wonderful but if you are looking for value the Tom Yum wins hands down.
Also excellent were the Pat Pak Bung ($17.70) – Kang Kong with lashings of garlic and butter and the Duck Red Curry ($22.50) containing thick chunks of tender duck in a light red curry sauce containing lychees, an unusual but brilliant addition.
However, the most surprising dish of the night was the Catfish Salad ($21.50). To create the dish they smoke the fish, remove the flesh, then deep fry it until it is dry and crisp. Combined with papaya, lettuce, and a shallot, garlic and chilli dressing the flavour was smoky but not too fishy and the texture combination completely unique.
I cannot recommend Sabai Fine Thai highly enough for its authentic Thai flavours, convenient location and superb service, but most of all for transporting me back to the beautiful shores of Thailand, one of my favourite places in the world.
Written by Lady Libertine
On this occasion the meal was compliments of Sabai Fine Thai
Get more Thai food at Tamarind Hill: Savour Sumptuous Thai Fine-Dining At Reduced Prices and Talad Thai: Comforting Thai Street Food in Bedok
