Modern Thai cuisine in the park - Kha

I was recently introduced to Kha, a new Thai bistro situated in the heart of Hort Park in Singapore, surrounded by lush tropical greenery and stunning views of sunsets overlooking the water pond on the upper level of the main building. I've always preferred traditional Thai cuisine, but I couldn't resist experiencing a meal in this beautiful location. So I made a booking for lunch at noon.

The view from the upper level looking into the tropical forest beyond Hort Park was at once calming and a refreshing change from the noise of the city. There was hardly anyone here for lunch on a Thursday afternoon.

There are several options for seating, the area in front of the pond (so you can see the golden sunsets), the back garden outside, or the dining room inside. It was a hot afternoon, so we picked the table inside the air-conditioned room.

We started with several appetizers - tom yum goong, which was a runaway favorite because of the delicious clear broth and herbs, the grilled pork salad with an amazing sweet and sour plum sauce and a cool, refreshing pomelo salad with prawns and chili.

For the main course, we had the pumpkin massamun curry with chicken which was sweet and aromatic, the olive rice which was a bit too moist, and stir-fried spinach.Overall, the lunch was a very satisfying experience, if not very outstanding, but the lush greenery and generally peaceful atmosphere may be the main reason for returning in the future.

Venturing off the beaten path into Geylang

Ok, this entry definitely comes under the Off The Beaten Path category of cuisine exploration around Singapore. It's been many years since I last ventured to this part of the island for a late night supper, and this was the first place that came to mind. You can't really miss it, there's a gigantic read and white signage in front of this old Geylang establishment facing the main road. Just the location of the coffeeshop itself makes for an interesting dining experience where you see locals and foreigners looking for a good bite amongst the prostitutes plying their trade in this seedy side of town. The beef kway teow (stir fried sliced beef with black bean flavored gravy over flat rice noodles) is what everyone comes here for, as the sign says, even though there are quite a selection of local Chinese dishes on the menu. If food is your love, I'd recommend coming here for a meal on Valentine's Day, it's going to be a memorable evening slurping down beef kway teow in this seedy part of town. It's all about the food, you know.