Local Guides World
Thomas Tam
2 reviews on 1 places
Nice char koay teow. Quiet when we went there around 12pm on a Saturday, so the service was very fast. Good flavour and I personally liked that there weren’t too many cockles (my least favourite part of char koay teow).
The restaurant is very nicely decorated and occupies a prime spot in Emquartier’s Helix Dining. It seems pretty popular, in part I suspect, because of its inclusion in the Michelin Guide.
There was a point in the meal where I thought I was going to give this place a rare 5 star review. Sadly, it wasn’t to be. Despite the luxurious setting and high price, the staff were not at all friendly. They were efficient enough and not rude, but I didn’t see a single person smile while I was there. Of course, waiters are human too and can have a bad day like the rest of us… but the whole staff? No one looked like they wanted to be there… or wanted you to be there. Bizarre.
Anyway, on to the food…
The shrimp cakes were delicious - perfectly cooked and tender. Good flavour with or without the dipping sauce. And a good portion for an appetiser.
The noodles were also delicious. Not the fanciest looking dish on the menu, but tasty. The noodles had a great texture with a slight charred flavour from the frying (I presume). The meat was lovely and tender and the vegetables were cooked just right with still a bit of bite. The flavoursome sauce brought everything together.
At this point in the meal, despite the somewhat subpar service, I thought we were on for a 5 star review as the dessert I ordered is incredibly popular and recommended specifically in the Michelin review of this restaurant…
This may be controversial to say, but the Pang Cha was a little disappointing. First thing I should say - and you see this in a lot of other reviews - is that it is huge. I have quite a sweet tooth but didn’t stand a chance against this behemoth of a dessert. I’m pretty sure it’s meant for sharing, but I wanted to try it even though I was dining alone on this occasion. I’d recommend sharing between at least three, maybe four people (if you love it you can always order another). When it arrived, it looked quite impressive and the dry ice under the bowl added a nice little touch of theatre for their signature dessert. So… how did it eat? Well on the plus side: the thai milk tea flavour was nice and strong; the shaved ice itself was nicely prepared; there was plenty of texture provided by the various bubbles (the small ones were unexpectedly crunchy), almond flakes, and bread; and it was a really good level of sweetness, not over the top. My main issue with the dessert was that it was all just a bit samey. The first few bites were nice, but then… I kind of lost interest. Even if I had shared it with three other people, I think I would’ve gotten bored… and I do love a shaved ice dessert. My other issue was the bread - I just didn’t get what it was doing there. I’m not sure if it’s a traditional Thai thing or not, but soggy bread seemed really out of place here… and I’m a British person who has on occasion enjoyed bread and butter pudding. Overall, not a bad dessert, but massively overrated in my opinion - and expensive for what it is. I’ve had many better desserts, even better shaved ice desserts.
Overall, a good eating experience. If you’ve got the money to spend, or fancy treating yourself, I would recommend this restaurant. Just go in expecting the staff to be cold at best and order yourself a different dessert.
There was a point in the meal where I thought I was going to give this place a rare 5 star review. Sadly, it wasn’t to be. Despite the luxurious setting and high price, the staff were not at all friendly. They were efficient enough and not rude, but I didn’t see a single person smile while I was there. Of course, waiters are human too and can have a bad day like the rest of us… but the whole staff? No one looked like they wanted to be there… or wanted you to be there. Bizarre.
Anyway, on to the food…
The shrimp cakes were delicious - perfectly cooked and tender. Good flavour with or without the dipping sauce. And a good portion for an appetiser.
The noodles were also delicious. Not the fanciest looking dish on the menu, but tasty. The noodles had a great texture with a slight charred flavour from the frying (I presume). The meat was lovely and tender and the vegetables were cooked just right with still a bit of bite. The flavoursome sauce brought everything together.
At this point in the meal, despite the somewhat subpar service, I thought we were on for a 5 star review as the dessert I ordered is incredibly popular and recommended specifically in the Michelin review of this restaurant…
This may be controversial to say, but the Pang Cha was a little disappointing. First thing I should say - and you see this in a lot of other reviews - is that it is huge. I have quite a sweet tooth but didn’t stand a chance against this behemoth of a dessert. I’m pretty sure it’s meant for sharing, but I wanted to try it even though I was dining alone on this occasion. I’d recommend sharing between at least three, maybe four people (if you love it you can always order another). When it arrived, it looked quite impressive and the dry ice under the bowl added a nice little touch of theatre for their signature dessert. So… how did it eat? Well on the plus side: the thai milk tea flavour was nice and strong; the shaved ice itself was nicely prepared; there was plenty of texture provided by the various bubbles (the small ones were unexpectedly crunchy), almond flakes, and bread; and it was a really good level of sweetness, not over the top. My main issue with the dessert was that it was all just a bit samey. The first few bites were nice, but then… I kind of lost interest. Even if I had shared it with three other people, I think I would’ve gotten bored… and I do love a shaved ice dessert. My other issue was the bread - I just didn’t get what it was doing there. I’m not sure if it’s a traditional Thai thing or not, but soggy bread seemed really out of place here… and I’m a British person who has on occasion enjoyed bread and butter pudding. Overall, not a bad dessert, but massively overrated in my opinion - and expensive for what it is. I’ve had many better desserts, even better shaved ice desserts.
Overall, a good eating experience. If you’ve got the money to spend, or fancy treating yourself, I would recommend this restaurant. Just go in expecting the staff to be cold at best and order yourself a different dessert.