Mai Thai @ Greenwich Seletar

Artfully decorated.

A large serving of Tom Yum Goong. 6-7 crystal prawns, a smattering of halved cherry tomatoes and straw mushrooms. At $16.50, this was too pricey for a soup with the barest of ingredients. But fairly enough stated on the menu as just prawns and mushrooms. You almost feel thankful that they threw in some cherry tomatoes for you.

Flavourful. And deceivingly clear for its spice levels.

Tod Mun Goong with plum sauce

There was prawn then there was everything else but. The taste of the meat overpowered the taste of prawn. The batter was perfect, but perhaps that was just about it. At $12 for a serving of 5 pieces.

Then there was a horrible lull of 15-20 minutes to let the rice turn cold in their blasting air conditioners while we waited for the rest of our orders. At a restaurant not running on full capacity and no explanations why there our orders were taking so long, this was a mood spoiler.

Pla Merk Pad Kai Khem

This was more sweet than savoury. There wasn't a powdery after taste and clumps of egg yolk which made me wonder how much of this sauce was actually salted egg yolk. The cuttlefish was soft, which was vastly different from the crunch and bite I expected from these beautiful curls. This dish left me with nothing more than regrets for $18. 

Ka Pao Gai at $15.50. Perhaps basil and minced chicken costs more than I realise these days. This was high on salt content. And very savoury. Goes awesomely well with rice but eat and don't look too long at the dish. The amount of oil in which it is soaked in would turn anyone off this dish.

Did I already mention that one serving of rice costs $2?

With little more than just apologies for not being able to cope with just one head chef and two assistants for a restaurant with 15 people?

Last I checked, this was a restaurant- with a seating capacity probably double of that, at 30 people. Good luck to the diners that come after me.

The service was impeccable, wait staff were very obliging and terribly apologetic but really, for the price paid- I won't be making a return visit anytime. Period.

What I would give for my basil chicken and fried egg rice pack for 25B in Bangkok right now.

Dessert for the lacklustre dinner please. Caramel Walnut Cheesecake. Walnut lost its crunch in this cake, caramel flavour took over everything else. This was not a cheesecake. Stick with the Chicago. Not all new offerings are worth a try.