We ordered drinks: iced red milk tea ($1.60) for my friend and kumquat $1.50 for me. I felt a bit cheated when the kumquat came because it was lime juice. I thought it would be the kumquat that roadside stalls in Bangkok sell. Still, The lime juice wasn’t too astringent, which is the way I like it.

Just to compare the size with my pianist’s slender carefully manicured finger:

Green Curry. $6 I remember liking green curry the very first time I tasted it, because I didn’t use to be able to take spicy food and green curry has everything spicy red curry has, and it even has the delusion of being spicy. But wow, this green curry packed a punch. It robbed my delusion away; it was spicy. I tried to recall if it is authentic for green curry to be spicy but authenticity be damnned. Seriously, these days where got authentic one? Everyone and everything are global and international. The curry was slightly too liquid; i like curries to be viscous. The taste was wonderful. Best green curry I have in my life. The mixture of curry, rice, chicken had an edge of spiciness, a wholesome sweetness, a tinge of lime-sourness and the sharpness of coriander. So many flavors in one mouth. Ho Jiak! (rice at $0.60 a plate.)

Because we gay men are vain, we ordered a vegetable. Balanced diet mah. Sambal kangkong. $4. Nicely done, the vegetables were stir-fried to the right degree, retaining its moisture yet is crispy at the same time. But a bit oily. Nothing much to complain, nothing extraordinary.

Pandan Chicken. $7 MUST ORDER. The aroma of the pandan leaves had infused (RINGGG! I used a word food critics always use because they lack vocab, so now I lack vocab too), anyway, the aroma of the pandan leaves had infused completely into the chicken. And don’t see that the chicken looked burnt. They were not. They were crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. This is the BEST pandan chicken I have eaten in my life. WIN.

At this time, my points for them is about 4.3221453. Then came the red ruby.

OMG OMG OMG. My diabetic friend said even if he dies, he still must eat this red ruby ($3.50). This was not only the best red ruby in my life, I dare to say, this is the best Asian dessert I had in my life. Every mouthful you eat, there was an aftertaste that you try to decipher what it is…but you cannot, so you take another mouthful and every time the taste changes slightly, so you can never capture the essence. There was a sweet jasmine taste then it was gone and you thought it was the taste from jackfruit. The different flavors just interacted and shifted the balance slightly so every time you eat it, it was refreshing and something different. WIN.

Good food, but because it’s cheap, the ambience is your normal food court setting, and the servers are nice aunties.

Ah Loy Thai

ahloythai@hotmail.com

100 Beach Road #01-39/40

Shaw Tower

Singapore 189702

Tel: 9165 1543

(reservation for 4 people and above only, and no reservation after 7pm)

Monday – Friday 12pm – 8pm

Sat 1pm-7pm

Rating: 4.7428/5 stars