bali_thai

BALIthai

Sigh, there's no avoiding it. Somewhere down the lane, I must have aspired to be a flogger and somehow my wish is granted.

This blog is slowly morphing into a food blog, ain't it??!
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** a word of caution: muslims who are fasting, i advise that you view this in the evening, post breaking fast.

no way am i going to attribute to you salivating and other what-nots, thus hindering your effort in proper abstinence.

if you think that i might have underestimated your spiritual & mental strength, pls, do proceed.

heh. food peeks!!! **
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My dear friend Tini, in her preggers state, had been craving for 'kerabu mangga' (malay for mango salad).

So I told her that whatever it is that she crave for, the closest match for it would have been the Thai Mango Salad.

What happened next was a flurry of msn-ing to include Diana (Dee) cos' it's been a reeeally long time since we had our rendition of girls-nite-out.

From chilli crabs to cereal prawns and finally, we centered on the mango salad to help Tini satiate her craving.

So we settled for Bali Thai Restaurant (formerly Renn Thai) at Suntec City, to accommodate Dee who had to eventually return home to farawayland, a.k.a westside.

Ok, the food.

I appreciate the fact that they asked beforehand, if we want their basket of crackers. Those unknowing, they do charge for that and it dun really come cheap.

Having worked in this industry before, I have experienced infuriated customers who baulked at the price of these and asked why they weren't told beforehand that they'll be charged for that.

Well, company policy *shrugs shoulders*.

This one here costs $3.50 a pop but it does help alleviate our hunger a little, seeing that we have yet to break fast when it's already time.

Besides, I like my crunchies! Those who know me, will understand that I love having anything crispy/crunchy on the side, be it emping/krepek/keropok (crackers).

Typical javanese trait.

emping belinjo & prawn crackers with fiery chill-vinegar concoction

thai mango salad

Should see the glee on Tini's face when she saw this on the table.

The one here also include slices of starfruit. But they come off as too ripe and sweet.

seafood tomyam and its clay stove and pot

The tomyam here is of the clear, reddish broth variety. The one I had in Bangkok was of the murky kind, presumely coconut milk was added there.

With a chockful of fish slices, prawns, squids and the lone mussel - served in a round clay/earthen pot perched on a stove to keep warm.

hot-plate tofu (and vegetables)

I'm glad that I managed to fight off the waiter's charms (will get to this later) as he asked if we'd prefer the seafood version of this.

I think there's enough seafood from the tomyam, thank you.

stuffed chicken wings

chicken wing stuffing

Tini declined having chicken for herself so I got these for Dee and myself. They're served in individual protions for I simply got 1 for each of us.

I've had these at other restaurants and the wings were stuffed with mushrooms but I guess, the simple meat being minced and spiced before stuffing in back is the more authentic way to go.

butter king prawns

check out the delightful buttery strands!

I've been yabbing about cereal prawns for the longest time and since that ain't served here (it's a chinese dish, I know), I settled for butter prawns instead.

They have 2 other options for us to choose, they way the king prawns are to be prepared but this is closest I can get to my cereal prawns.

The absence of the curry leaves (like those served in chinese restaurants) is definitely felt but the richness of the cocunut milk-infused strands help make up for the lack of fragrance.

garnishes

I totally dig these garnishes, la.

So meticulously carved that even myself who loves nibbling on raw carrots decide to give these a pass. Wonder if they'll reuse these on other dishes later.

glutinous rice with mango

Yes, since Tini had been crawing for mangoes, why stop at just the salad, rite (she almost ordered the mango juice)?

So here's the dessert shared by us 3.

Should I have room for my own dessert, I'll definitely go for the one served with durian. Yum!


PS: More on the whole girls-nite out in the next entry...