Nara Thai Cuisine opens its first overseas outlet at ION Orchard. The restaurant which has three popular outlets in Thailand has been a consistent feature on Thailand’s Tatler’s Best Restaurant List. Founded in 2006 by Yuki Srikarnchana, Nara Thai Cuisine strives to bring the enjoyment of Thai street food into an air-conditioned and relaxed setting.
Nara Thai Cuisine is inspired by Thai street food adapted into a modern context. The menu offers an extensive selection of authentic Thai cuisine with a few uncommon selections which are difficult to get locally. The Pomelo Salad or Yum Som O ($13.90) is an appetiser that features a delectable mix of pomelo, cashew nuts and prawns topped with home-made sauce. The cashew nut adds an interesting texture to the sweet-salty dish and the combination of flavours really whets one’s appetite. According to the restaurant, the pomelo salad at Nara Thai offers a unique sweet spin inspired by Central Thailand and Royal Thai Cuisine.
For main courses, Chef’s recommendations on the menu include Spicy Fried Northeastern Pork Balls ($13.90), Fried Whole Sea Bass with Pickled Garlic, Peppercorn and Herbs ($32.90), Deep Fried Chicken in Traditional Thai Shrimp Paste ($9.90) and more. One of the crowd-favourites at our table is the Plu Phad Pong Karee (Stir-fried Crab with Yellow Curry) ($18.90). This is one of the few dishes on the menu which differs slightly from the menu being offered at Nara Thai restaurants based in Thailand. Diners are offered soft shell crabs instead of crabs and it goes very well with white rice. The yellow curry is thick with a hint of sweetness which complements the soft shell crab. The yellow curry is flavourful without being over-powering.
Thai cuisine is not complete without Tom Yum soup. Nara Thai’s Tom Yum Kung (River Prawns in Spicy Lemongrass and Lime Soup) ($19.90) is thick with strong notes of shrimp. The soup is strong but not too spicy. You can customise the spicy level to your palette. For the adventurous, Nara Thai offers the lesser known Gang Som Cha-Om Goong (Hot and Spicy Soup with Prawns and Fried Dill Pattie Omelette) ($17.90). The spicy soup is a much thicker soup than the Tom Yum Kung and has a very distinctive flavour of dil.
For desserts, a must-try is the I-Thim Nara (Milky coconut ice-cream served with home-made red ruby, roasted peanuts, nata de coco, palm tree seeds, jackfruit, sweet potatoes, cendol and corn). You get to customise your ice-cream with the colourful selection of toppings. This tantalizing treat is great for kids and adults alike.
Nara Thai Cuisine
- Address: ION Orchard, 2 Orchard Turn, #B3-21| Tel: 6634 5787 (Reservations accepted)
- Opening hours: Monday-Saturday : 11.30am-10pm (Last order at 9.30pm)
- Website: http://www.narathai.com.sg
