We really rolled the dice on this one tonight (173 Bencoolen Street, Summerview Hotel, 6338-1122, ext 120). The only reason we came here was because we were at Ice Monster across the street and needed something to eat (OK, we ate in reverse tonight with dessert first since Ice Monster was closing at 10 PM). This place was open but completely empty, which was not a good sign. The decor was tacky and the place was adjacent to a downscale hotel too, which made it even more questionable. But hey - don't judge a book by its cover, right?
And how true that is. The food was definitely much better than I was expecting. The tom kah gai was full of rich coconut milk, whereas the tom yum gai was definitely one of the spiciest that I've tasted (it really gives you a kick). The spicy puk ki mau kway teow was also impressively tender and rich, but not greasy. Wow...hey that wasn't too bad! And they take American Express here (unlike Margarita's, where the bill was three times higher)!The only letdown was the pandan chicken (I think I was mentally conditioned as a kid to veer to such greasy wrapped chicken things thanks to those lame "paper (foil) wrapped chicken" bits at Chinese restaurants in the US). Although they were greasy here, they had a strange curry seasoning in it, which was a turn off for me. I had to drown it in chili sauce *and* dry chili just to cover up the taste. At least they were cooked just right though, staying tender yet with a mildly crisp outside.
OK, this place wasn't too bad. I may not go out of my way to come here, but it is across the street from Ice Monster. So if we can just get the timing right next time, then maybe we can hit Ice Monster *after* dinner here like normal people would.
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