Straits Kitchen
We had our first Department Lunch of the year here. With 3 trainees that have just joined our group, it makes 12 of us in the entire team, inclusive of support staff. We took the opportunity to relax, unwind and get to know each other through food and laughter. Straits Kitchen was chosen as it's halal-certified, for the Muslims in our team.
I've always thought that Straits Kitchen is just a high-class food court, so I was pleasantly surprised that the quality of local cuisine served is generally (almost) on par with those of the more famous hawkers. The small-ish restaurant is laid out like Mezza9, with different food stations in a marketplace-like setting. There's a bustling atmosphere, but with little nooks and crannies that afford a little bit of privacy to groups that want to hang out and talk amongst themselves without being overheard by other diners.
The roasted meats station offered 3 different types of roasts, I liked the Roasted Duck, fresh (albeit a bit fatty), juicy, with nary a gamey scent.
The Poached Chicken was succulent and smooth, and delicately flavoured with soy.
The Soya Sauce Chicken wasn't as good as the poached version, but it was still very commendable, moist and tasty.
I took a small bite of the Chicken Rice (so as not to load up on the carbs unnecessarily), it had the faintest of garlicky and chicken stock flavour, but it was otherwise unremarkable.
The Rojak, despite being a little "lao hong", had the right balance of piquant, spicy, sweet flavours.
While the Popiah was freshly made upon order, too little sweet black sauce was used to coat the wrapper, resulting in a fairly tasteless version.
The popiah filling, made up of prawns, turnips, lettuce, diced eggs, chopped nuts, were fresh, but the turnips could have done with a little more flavour.
The popiah was from the Salad Station, which offered ready-made Asian-styled salads such as Gado Gado and tuna salad.
The Satay, fresh off the charcoal grill, looked promising, but wasn't that great. It wasn't fatty or juicy enough.
I liked the Mee Rebus, it had the requisite aromatic, nutty, spicy gravy accented by dried shrimps.
The local staple of Fried Rice was surprisingly fragrant, tasty and had the necessary "wok hei".
The Fried Kway Teow impressed me with the quality, it was fragrant, heady and had plentiful seafood. Prawns were fresh, sweet and crunchy, but the squid was overcooked and rubbery.
I liked the spicy, thick, eggalicious gravy slathered over the Chilli Crab, deep fried mantous were provided to soak up the yummy gravy. Crabs were fresh and sweet.
The plentiful delicious mushrooms and mixed vegetables in the starchy delicate Loh Han Zhai was a hit as well.
The Deep Fried Grouper was probably the best dish, in my view. This ran out in seconds. Fresh, mild, moist, with a golden crisp skin.
A Sweet Thai Chili Sauce Dip complements the delicate, clean flavours of the fish.
In comparison, the Fried Dory with Oats wasn't fresh enough, and needed a lot of soy to cover the slightly fishy undertones.
The Fruits Station, with a pretty array of fresh tropical fruits.
The Dessert Station, with an assortment of Kuehs and Asian pastries.
Some of the Kuehs we tried. I may be a glutton but there was no way I could try everything.
These had a controlled sweetness and delectable chewy texture.
Although I added a tad too much gula melaka, I still liked the Sago Gula Melaka for the bouncy sago pearls and the smoky heady sweetness of the cane sugar.
The multi-layered Kueh Lapis was moist, spongy and sweet.
The Mango and Soursop Sorbet was a refreshingly tart way to cut through the grease and heavy meal.
The Jackfruit Goreng, fresh off the fryer, was sweet and juicy on the inside and coated with a thin, crisp batter.
The Durian Pengat and Durian Ice-Cream was apparently quite nice, it wasn't too heavy or pungent.
Straits Kitchen
10 Scotts Road
Grand Hyatt Hotel
Tel: 6738 1234
Open daily from 6.30am to 11.45pm
I've always thought that Straits Kitchen is just a high-class food court, so I was pleasantly surprised that the quality of local cuisine served is generally (almost) on par with those of the more famous hawkers. The small-ish restaurant is laid out like Mezza9, with different food stations in a marketplace-like setting. There's a bustling atmosphere, but with little nooks and crannies that afford a little bit of privacy to groups that want to hang out and talk amongst themselves without being overheard by other diners.
The roasted meats station offered 3 different types of roasts, I liked the Roasted Duck, fresh (albeit a bit fatty), juicy, with nary a gamey scent.
The Poached Chicken was succulent and smooth, and delicately flavoured with soy.
The Soya Sauce Chicken wasn't as good as the poached version, but it was still very commendable, moist and tasty.
I took a small bite of the Chicken Rice (so as not to load up on the carbs unnecessarily), it had the faintest of garlicky and chicken stock flavour, but it was otherwise unremarkable.
The Rojak, despite being a little "lao hong", had the right balance of piquant, spicy, sweet flavours.
While the Popiah was freshly made upon order, too little sweet black sauce was used to coat the wrapper, resulting in a fairly tasteless version.
The popiah filling, made up of prawns, turnips, lettuce, diced eggs, chopped nuts, were fresh, but the turnips could have done with a little more flavour.
The popiah was from the Salad Station, which offered ready-made Asian-styled salads such as Gado Gado and tuna salad.
The Satay, fresh off the charcoal grill, looked promising, but wasn't that great. It wasn't fatty or juicy enough.
I liked the Mee Rebus, it had the requisite aromatic, nutty, spicy gravy accented by dried shrimps.
The local staple of Fried Rice was surprisingly fragrant, tasty and had the necessary "wok hei".
The Fried Kway Teow impressed me with the quality, it was fragrant, heady and had plentiful seafood. Prawns were fresh, sweet and crunchy, but the squid was overcooked and rubbery.
I liked the spicy, thick, eggalicious gravy slathered over the Chilli Crab, deep fried mantous were provided to soak up the yummy gravy. Crabs were fresh and sweet.
The plentiful delicious mushrooms and mixed vegetables in the starchy delicate Loh Han Zhai was a hit as well.
The Deep Fried Grouper was probably the best dish, in my view. This ran out in seconds. Fresh, mild, moist, with a golden crisp skin.
A Sweet Thai Chili Sauce Dip complements the delicate, clean flavours of the fish.
In comparison, the Fried Dory with Oats wasn't fresh enough, and needed a lot of soy to cover the slightly fishy undertones.
The Fruits Station, with a pretty array of fresh tropical fruits.
The Dessert Station, with an assortment of Kuehs and Asian pastries.
Some of the Kuehs we tried. I may be a glutton but there was no way I could try everything.
These had a controlled sweetness and delectable chewy texture.
Although I added a tad too much gula melaka, I still liked the Sago Gula Melaka for the bouncy sago pearls and the smoky heady sweetness of the cane sugar.
The multi-layered Kueh Lapis was moist, spongy and sweet.
The Mango and Soursop Sorbet was a refreshingly tart way to cut through the grease and heavy meal.
The Jackfruit Goreng, fresh off the fryer, was sweet and juicy on the inside and coated with a thin, crisp batter.
The Durian Pengat and Durian Ice-Cream was apparently quite nice, it wasn't too heavy or pungent.
Straits Kitchen
10 Scotts Road
Grand Hyatt Hotel
Tel: 6738 1234
Open daily from 6.30am to 11.45pm
Comments