Entree Kibbles: JJ Thai Cuisine (Opposite Sembawang Shopping Centre) @ Jalan Legundi [Singapore]

Thursday, January 26, 2017

JJ Thai Cuisine (Opposite Sembawang Shopping Centre) @ Jalan Legundi [Singapore]

I have patronised Sembawang Shopping Centre for a long time and fondly remember the numerous times my sister and her friends brought me to the Pizza Hut outlet for the affordable pizza buffet!

Heck, i even worked at the shopping mall from secondary school until after my 'O' levels. Anyway, the location for today's makan place, JJ Thai Cuisine, is right across the mall; an area i didn't quite explore all these years.

According to the website, JJ Thai Cuisine started as a hawker stall at Bukit Merah and business must have been good enough for them to upgrade the status to restaurant! Well, the facts were not known to my family; we just wanted dinner and the eatery had available seating that the nearby You Huak White Bee Hoon didn't have.

Frankly, it's a blessing in disguise as our family had more options for meals compared to before, when i would insist on having the curry chicken from Fu Xiang Kitchen (福翔咖哩雞) @ Food Junction Kitchen!

Thai Lemongrass - Rather sweet and the presentation gave the wrong impression that it's mass produced even though a check with the friendly staff clarified that it was made in-store and was packaged in such a way for convenience.

Tapioca Served with Coconut Milk - Served hot, it was okay tasting with the coconut milk and sugar syrup increasing the palatability of the otherwise earthy-tasting root plant.

Phad Thai Glass Noodles - This was so delicious; i almost wanted to re-order. It wasn't as heavy as the usual phad thai and was relatively light with a good equilibrium of the signature sweetness-savouriness-nuttiness.

Stir Fried Minced Pork w Basil - My review of "not too bad" for this dish was a result of its similarity to mum's version! The only difference would be the heightened spiciness due to the hot basil leaves. Note: order a bowl of white rice to go with the above.

Tom Yum Seafood (Thick) - An appetising soup that every diner should order for every meal spent at JJ Thai Cuisine! Each bowl would be good enough for four persons and it's a pity there's no "small" option for smaller groups.

So what's so good about it? For one, the operator was extremely generous with good sized prawns, cuttlefish etc included in the broth. Another reason would of course be the taste; it wasn't overpowering with spiciness and sourness like some versions i had encountered elsewhere and hit the right spot in the midst of my taste buds.

Deep Fried Tilapia w Thai Chilli Sauce - I didn't know why i even bothered having fish when my younger sister generally doesn't like fish! Guess it's the invisible signal that my mom, an ardent lover for fish meat, was giving me.

Generally, it wasn't the same as the Thai Deep Fried Fish Delight we had at Taste of Thailand and was in fact sweeter, I would have preferred it to be slightly spicier but i am not complaining as the fish was fried to a crisp! Mom, however, opined that it was way too crispy and could have better with more meat!

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