Food Review: Restaurant Chedi At Hamilton Road | Innovative & Contemporary Thai Restaurant In Jalan Besar

Posted on March 4, 2023 by theRantingPanda in Food

The Place Located in a 1930s shophouse on Hamilton Road, I checked out a newly opened Thai restaurant – Restaurant Chedi located in the buzzing Jalan Besar. Restaurant Chedi’s interior is a long shophouse space with playful murals of Thai paintings, where there are regular tables for small groups as well as a counter seating where you get a closer glimpse of the fire action in the open kitchen.

The restaurant exudes a fun, fine-casual dining vibe and is helmed by Chef-owner K-Jin Lim and Head Chef Miller Mai.

The Food There is only a 8-course Tasting Menu (S$148++) which showcases the myriad of Thai flavours from hot, sour, salty, and sweet. It is not a cuisine of a particular region of Thailand, but rather, the team hopes to showcase the breadth of Thai cuisine.

For my dinner where I had the Tasting Menu, here is what I had in sequence:

Miang Kham | wild betel leaf, homemade Thai miang reduction rayong dried shrimp, Hokkaido ikura
Have it in one bite. You will get all the flavours of spicy, sour, sweet and bitter at different points. This is then followed by a chilled shot of refreshing palate cleanser of Thai tamarind, palm sugar, salt and soda water.

Nam Prik Gapi | shrimp paste relish with tempura tiger shrimps
Nam Prik is a category of intense chilli relishes in Thai cuisine while Gapi is shrimp paste, and the spicy relish is served here with tempura of ocean shrimp and broccolini (delicious on their own), as well as cucumber sticks. The cucumber helps to cleanse the palate in between the bites of the prawn and broccolini, though be mindful that the ‘Nam Prik’ could be quite spicy.

Gang Som Fak Thong | Japanese pumpkin, piquant soup, dry-aged Chilean Seabass, traditional Thai fish floss
Gang Som is orange curry and is considered one the spiciest of Thai curries. A lovely curry texture which is thickened with Japanese pumpkin puree from Hokkaido. I like how easy it is to have the luscious curry on its own, as it is not at all spicy surprisingly. The seabass itself is also amazing, as it spots a nice firm texture and a fatty flavour as well. The best part for me in this dish is also the crispy fish floss, which is tastier to have it along with the curry.

Tom Kha Gai | baked chicken wings foie gras infused sticky rice
This is quite an ingenious dish as it is like a deconstructed Tom Kha dish. I was expecting a traditional Tom Kha dish in a coconut-based broth, but rather, the Tom Kha here is presented in a foam format. The baked chicken wings stuffed with foie gras and sticky rice is amazingly delicious, as it is so tender and flavourful and yet the chicken does not taste overly rich at all. Have the chicken on its own first, then dip it in the foam of coconut milk infused with shallots, lemongrass, and galangal (kha or blue ginger).

Som Tam Ram Mit | medley of daily harvest greens and seasonal fresh fruits
I have never been a big fan of Som Tam but I was glad to have this refreshing course in the middle of my meal. The salad here consists of pomelo sacs, grapes, pink guava, deep-fried sun-dried baby mackerel that is from southern Thailand, shallots, chilli, jackfruit, cashews, coriander leaves plus rocket for a touch of bitterness. I especially love the dressing which has bits of sour notes and is a classic combination of fish sauce, lime and sugar. Topped with a piece of crispy mackerel fish for an added crisp to the salad.

Nam Ya Goong Mang Korn | Maine lobster, yellow curry, grilled greens and crispy rice
Nam Ya refers to fish or seafood yellow curry where this dish is a southern Thai style dish. The curry spots a rich taste but is easy to have as it is not that spicy. The chunky lobster meat is fresh, while the curry sauce elevates the flavour of the lobster. It also comes with crispy rice crackers which is a joy to have with the curry as well.

Kor Muu Yang | Iberico secreto, Isaan street style, tomato sweet basil salad with northern Thai relishes
This is a North-Eastern Thai dish, where Iberico secreto is the thin cut of meat on the side of the Iberian pig’s thick neck (between the shoulder blade and the loin), often regarded as one of the juiciest and most tender part of pork. I am pleasantly surprised by the smoky flavour of the pork, where the pork is really tender and marbled.

Have the pork with the accompanying northern style nam prik noom (chilli dip) made of green chilli, shallots, garlic and shrimp paste; and the Isaan nam jim jeaw (astringent) prepared with lime juice, roasted rice flakes and shallots. Some refreshing cherry tomato sweet basil salad by the side which helps to cleanse the palate.

Alternatively, there is also an option to switch the pork to the Neua Yang | A5 Saga wagyu striploin (additional S$32) where the beef is expectedly tender and flavourful.

As an add on to the meal if you still have space for another dish, I recommend having the Signature Khao Pad Kid Tern | a fried rice to remember. (S$14 per bowl (min. order 2 bowls)).

The fried rice is cooked with 6 months cured salted threadfin and crabmeat, and there is a very good ‘wok hei’ flavour being imparted in every grain of the rice. The rice goes even better with some of the accompanying fish sauce with chilli.

For dessert, I had the Tub Tim Krob, traditional homemade red ruby with inhouse churned coconut ice-cream. The coconut ice cream is topped with toasted coconut, and it is a nice ending to conclude the meal. Overall, it is not too sweet, yet you can taste the freshness of the coconut and I also like the chewy texture of the red ruby.

Rants It is a pity that the restaurant is not opened for lunch at the moment.

Will I Return Again? Even though there is only a tasting menu at Chedi, I find that the dishes are unpretentious and there are unique elements which I have not come across in Thai cuisine before. If you love Thai food and want a more elevated dining experience, this restaurant is worth a try.

This was an invited tasting, though all opinions expressed are our own.

Make your reservations instantly at Restaurant Chedi here.

TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 3.5/5
Ambience: 3.5/5
Overall Experience: 4/5