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Singapore’s Jewel Changi Airport has been taking the world by storm ever since its opening.
But while tourists crowd to behold its state-of-the-art architecture, it’s the food here which has the attention of us Singaporeans.
Joining the impressive lineup of eating spots here is Faai Di (快啲), the latest concept by Ka-Soh.
If you find the name familiar, that’s because Ka-Soh is actually a well-known pioneer of Cantonese-style fish soup in Singapore. They’ve retained the highly-coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand Award every year since 2016.
Located in the Five Spice by Food Junction food court, this express concept features a wide variety of dishes. These include their all-time popular dishes, as well as new ones which are exclusive to Jewel!
Having heard so many good things about their Sliced Fish Noodles 鱼片米粉 (S$9.90), we had to give it a try.
Apparently, they brew the soup for many long hours in the outlet itself, using a ton of fish bones. This set our expectations sky-high.
To our delight, the bowl came almost filled to the brim. We could identify all the ingredients at one glance.
Disappointingly, however, the first spoonful of the soup was underwhelming. We were expecting a rich, intense flavour which would spread across our taste buds, but that wasn’t the case.
It was only after a few spoonfuls of soup that the flavours started sinking in.
For one, the soup tasted very light and clean. This led us to believe that Faai Di didn’t use any preservatives or MSG to enhance its flavours.
That said, however, the umami flavour of the soup was just too mild. It didn’t linger as much as we were hoping it would.
Unfortunately, the pieces of sliced fish were nothing much to rave about either. While they tasted fresh, we felt they were lacking the flakiness which would make a piece of sliced fish irresistible.
On the other hand, as a veggie lover, I appreciated that they were rather generous with the vegetables.
They soaked up the soup spectacularly, giving off a delightful flavourful crunch.
Next, we tried one of Faai Di’s Jewel-exclusives, the Faai Di Prawn Noodle Soup 虾米粉汤 (S$15.90).
Similarly, the dish came with a generous portion of thick rice noodles.
Super springy and slippery, the noodles broke off easily with every bite.
The prawns themselves were satisfyingly fresh and decent in size too.
In particular, we enjoyed their juiciness and subtle notes of sweetness.
But once again, the soup was lacklustre.
Relative to the Sliced Fish Noodles, however, the soup in this dish had a greater depth of flavour. The addition of prawns managed to infuse another layer of umami flavour into the soup.
For sides, we had the Steamed Chicken With Lap Cheong 腊肠蒸鸡 (S$8.50), a dish exclusive to Jewel as well.
I’ll be honest, we weren’t sure how different the dish would get. However, it soon proved us wrong with its bold flavours.
Firstly, the chunks of chicken were extremely tender and juicy. Every bite we took oozed with juice and filled our mouths with a rich, salty flavour.
The slices of lup cheong were sinfully oily and delectable too. They added a touch of sweetness to every bite.
If anything, this dish actually reminded me of the Cantonese-style steamed claypot rice I had in Hong Kong. It certainly brought back many good memories, I’ll tell you that!
Upon their recommendation, we also got the Ka-Soh Fried Yam 家嫂炸芋头 (S$8).
Being an orh nee lover, I had absolutely high expectations for this dish. Thankfully, it managed to live up to them and impress me.
The pieces of fried yam had a beautiful golden-brown hue on their crust. Crackly and scrumptious, it was evident that they were deep-fried to perfection.
Not only that, but the crust also had a distinct savoury taste which reminded us of fried youtiao.
As for the yam filling itself, we loved how oozy and luscious it was. Its earthy flavour, as well as subtle sweetness, complemented the savouriness of the crust nicely.
To complete our meal, we went for the classic Prawn Paste Chicken 虾酱鸡 (S$7.50).
Right off the bat, the bright golden hue on the har cheong gai got us really excited. We could smell the distinct fragrance of prawn paste from afar, making our mouths water in temptation.
True enough, the dish was the perfect ending to the meal.
Succulent and tender, the chicken meat was extremely flavourful.
It was apparent that they seasoned it really thoroughly too as it packed a ton of umami flavour.
The batter itself didn’t quite match up in terms of flavour. However, I must say that they absolutely nailed the ratio of batter to meat.
Every bite started with a soft crisp crunch from the batter and ended with a juicy mouthful of chicken.
Oh, and don’t forget to dip your har cheong gai in their housemade chilli sauce too!
The spicy and tangy notes of the dip made for a wonderful flavour bomb. You can bet we finished every last drop of it.
There were definitely some hits and misses in our meal at Faai Di. While the sides were outstanding, the main dishes fell short of our expectations.
Furthermore, the slightly steep price range over here is a factor to consider if I’m planning to return. But if you’re looking for a nostalgic taste in Jewel Changi Airport, then faai di and head over to Faai Di!
Expected Damage: S$2 – S$10.50 per pax
