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How do you bring the sheer vastness of Thai cuisine under one roof? Well, you use Soi, the Thai word for street. That’s the idea behind Soi Social, maverick celebrity chef Ian Kittichai’s composite of Thailand’s four distinct culinary regions at Festive Walk, Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).
The North, the Northeast (Isaan), the Central Plains and the South all get a say on the menu here. Chef Ian explains that his ‘Street Social’ bistro is an embodiment of the concept of enjoying comforting street food with friends and family. He should know; his multi-faceted journey has taken him from cooking at street stalls to the halls of fine dining.
Credit – Soi Social
While the Soi Social team is proud of its entire menu, they do have their favourites. One highlight is the Inch Sausages (S$18), which is Chiang Mai duck sausage served with wild betel leaf, ginger, peanuts and chili. That breakdown makes my mouth water even as I write it.
Credit – Soi Social
Another 2 excellent poultry dishes are Gang Phed Ped Yang (S$54 for half/S$102 for whole), roasted special marinated duck that comes with Thai red curry sauce, and Pok Pok (S$24) that is duck leg confit served with papaya salad and sticky rice. From the sea, there is Scallop BBQ’d in its Shell (S$22). This is seared scallop in “Nam-Tok” E-sarn style with dried chili and saw leaf coriander dressing.
From the wood-fired oven come the exquisite tastes of dishes freshly grilled to perfection over binchotan charcoal. Among them is the Charred Toothfish (S$85 for 180g, S$160 for 350g), where BBQ Southern-style marinated toothfish has its tantalising flavours coaxed out with yellow curry sauce. Meanwhile, traditional nam jim jaew Thai cjilli sauce dressing is the ideal companion to the Thaan BBQ Beef (S$140), their version of Charcoal-grilled striploin.
Much of the authenticity of the taste can be attributed to the freshness of the herbs and fruits so integral to Thai cooking; Chef Ian harvests them daily from the serene garden at RWS. Every blade, petal and stalk of ingredients such as kaffir lime, bilimbi, basil leaf and mint leaf you taste is pulsing with fresh nourishment and flavour.
If you’re like me and believe there’s nothing like a refreshing tropical cocktail to accompany your meal, Soi Social is the place to be. Handcrafted using Thai ingredients and traditional Thai spirits, their unique cocktails have been designed specifically to accompany the menu.
Siam Sour (S$19) is made from refreshingly rich and smooth Phraya rum, fresh lemon juice, a dash of egg white and hom mali rice and lemongrass syrup.
Best of all, Soi Social is designed so that guests can enjoy both the sight and aroma of the cooking as it happens. There are also private dining rooms for up to 6 diners for those who want a more intimate affair in the lush, nature-inspired setting.
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