Balinese and Thai restaurants have always had their foothold in Singapore individually, catering to our ever-demanding taste buds. But, wouldn’t it be great to combine these two cuisines under the same roof? Yes, it would be great. Thus, the birth of Bali Thai, the unique blend of Balinese and Thai food culture and oh yeah, it’s halal-certified as well.

At the first step into the branch at Novena Square, you will notice this rather welcoming and cosy décor with comfortable cushioned seats and artistic wallpapers. The setting and table arrangements are well-catered for large groups, so, that makes it a good choice for gatherings and events.

As the name suggests, expects to see flavorful choices of both popular Balinese and Thai dishes. For appetizer, I started off with Tahu Telur ($8.50), which is a must-have Indonesian dish at any Indonesian restaurants. The deep-fried crust was crispy and the egg fluffs were quite delightfully delicious when I digged in. The soft tofu was well-accompanied by the sweet peanut gravy and it really made you want to keep digging for more. Plus, the sweet taste of this dish really went well with the free flow order of warm white rice, which I found it to be generous. Oh, and not leaving out the shredded cucumber and carrot to create extra crunch to each mouthful.

Tahu Telur dish from Bali Thai

Tahu Telur dish from Bali Thai

Then, there was the combination platter ($20) that serves 4-5 pax and it comes with 3 pieces of spring rolls, otah and satay. Nothing much to brag about this dish but I must say, the satay were chunky and well-grilled. Otah was passable and spring rolls were decent enough to hold your hunger while waiting for other dishes to arrive.

Up next, the grand entrée of seafood BBQ platter ($36) and boy, did it look appetizing. There were a medium size grouper, cumi bakar (BBQ squids), grilled chicken and more satay. I would say this dish worked perfectly for me as I’m a huge fan of BBQ and grilled food. Grouper was fresh and had a light taste underneath its slightly burnt skin. Squids were well-cooked, without being too chewy for my jaws. Chicken meat was a tad too dry though but I was able to add some kick to it with some sambal belacan.

Phat Thai

Phat Thai

Phad Thai ($9.50) came along and I remembered it was good because the rice noodles were springy aka QQ. Garnished with crushed peanuts, this dish came with generous combination of beansprouts, tofu, chicken meat and topped it up with a big prawn fritters. The only downside is, we could not split the one and only prawn among the 9 of us. Overall, I am satisfied with this dish, mainly because it was tasty and not too oily.

Fried rice served in a pineapple bowl aka Pineapple Rice ($9.50) was a letdown as I found the rice to be rather lacking in taste. It was a little odd that they replaced chicken floss with sausages instead to make the dish somehow, different from other places. Besides, the portion was too small, probably due to the pineapple size.

I also had the green curry chicken ($11) and it was pretty tasty. Though not a big fan of green curry, I would say Bali Thai did the dish justice with coconut milk that did not overwhelm and spices that create a fragrant aroma for the curry. This makes it a worthy complement to my plate of white rice.

Our order of Hotplate Beancurd with Seafood ($12.80) failed to impress us though it had a mixture of prawns, squids, mushrooms, carrots, green peas and egg tofu. I would still prefer this dish at most zi char stalls at food centre as they are definitely more authentically local. Maybe it is because I was not expecting such a mild flavor from Bali Thai. So, this dish would be more suitable for patrons who do not take spicy food.

We also tried the Long Beans with Salted Egg Yolk ($10). The name itself sounds interesting and thank goodness, the taste was tantalizing and flavorful especially when it is stir-fried with sambal belacan (chilli paste). I loved the sambal belacan, the crunchy long beans and the underlying salted egg yolk paste. It’s definitely something that I will order when I visit Bali Thai again!

Overall, I find Bali Thai is worth the visit as it is able to just cater food to those with taste buds for high level of spiciness. But for those who do not, Bali Thai still have non-spicy dishes which are equally delectable. So, check it out!

Review by Shanice Loo

More info about Bali Thai Restaurant from Singapore-Restaurant.com