Looking to (literally) spice things up for date night? Then Kha is THE place to go for some kick-ass Thai food. Kha is located at no.38 Martin Road, which is a newish and cool building just off Robertson Quay. But fear not, you will still be at a decent distance from the not-so-chic crowds.
Adam Cliff, who is the executive chef at Kha, has worked in some of the world’s most famed Thai restaurants, including Nahm London, the first Thai restaurant awarded with a Michelin star. Like many non-natives, my Thai cuisine knowledge so far mainly consists of Pad Thai and Green curry… sounds familiar?
But what’s so great about Kha is that it has a fine-dining aura about it which makes you want to step out of your comfort zone and try some new dishes. And we did.
Date night calls for cocktails so we kicked off with a good browse through the restaurant’s extensive cocktail list. Mama’s eyes settled on the Lemongrass Cosmopolitan while hubby headed down the path of a Kha Martini. Both were absolutely delicious. The Cosmopolitan was the winner with a lovely mix of fragrant lemongrass, vodka, Southern Comfort and pineapple juice. Because we’re worth it and all that mamas!
Braver by the minute (and from the cocktails) we were feeling kind of adventurous so we asked our waiter to order for us. This resulted in us starting out with a ‘Som Dtum Mlakor’- a green papaya salad with cherry tomatoes in a spicy sweet and sour dressing, coupled with some crispy pork. It was indeed spicy, but without killing the individual flavours. The menu describes it with the word ‘KHAPOW’. Couldn’t agree more. After that we were served the 24 hour marinated chicken, which was super tender and accompanied with a sort of Texas-meets-Thailand sauce. Slightly smoky and spicy but with a sweetness to it. Seriously super.
A friend had recommended us to try the grilled whole sea bass, stuffed with lemon grass and thai basil, which was absolutely lovely. We decided to have this with a side of morning glory. Woohoo, we were on a food roll!
Reluctantly we realised that we were starting to feel rather full- as in stuffed- which meant we wouldn’t have room for much more. But shame on those who give up that easily; we decided to strike back with a Pad Thai.
Was it good? It was great. Moist without being greasy, the shrimps were crispy and the noodles were tender. After cleaning that plate (too) we had to give up our dreams of dessert. There simply was no room. But given the level of the food we’d enjoyed so far, I’d be happy to bet you my children’s education fund (oops..) that the Mango Sticky Rice will stick with you for a looong time.
Overall verdict? Ooo la la Kha!
Kha, 38 Martin Rd, Singapore 239059
Tel: (+65) 6476 9000