Love authentic Thai street food, but don’t quite want to roadside feel or dirt? Long Chim at MBS brings to you Thai cuisine in an up-market ambiance.

Celebrity Chef David Thompson helms this ship, and I was really surprised that Long Chim managed to pull off incredibly tasty and fragrant Thai food – VERY VERY different to the “Thai food” (yes, in quotes) that you find in restaurants and food stalls scattered around Singapore.

Note that they’ve raised the prices on their menu – SIGNIFICANTLY. I did some price comparison between our prices vs other food reviews online, and it seems they have raised the price by around 30-100% (!!!!!).

 

The mood that Long Chim exudes is part sexy, part dirty. Like these guys. (did I just say that out loud?)

 

Their cocktails are sublime. I say – go all out and indulge in one. Or two. Or three. Or four. Their signature cocktail menu is enticing and very different.

 

The name Long Chim means “come and taste” in Thai, and food is served tapas-style (ie. small portions). It does add up, making it a pricey meal overall, so watch what you order.

 

We kicked off with something that looked like it was straight off a bar menu – the Cured pork fritters with ginger ($17). Surprisingly, the pork fritters were tender and juicy, despite being deep fried. There was a subtle punch of ginger, but it was not too overwhelming so I enjoyed it.

 

Their Grilled Squid Southern Style ($26!!) was a firm favourite of mine. It was a on the petite side considering the jawdropping price, but the vibrant flavour was phenomenal. The squid was marinated in a thick blend of spices, as well as coated with a rich coconut cream, then grilled. I loved the charred flavour and the tender bite of the squid. Amazing.

 

The Grilled lamb rib curry ($29) was a recommendation of our very knowledgeable, very helpful, and very lovely waitress. It was very well received by our table, and also one of my favourite dishes. The was devoid of any, errr, lamb-y smell, and was so tender it fell off the bone when I tried to pick it up. The boldness of the spice and curry flavour was just SO GOOD!

 

We ordered the Pad thai with prawns ($28), which was brilliant as it’s own stand-alone dish, but I felt it was too overwhelming against our storm of full-flavoured dishes. This one was a bit of a flavour powerhouse, and I’d get this as a meal for lunch alongside a fresh appetizer.

 

The presentation of their Fish Cakes ($16) warrants a thumbs up. It’s a very small portion, but each fish cake tastes legit and flavourful, very different to the diluted-tasting fish cakes that most other restaurants serve up. It comes with a large portion of dipping sauce, studded with fresh cucumber, red chilli, spanish onion, and crushed peanuts. Scoop up this goodness with a spoon, and pop it into your mouth alongside a bite of fish cake. DELISH!

 

I actually have no recollection of this dish, so I suppose that speaks for itself. It was more of a regular stir fried dish and simply didn’t stand out like some of the other dishes did.

 

The Stir fried Siamese watercress with yellow beans ($15) arrived dressed up with a (giant) red chilli on top. The vegetables itself are not spicy, however. But neither were they that exciting to me.

 

I liked the bright colours of the Green papaya salad ($18), but found it a little too sour. The papaya was also quite roughly cut, and I preferred the finely julienne’d vegetables that I’d had in Thailand.

 

A simple but effective dish was their Grilled chicken with sweet chilli sauce ($22). The quarter chicken was moist and succulent, and delicious enough to eat on its own. Admittedly, I’d expected half a chicken to arrive at the table…

 

If you’re after something a bit more unique (as I don’t think this is found anywhere else in Singapore), try the Dried Prawns With Ginger, Toasted Coconut And Betel Leaves ($12). It arrives looking very pretty – with bright green leaves encasing dried tiny prawns and a whole assortment of ingredients. You simply pick up the whole ‘packet’ and pop it into your mouth. Phwoar! Flavour central.

 

Initially a bit alarmed to see the Green Curry of Wagyu Beef with Basil and Thai Chillies ($26) swimming in oil, it was with relief that the oiliness didn’t overpower the dish. The curry gravy was thick and creamy, and the wagyu beef was braised beautifully. It arrived with a little side plate of roti, but sadly, it was tough and chewy.

 

Of course, the Mango Sticky Rice is a bit of a must-try dish when one is at a Thai restaurant. I found it decent, but it wasn’t a stand out. The mango was just borderline ripe, so the sweetness mainly came from the rich coconut cream draped over it.

 

I did not like the Coconut Cake one bit, finding it with an odd slightly-crumbly slightly-wet texture. Perhaps it’s a personal preference, as I generally am not keen on coconut.

 

Happily, I found the Banana roti pretty stellar. It was fluffy and crispy, filled with gooey sweet bananas, and drizzled with a sticky sweet condensed milk sauce. A very simple idea, but well executed and a decadent way to end our meal.

 

Happy, well-fed people. I really enjoyed the ambiance at Long Chim, and was very happy with the service, as well as the delicious food. Everything is extremely flavourful and spiced, so I would recommend ordering less than what we did (which was everything you see above, x2, as we ordered two of almost every dish!). It will make your meal a lot cheaper than what it was for us, and you won’t feel as bowled over with flavours as I did.

 
If I were to go back with just Chris, I’d simply order a curry, a vegetable dish, and an appetizer. With lots of white rice. And a couple of cocktails!