Thanying is widely regarded as a dining institution, the default destination when the craving for dependably good and authentic Thai food strikes. One of Singapore’s oldest fine Thai restaurants, its years of business are starting to show in its dated interiors that feature peach tablecloths and wooden chairs lined with gold brocade. Its age is also evident in the waft of fish sauce that hits you as soon as you cross its entrance, that delicious rank that fits perfectly into the fabric of a true Thai meal.

 

While the years are starting to take its toll on the restaurant’s hardware, its food is still as satisfying as ever. This isn’t fare that will knock your socks off — rather, it is food that comforts and pacifies; food that provides the assurance that some things do remain, quite happily, the same.

 

The classic pomelo salad is lush, fresh and tart, strewn with prawns and chicken that are cut to seemingly precise centimetre pieces. Tossed in a deep, rounded dressing redolent of lime juice and fish sauce, it is a masterful example of how classic dishes are elevated to royal cuisine here.

 

A starter of deep-fried crab shells filled with a mix of crabmeat and minced chicken also affirms the restaurant’s ability. Beneath its crisp exterior, the crab and chicken mix is luscious and cleverly enriched with a golden orb of salted egg yolk that lends a pleasing creamy savouriness. A drizzle of the accompanying sweet chilli sauce and it is a deep-fried snack fit for kings.

 

The same, however, cannot be said of a deboned and deep-fried whole garoupa that is served with a tangy-sweet chilli sauce. Having probably spent a minute too long in the hot oil, the crispy fish had lost its succulence, rendering it a little dry.

 

Though there is an impressive list of thick Thai curries, a knowing service staffer recommended the stir-fried prawns in a sauce of fresh milk, egg, onions and chillies. It is a dish we do not regret, brimming with a complex mix of spices that have been tempered with the milk and egg so that it is nuanced and light, yet extremely satisfying.

 

Perhaps its years in the business have convinced Thanying that the Singaporean sweet tooth is no match for the Thais’. So the sugar level in its drinks have been adjusted to the point that our too-small glass of Thai iced tea wasn’t even close to being sweet enough. That said, this sugar temperance was appreciated at dessert where everything on the mini buffet spread made for a pleasingly not-too-sweet end to a satisfying meal.

 

Level 2, Amara Hotel, 165 Tanjong Pagar Road. Tel: 6222 4688