IF there can be Italian delis, then why not an Asian one? Specifically, Thai. That was what spurred chef Christopher Millar of fine dining restaurant Poppi to come up with the idea of a modern Thai deli - a place where you can get good Thai food, supply of fresh local produce, and also baked goods like coconut tarts and muffins.
A perennial favourite in Singapore, Thai food has been going smart casual in recent years, and Mr Millar's latest venture, Sweet Salty Spicy, is taking it up yet another notch. Here is where to find finely executed contemporary Thai fare in a smart but laid-back setting, filling the gap between Thai chain outlets and fine dining restaurants.
"It's a concept that I developed with my vegetable supplier, Victor Chia," he explains. He's been patronising Mr Chia's stall at Tekka Market for almost five years, since he started working in Singapore. The other collaborator is Mr Millar's friend and fellow chef, Peter Bowyer, who owns the very successful Sailors Thai in Sydney Rocks district, started by David Thompson of London's Nahm fame - the only Michelin-starred Thai restaurant in Europe.
How it works is that Mr Chia supplies the fresh produce at the deli - herbs, vegetables etc - at Tekka market prices, while Mr Bowyer helped train Mark Richards, the chef at Sweet Salty Spicy, and comes over once every couple of months to develop the cuisine.
"It's really a neighbourhood concept - here's a place for a casual Thai meal, and then you can also shop here," says Mr Millar, gesturing to produce such as fresh rocket leaves (selling at $2.80 per 100g), and take-away purchases such as a green curry "kit" and marinated items such as wagyu beef rump ($10.50 per piece), turmeric lemongrass chicken ($3.80 per piece) and spicy chicken in skewers ($1.50 per piece) all waiting to be taken home for an easy grill.
Mr Millar likens the restaurant to a "canteen", but it's far from the scholastic type of canteen that comes to mind - especially not with decor like the handpainted orchid mural on the black wall (done by an artist friend from the UK). The food is fresh, and done in a contemporary style. Singaporean chef Richards, who worked with Mr Millar at Poppi before, trained in a Western kitchen. By no means is the food fusion - this is authentic Thai, made from fresh ingredients, and with a refined touch.
Both the green curry with snapper fish and red duck curry are delicious, full of natural goodness. The handmade pastes are also bottled for sale at the deli. The mango salad is mixed with salmon, and super tangy, with juice from green lemons.
There are contemporary creations like the lightly marinated wagyu beef rump ($28) which comes under the "grill" section of the menu, while staples such as the aromatic and fresh tom yam soup and springy pad Thai noodles are excellent.
Some dishes would be those found at Sailors Thai - such as the deep fried silken tofu stuffed with fresh crab mixed with coriander and minced pork ($18) - which is in fact a dish served at the Sydney restaurant's fine-dining section rather than their casual eatery.
Wines are also Australian, with Mr Millar bringing in premium "clean skins" for his own imprints - meaning they're bottles from well-known estates but just not labelled. Those would be the Shiraz and Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc wines, along with other labels.
We hardly had much appetite left for dessert after our full meal, although from the time we stepped in, the aroma from the freshly baked items had already wafted deliciously around us. In the end, the coconut tart and the pavlova with brown sugar cream and fresh slices of mango provided just the right light, sweet touch to end the meal.
Now, if only there could be a Sweet Salty Spicy on the East part of the island - that neighbourhood could do with a hip, modern Asian deli too.
Sweet Salty Spicy 392/394 Upper Bukit Timah Road
The Rail Mall
(opposite the railway bridge, near hillview)
(S) 678047
Tel: 6877 2544
