Get your mind out of the gutter. I’m not referring to adult entertainment but the Thai restaurant called Porn’s. One of the last F&B outlets to open at Star Vista, I have always wanted to try their fare as I only had the chance to attend events held at their SAFRA outlet. Located on the outside of the mall on the second floor, you can easily miss it. (Fastest way is to walk straight ahead after you get off the long escalator to the mall located closest to the MRT station.) The place is bright and colourful, and the servers attentive. But alas they don’t serve complimentary water. So I had the Porn’s signature lemongrass drink ($4.50) which was refreshing and not too sweet and served rather quickly (but then again the place was not yet filled when I was there.)
As it’s a Thai restaurant, of course the first thing you should check is whether their tom yum is up to par. They call their tom yum items “hot pot” as the soup dish is served in a steamboat – but only if you order the big one. I order the small tom yum prawn ($10.90) and was rather disappointed when they served it only in a simple white bowl (above). But all is forgiven the moment I tasted the soup. Spicy if a tad sourish but definitely tom yum as it should be brewed. What’s more, they serve big fresh tiger prawns and tasty straw mushrooms in it. (I hate it when so-called Thai restaurants served shrimps in tom yum, such a rip-off.) All of which went very well with my plate of fluffy Thai Jasmine rice.
For vegetables I went for the Thai sambal kang kong ($7.50) which has a two-chilli warning next to it on the menu. Yes, it does look chill hot when it came but it’s rather mild if you are used to eating sambal belachan by the spoonful. The dish was really good with the kang kong fresh and crunchy, but portion was way too much for one person. Most of the menu items are better shared, though the small tom yum soup is just nice for a person.
Wanting to end my meal on a sweet and not spicy note, I opted for the sticky rice with durian ($8.90) which I just realised cost more than my kang kong. But don’t let the unappetising picture of it (above) fool you – it’s absolutely gobsmacking good – unless of course you can’t the sight, taste and smell of durian. The durian goop was served cold while the 2 sesame-topped sticky rice moulds were served hot. So when you smear the durian over the rice, each mouthful is nothing short of sensational. (Again, you must like/love/enjoy durian to understand this!) I’m glad I made the right choice to end with dessert, even though it pushed my total bill to almost $40.
Well, great to know there’s good Thai to be had at Star Vista if ever I need a spicy fix. Definitely good Porn’s this!
Musings on the M49 