We reached the restaurant around 630pm. It was not very packed but I was glad to make a reservation as a queue gradually built up outside the small restaurant. The first item on our order list was of course their famous Braised Whole Sharksfin with Crabmeat (promotional rate - $28 per pot, usual - $40) served in a claypot.
Looking at piping hot sharkfins & noticeable amount of real crab meat in bubbling gravy...how can one be not tempted to start picking up their chopsticks immediately! Yes chopsticks is the primary cultery used for savouring the sharkfins while Spoon becomes secondary in consuming the soup. Haha.
The sharkfin was in big chunky pieces, firm between the chopsticks yet melt in the mouth. The gravy was savoury & thick yet not starchy. We were also provided with corianders & white bean spouts, optional garnishes if you like to add some crispness to the sharkfin soup. With dashes of peppers & black vinegars, we finished the soup till the last drop...simply one of the best sharkfins we ever tried. My mum & dad were full of praises for it. Thanks to my mum, my sister & brother got to enjoy a claypot each too (my poor pockets...)Soon after we finished our claypots, the Teochew Steamed Garoupa ($48) was served.
It has been a long while since I last tried this authentic teochew dish. It was a familiar home-cooked taste...brought back the memories of my grandma. She was a great cook and always prepared this steamed fish for the annual reunion dinner. Back to the fish, it was very fresh. In my (& my dad's) opinion, fresh Garoupa is best prepared using the Steam method so you can really taste the fish's sweetness. The flesh was so soft that you can save your jaws from the chewing exercise. haa.. The Teochew style steamed fish did a great job in stimulating the taste buds with sour plums, salted vegetables & spicy chilli padi. The clear soup (from the steamed fish) was also good to go with a bowl of white rice.
Next, the vegetable was served. We had Kang Kong stirred fried with Thai Chili ($12), a variation from the usual sambal chili. The Thai sauce was not too spicy nor sour, went very well with the water spinach.
Stirred fried Garlic Crayfish ($35 for 5) was next on the line. It was not too bad but could be better. I found the crayfish meat a bit stiff but compensated by the fragrant deep fried garlic generously tossed over dish.
Finally, the second highlight (after the Sharkfin) of the dinner...
...Baked Whole Crab with Vermicelli! Though I felt it was kinda pricey to pay $80 for one crab, the dish proved itself worthy of the cost. The crab was baked without strong condiments, but it easily enticed the taste buds with its natural sweetness. The crab meat was very fresh & succulent. Behind its striking red shell, lay a bed of alluring roe, so much so that it was enough for the 5 of us to get a good portion! The vermicelli was quite nice too; fried with some braised sauce to the right degree of elasticity.
After we finished the crab (which was thoughtfully served last), the captain brought a separate dessert menu. Since it was a Thai-Chinese restaurant, it has the all time favourites such as the Thai glutinous rice with sweet mango, red ruby ice, cooling 'guilin gao' (herbal jelly) & dumpling soup. What surprised me is their exquisite selection of gelato.
After much deliberation, we chose the 'Coppa Blanco', red ruby desset and bird's nest for my mum and dad.
Coppa Blanco ($7.50), a casting of Giandula gelato with a centre of vanilla bean ice cream, rolled in crushed hazelnut and nougat...nice!
Lucky Red Ruby ($4.50) Beneath the 'crystal ball' (ice), lay the precious red gem (crunchy dyed-red water chestnut morsels) in creamy sweet coconut...very cooling to the heart indeed.
Bird's Nest ($30 per bowl)...my mum's favourite...so glad that the restaurant was having a 1-for-1 promo on the Bird's Nest so that my dad could have the complimentary bowl which slightly reduced the damage to my wallet.
Overall it was a very sumptuous and satisfying meal but the damages was not clearly not small. I added $436 to my May credit card bill at the end of the day. However when I saw at the contented looks on my parents, it definitely worthed the price :)
My final verdict...
Food - 9/10
Service - 8/10
Ambience - 6/10
Value for $$$ - 7/10
Address: 81-81A Tanjong Pagar Road S(088502)
Tel: 6222 6626, 6222 1239
Website: http://www.ramathai.com.sg/menu.htm
So we found ourselves settled comfortably in the restaurant around 630pm. Since my mum was having some coughs, we went for the lighter dishes...except for the first dish...hee...
Their Signature Roasted Pork ($11.20). I felt a bit guilty when I was ordering this (my mum's favourite) but as I put the first piece into my mouth, I knew it was a right choice. Haha. Lived up to their reputation as one of the signature dishes, the pork skin was so crispy that you can hear the crunchy sound in every bite! The meat however remained juicy & chewy, well balanced with fatty layers yet not oily...very well roasted indeed. The dish was served with mustard but I preferred the roasted pork on its own.
