River Wok offers the best flavours from Indochina under one roof with an eclectic menu created by Executive Chef Kantha Chookiat which focuses on Southeast Asian cuisines from countries like Laos, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. We dropped by last week for lunch.
We started off our culinary adventure at River Wok with a traditional Thai salad, Yam Tuapoo Goong Sod (SGD 16), consisting of wing beans, tiger prawns and shredded chicken mixed with a lovely tangy and spicy dressing made with fish sauce, lime juice, coconut cream, chilli paste and topped with crispy fried shallots and roasted grated coconut.
It was really spicy and perhaps the wait staff could offer different levels of customized spiciness say Level 1-3, like buffalo wings served at some joints. But it was a well executed starter otherwise.
We tried the Nam Khao Hor (SGD 10 – veg/ SGD 14), a Vietnamese hand rolled rice paper with minced chicken and roasted rice crumbles. The lemon-marinated minced chicken with crispy rice crumbles kept us reaching out for more after every bite.
Described as “comfort food” by the chef, the Indonesian Sop Ikan Batam (SGD 12) combines red snapper fillet, basil, lemon, tomato and pickled mustard that provides just the right amount of tanginess and freshness to tickle the taste buds.
Clear and clean refreshing soup, it could do with less chilli as the spice was overpowering the natural robust soup broth, which was a pity. The broth reminded us of a typical Teochew steamed silver pomfret served in traditional Teochew restaurants and zi char stalls.
The classic Vietnamese staple, Pho Bo (SGD 26) is served the traditional way in a fragrant beef broth but with the added richness of premium sliced Wagyu beef accompanied with the freshness of bean sprouts and other herbs, presented on the side when served.
The wagyu beef is from Australia and is served raw separately. You simply dip the wagyu slices into the piping hot soup according to your preferred doneness. The soup broth is brewed from scratch from beef bones and stock for many hours, we were told.
We were blown away with the decadent Gaeng Phed Ped Yang (SGD 22), a roasted duck in rich Thai red curry (perfectly paired with Stella Artois Pilsner). Chef Chookiat adds a creative twist to this traditional dish with grapes and pineapple giving a wonderful hint of sweetness with spice.
Post Meal Sweet Tooth Indulgence
A meal is never complete without desserts! We tried the Banh Chuoi (SGD 12), a savoury Vietnamese dessert consisting of banana fritters and black sesame ice cream and the traditional Thai Khao Neow Ma Muang (SGD 10), a sweet sticky rice pudding paired with slices of sweet mango and coconut cream.
It was a brilliant and awesome lunch. We will be back for sure!
ABOUT RIVER WOK
Nestled among restaurants and the romantic riverside of Robertson Quay, River Wok serves modern Indochina cuisine, pulling together dishes from Laos, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand that has a shared love of robust flavours, heat and contrasting textures. Cuisines at River Wok are specially brought to patrons by an Executive Chef who has over 30 years of experience in the region.
River Wok is located at 80 Mohamed Sultan Road, The Pier, #01-12, Singapore 239013. Open Mondays to Sundays from 12pm to 11.00pm, please call (65) 6732 1126 for enquiries and reservations. Visit and follow – Facebook page www.facebook.com/RiverWok & Instagram page www.instagram.com/river_wok for more information.