Chin Chin, CBD

It was a hot day when we had lunch at Chin Chin last weekend. This restaurant was made famous by some good reviews and so it was quite difficult to get a seat in the restaurant without waiting for some time.

We passed the restaurant at around 11am on our way to the Moomba fest and I asked Gaz if we could get a bite then because I didn't want to wait. Of course it was way too early for lunch so we went back at around 1:30pm.

We were told that there will be a half hour wait for a table and that they will sms us when a table comes up. There were a couple of empty tables with the owners still roaming the streets waiting for the fateful sms, no doubt.

We walked round and round the block for half an hour until my legs could not take it any more so Gaz went back to the restaurant and asked if there was a table available yet. Thankfully the maitre'd immediately showed us to a table.

Seeing it was a hot day, the waiter recommended a watermelon, mint and coconut ice drink. I felt a little pressured into ordering the drink even though I do not like coconut.

The drink came with too little watermelon and too much mint. The young coconut flesh turned out quite OK though. But I was not impressed with the drink.

As a starter we ordered the kingfish sashimi. It was slices of fish with lime juice, kaffir lime leaf, thai basil, blitzed green chilli and coconut cream. Gaz joked it should have been called kingfish ceviche instead seeing the fish was almost cooked in the lime juice.

I really liked the dish. The combination of flavours - sweet, sour, spicy was just right. I thought it made for a very appetizing starter and after tackling the dish I was more than ready to devour our mains.


We had to wait about 15 mins for our main during which time we looked hungrily on at the diners to our left and right. The impulse of reaching out to the next table with my chopsticks for their food was very strong. After all, the next table is just half an arm's length away!

So when the first main arrived, we wasted no time in digging in. We had ordered the crispy skin duck with pickled cucumber and ginger salad. There was a sprinkle of crushed peanut salt on top of the duck.

The duck was very good. I really do love duck, especially when they're moist and full of flavour like this one. The skin was crispy, the meat was tender and moist, and the peanut salt on top of the duck added flavour to the dish.

The pickled cucumber salad had the right tang of sourness which prompted a renewed appetite. The quality of the produce was superb, the duck was not too fatty at all. I just could not stop eating this dish with the bowl of rice we'd ordered.

The next main we ordered was the barbecued goat with riata. It was spicy! But I just could not resist ordering goat everytime I see it on menus because it is such a rare dish to come across. The strands of goat meat was tender and nicely done. I could not see how it could have been barbecued though.


Taking my first spoonful, I initially thought it was too sweet, but then it blends in with the spiciness. And when the spiciness becomes too much I take a spoonful of raita and it immediately quells the spiciness. It's all very well balanced indeed.

I really enjoyed our lunch at Chin Chin (with exception of the drink - they need to rethink the ratio of ingredients in that drink, seriously). I went into the restaurant thinking, 'What's the big deal, it's just Thai food.' I walked out converted. I felt I could taste a real difference in the dishes - they were fresh and clear flavours and quite different from 'just Thai food'.