Cuisine: Thai
Address: 30 Labrador Villa Rd, Singapore 119189
Nearest MRT: Labrador Park (Circle Line)

Set within a historic colonial bungalow and perched atop the forested Labrador Nature Reserve, nature and heritage harmonise at Tamarind Hill to present a gastronomic escape away from the city. With its timeless interiors, rustic-luxe décor, and epicurean dishes, the award-winning restaurant is an amalgamation of Asian and colonial influences, perfectly mirroring the city’s storied past.

I was here for a wedding, if not I would not choose such an obscure place to dine out. Even though it’s near Labrador Park MRT station, it is still a good 10-15 minutes walk, uphill and also the weather was unforgiving. Fortunately I had a car with me that day.

For starters, there was duck and lychee salad, grilled chicken with roasted chilli sauce and shrimp & vegetable fresh roll. All were petit but carefully prepared and the presentation on the dish was great. Usually, starters contain quite a number of fried food items but this one goes against the trend, and it is much healthier.

Next came the mains. This is asparagus with shrimp paste. It was not too spicy and the asparagus was crunchy without being too fibrous.

The steamed seabass with lime and chilli was up next. I find that the sauce was not too strong, even though it had hints of sour and spicy. I’m used to eating Thai food with strong flavours so perhaps this dish has been different so that we can taste the freshness of the fish.

Next dish is a staple Thai food – green curry chicken. It exceeded my expectations because the green curry was so fragrant and there was a tinge of coconut milk. It was not too thick nor rich. The chicken pieces soaked up the gravy well and since it was served with rice, I could scoop servings of the curry onto my rice.

We were not so impressed with the stir fried chicken with pineapple and cashew nuts. While this dish tries to recreate some healthy components such as the fruit and nuts, but the sauce did not make the cut for us. It was like a sweet and sour sauce combined with the chicken.

The stir fried prawn with garlic was also not very impressive. The sauce was mild with some pepper and garlic taste. They used fresh ingredients and tried to retain the original taste of the prawns. Most places, especially Chinese restaurants, would have fried the prawns.

Last but not least, after waiting a long time, we were served desserts, It was mango sticky rice which I had not eaten for ages and also coconut ice cream with pink diamond (red ruby). These two are standard Thai desserts and we finished them off quickly. There was also a small slice of mango cake. Usually weddings would end by 3pm and the guests would clear out, but this dish was served around 2.45pm so it was quite late.

Some negative aspects about this restaurant is that if you intend to have a walk-in for the bride and groom, people have to stand up and move over to the centre aisle, which is the bar area. However, the tables by the side were blocked by pillars, making it a not-so-ideal venue. In terms of the food, it was a hit and miss, some dishes were great, especially for the signature Thai dishes, but for the rest it was just average only.

Some people choose this venue because there is an outdoor area which makes it more informal. People can have a drink around the garden or witness the solemnisation ceremony outdoors. The restaurant is located indoors and the whole area can be booked for a private function such as a wedding. I also found out that the restaurant is part of a hotel brand – Samadhi Retreats, so for the hotel guests this would be one of the convenient places to get some food, instead of going further away to Pasir Panjang or Sentosa.