IM JAI by Pun Im

Was pretty excited when we had passed by ICON at Tanjong Pagar some time back and spotted Im Jai by Pun Im undergoing renovation works — we have heard quite a fair bit about Pun Im Private Dining; a private dining concept by Vincent Pang which was being run in his apartment. Pun Im Private Dining has had a pop-up stint at Raffles Hotel sometime back; that being said, Im Jai by Pun Im is his very first foray into a permanent brick-and-mortar F&B concept. Im Jai by Pun Im should be relatively easy to spot around the shopping gallery of ICON; they are situated near other F&B establishments such as the outlet of Park Bäckerei and the outlet of Nick Vina Artisan Bakery there — one is unlikely to miss the big screen playing marketing videos of their food at the store facade. Moving into the space, one would transit from the small reception area to the main dining hall; the interior of the space features slate grey walls and also grey floor tiles that sees specks of other various colours to provide a visual contrast — the use of earthy colour tones to add a bit of vibrancy to the interior being a tasteful addition to make the space feel less stone cold as well. The dining hall does feature a dine-in space that comprises of seats that are good for groups of four (4) pax, though there is a particular area overlooking Nick Vina Artisan Bakery that is good for individual diners as well; all of the seating within Im Jai by Pun Im being cushioned to provide patrons with comfort whilst dining. The food menu at Im Jai by Pun Im is segregated into sections dedicated to Set Menu, Specials of the Day and Side Dishes; the list of beverages would include a variety of juices, Thai Coconut Milk Tea, Green Grass Jelly with Coconut Milk and Sago Peals etc. — all served in plastic bottles to allow ease for takeaways.

For individual diners looking to best experience Im Jai by Pun Im in a single seating, Im Jai by Pun Im offers the Im Jai Bento that can be found in the Set Menu section of the menu — this would be a fixed set that comprises of Green Curry Chicken, Pomelo Salad with Prawns, Green Peppercorn Chilli Relish with Side Vegetables, Braised Pork Belly in Black Peppercorn Sauce and Coconut Kaffir Lime Rice. Patrons do get the choice to upgrade the Green Curry Chicken to Green Curry Beef, though this will require a top-up of $8. Starting with the Pomelo Salad with Prawns, we liked how this carried an umami note with a slight tang and zing which whets the tastebuds — there is a note somewhat similar to that of the bonito flakes that one would be able to find in Japanese cuisine, whilst the chunks of pomelo flesh provided a zestiness that keeps things refreshing as well. Texture-wise, the Pomelo Salad with Prawns was also quite a party in the mouth delivering a juicy bite and a crunch that got us ready for the other elements that come with the Im Jai Bento. The Coconut Kaffir Lime Rice does come with a slightly green hue; whilst the initial impression given the description of the dish does sound very much like Nasi Lemak, the fragrance of kaffir lime leaves really hit hard with this one — very alluring and appetising to have on its own with it somewhat reminiscent of what we have previously had at Palapa. Green Curry Chicken is an item which most Thai establishments are serving up; one thing that we had noted about the version of Green Curry Chicken served up at Im Jai by Pun Im will be how it isn’t particularly overwhelming — here, the green curry does come with the sweetness and aroma of basil. That being said, it is sufficiently milky without being overly milky or creamy that would make it overly jelak. The chicken pieces are also pretty tender and easy to chew through as well. Meanwhile, the Green Peppercorn Chilli Relish with Side Vegetables was particularly intriguing; there does seem to be the use of some form of fermented sauce whilst the relish also comes with minced meat — it does come somewhat reminiscent to that of the all-familiar Thai basil minced pork dish, but a little more flavourful with more depth and quite a spicy kick that tickles the tastebuds even for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. The Braised Pork Belly in Black Peppercorn Sauce does come with more lean meat that provides for a good bite; not particularly gelatinous — while the black peppercorn sauce doesn’t really induce any notes of spiciness to the dish, the braised pork belly does come with a hint of sweetness amidst the savouriness from the caramelisation during the braising process.

During our visit to Im Jai by Pun Im, we had also managed to try the Red Ruby with Smoked Coconut Sorbet. The folks at Im Jai by Pun Im had went with their own twist by serving up the Red Ruby with not just coconut sorbet, but also one that has been smoked. The smokiness that had likely came from the use of smoking liquid helped provide yet another dimension of flavours that strangely went well with the other elements within the dessert; something that helped to manage the level of sweetness of the dessert pretty well since there are varying contrasts of sweetness from the jelly, jackfruit and the crunchy water chestnut bits in tapioca gel as well. There are also slurpy jelly noodles that can be found in the Red Ruby with Smoked Coconut Sorbet that helps add another dimension of texture to the dessert as well. We also managed to try the Bael Juice; based on the label on the bottle, the beverage comprises of two (2) elements; dried bael and brown sugar. This was a refreshing and cooling beverage whilst not being too sweet; the brown sugar providing an adequate level of sweetness with a slight earthiness to round things off nicely. Im Jai by Pun Im is an establishment that is founded on the success of a humble private dining concept; something similar to that of La Bottega Enoteca / Casa Vostra that stemmed out of Casa Nostra that also operated as a home-based private diner in its early days. Im Jai by Pun Im has kept to its roots of what Pun Im Private Dining has been all about; keeping their fare casual and affordably-priced and being served in sets that would work well with the office workers within the Central Business District — even for individual diners. Prices of the items in the “Set Menu” section of the menu are in the range of $16.80 to $18.80; some might find the prices being a little bit on the higher side, but one can definitely feel the quality behind all the food that Im Jai by Pun Im — it does command for the premium in both the execution and the produce used in the preparation of the dishes. Given the vast media coverage done by the press even before its official openings, Im Jai by Pun Im is a spot that we will be seeing more on social media in the days to come!