THAi

Going to a Thai eatery without ordering tom yum is like going to a beerhouse and ordering a soda instead of beer, so I certainly couldn't leave without ordering one bowl of Rocky Fish's off the menu seafood tom yum, priced very affordably at $6.

It was more fish and prawn tom yum than seafood due to Squidward's conspicuous absence from the soup, but it was still super satisfying. The flavor is quintessential Thai cuisine, with the trademark, stinging sourness putting your saliva glands into overdrive and heightening your sense of taste. It also possesses the prerequisite level of spicy heat that was enough to cause beads of sweat to form on my forehead. In short, the soup was simply splendid, and I slurped it up with gusto.

The pair of prawns lurking in the soup were plump and pleasantly fresh, while the entire school of sliced fish cohabiting with the prawns and the soft enoki mushrooms, were tender and felicitously fresh. Better yet, the fish managed to absorb some of that stellar, spicy sapidity into itself.

For a half dozen dollar coins, you too can sweat it out and enjoy a taste of Thailand that's full of fishy goodness.

Taking over from where the Filipino lechon stall left off in the same coffeeshop as Ponggol Nasi Lemak along Upper Serangoon Road, Rocky Fish is a brand spanking new Thai stall with a tiny menu that's focused on fish, chicken and pork.

Their BBQ Meat Platter ($12), touted on the menu as a trio of tender barbecued pork, chicken and pork rib served with tamarind sauce on the side, certainly lives up to its boasting. The slices of chicken and pork on the board are juicy, tender and chock full of smoky, savory meaty goodness. But what really steals the show is that lone solitary pork rib right at the back. It's the juiciest and most tender of the trio, as the inherent fattiness of the rib keeps the meat moist and juicy during the barbecue. As the meat is cooked on the bone, the flavor is even heavier and the amount of flavor present in every bite is simply stellar. All the meat is then topped with crushed nuts for an extra crunch and an extra element of nuttiness to complement the savory meatiness. The mildly spicy and tantalizingly tangy tamarind sauce gives every piece of meat an extra edge and it just lifts and enhances the already fabulous flavor profile.

When I return for seconds, I'm going to demand an entire rack of that mouthwatering pork rib. There's no need to place bets, I can guarantee that I can't stop at one.

Not the prettiest looking cause it was already melting before it even got to our table, but thank goodness the taste saved it. Fickle minded us couldn't decide on the Thai Milk Tea or Coconut so we ended up getting the 'Twist', a mix of both. That surprisingly worked out well, both didn't overpower each other and you can still get the slight creaminess from the Coconut as well as the sweetness and tea fragrance from the Thai Milk Tea. It was however, really quite sweet!

This large cup comes with a choice of 1 crunchy topping (coconut crumble, almond crunchies, toasted coconut flakes, marshmallow and rainbow sprinkles) and 2 chewy toppings (aloe vera, red ruby) while the small ($3.90) comes with 1 of each. Additional toppings are at $0.50 each.

Update: Went back again recently and found the texture and taste slightly inconsistent. The second time round, both flavours were more icy than I would have liked, while the Coconut had a tad saltiness in it which I would have preferred without. The Thai Milk Tea one was still fragrant though!