By Estee Ng

Nestled among the array of other gastronomic selections and retail shops in Sentosa, Gin Khao Bistro stands out with its red in black facade, catching many a passers-by's eyes. It was empty as we were early for dinner, allowing us a moment to enjoy the evening breeze and yacht marina view.

We start off the meal with a classic Thai Iced Milk Tea, a staple drink to have at every Thai restaurant. Gin Khao Bistro ups its Thai Iced Tea game by adding a special ingredient to it. Their version is a Thai Iced Rose Milk Tea ($5.80), a shot of rose syrup is added into the iced tea. Rose syrup can be a tad sweet and cloying, but what is special about this blend is that the rose adds a layer of flavour to the milk tea, giving it an overall pleasant yet refreshing aftertaste.

The sweetness of the drink is contrasted well by our next dish. Som Tam ($8.80), also known as Papaya salad, is possibly an all-time favourite appetiser for Thais. The first few bites can be slightly acidic on initial bites, but is expected. The papaya they have chosen here is fresh and crunchy. Gin Khao's Som Tam is indeed tantalising, making a great choice to whet the appetite of diners early on in the meal.

Our next dish in line was the Tom Yam Tulay ($13.80), a soup base accompanied by a generous amount of seafood such as mussels, squid, and shrimp. The seafood contributed a rich flavour in the broth, but it's addictive nature is in the aftertaste.

After the appetiser and the soup, we were ready for more. The next dish that came piping hot was Phat Neua ($14.80). This generous serving of stirred fried spicy beef got our appetites raring to go. We sink our teeth into the tenderness of the well-seasoned beef and were hooked after the first bite. It is best enjoyed with steamed rice.

As always, we save the best for last. Recommended by the restaurant manager, Kevin, we tried the Watermelon Fried Rice ($25.80). The dish is a new creation by Gin Khao, an unexpected twist to the traditional pineapple fried rice. The Instagram-worthy dish is a sculpted watermelon bowl containing fried rice, mussels, sliced squids, shrimps, beancurd skin, cashew nuts, chicken floss, and of course, watermelon balls. We were rather skeptical of how this would taste. It sounded a little absurd to eat watermelon balls with rice but if we could eat pineapple and mango with rice, why not watermelon!

We were right to trust Gin Khao's creation. It felt like a party in my mouth with the sweetness of the watermelon contrasting the saltiness of the fried rice. The ingredients were seasoned and cooked to its perfection. The fluffiness and chewiness of the fried rice complemented the juiciness of the watermelon balls, and it had us drooling for more. We relished the entire dish to the very last mouthful.

I must say, we had a scrumptious thai dining experience with Gin Khao Bistro and would come back anytime.

Gin Khao Bistro @ Sentosa Cove 31 Ocean Way #01-12 Quayside Isle Mon to Thurs: 12pm to 3pm, 530pm to 10pm Fri: 12pm to 12am Sat/Eve: 11am to 12am Sun/PH: 11am to 10pm

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