Lately, I have been slightly more adventurous in the food department so I thought I start a whole new category on my blog (Previously, food entries were all under outings but there's a label for it here. Okay, see how anal I am.)!
But anyway, enough of the long (and unnecessary) explanation on the new category... Let's get 'eating'!:DDD
Coca Restaurant is located on the 4th floor of Ngee Ann City. The restaurant was founded by Mr. Srichai Phanphensophon and his wife, Mrs. Patama, in 1957 in Soi Dejo, Thailand. The name 'Coca' actutally comes from the Chinese word '可口 (ke kou)' which means 'appetizing'. The main draw of the restaurant, besides the incredible freshness of the dishes, is the special Coca sauce which was concocted by Mrs. Patama herself.
Fel and I went there last Thursday afternoon. Each square table has a plate in the middle where the pot is placed. There is ample distance between tables so no one will be listening into your conversations and also, you won't be listening to other people's conversations, without meaning to AHEM (Haha. This is in reference to an incident that happened to me recently. I'll tell the story another time.).
The menus differ for the lunch and dinner buffets. Each person is given a bowl of the special Coca sauce. The Coca sauce is slightly spicy and dotted with chopped parsley and spring onions. I have never quite tasted anything like this before but a quick search on the net told me that the sauce is pretty common in Thai restaurants.
There are 3 different types of soup bases to choose from; clear chicken broth, tom yum soup and herbal chicken soup (Which comes with a half spring chicken at an additional cost of $13.). You are first presented with a basic set, consisting of prawns, vegetables, green noddles, Coca's Special House Dumplings, fish glue among others. More dishes can be ordered via the yellow slips of paper given.
Fel and I had the clear chicken broth and we skipped the prawns (De-shelling is a messy affair.), green noddles and a plate of salad. You could put the dishes into the pot yourself or you could wait for 'The Grandfather of Coca' or any of the waiters/ waitresses (Though I only saw 'Grandfather' doing it.) to help you. Haha. Fel and I thought 'Grandfather' was like a well, grandfatherly figure (It's a good thing! He was very nice, explaining to us what each dish was, and he chuckled when Fel and I had several plates from our basic set removed. Like a grandfather!). Hence, the (affectionate) nickname. (:
I probably should have taken photos of the cooked food, instead of the raw ones but umm... Oh well. This is the first time I'm doing a proper food entry so pardon the lack of mindfulness and the writing. :\
And there, that's 'Grandfather' helping the next table! :DDD
For me, the dishes were just okay. I didn't like the fish glue, which Mum loves. Vegetables were, well, vegetables. The Special House Dumplings were pretty scrumptious but other than that, the other dishes were just normal. As for the special Coca sauce... I neither like it or hate it, but I know I won't be having any craving of it anytime soon (Or maybe, never.). It was just a sauce that was different and it ends there. Nothing that was especially tanatalizing.
But the restaurant was a nice place for a quiet afternoon of Chinese food with a girlfriend. And because Fel and I are still students, we each paid about $20 (Heh heh heh. :DDD). The service was good and prompt. We got our dishes quickly and the waiters/ waitresses were attentive. The place was also clean, including the single toilet cubicle (YAY!!!).
COCA RESTAURANT
391 Orchard Road
#04-22 Ngee Ann City
Tel.: +65 67347887
URL: http://www.coca.com.sg/
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