Mata Thai - Halal Thai Cuisine @ Bishan (Near Bishan MRT Station) in Singapore

I expressed my disbelief when my elder sister mentioned a few years ago about a Halal restaurant, Mata Thai, that served Thai cuisine near Bishan MRT station with served pretty good food, priced reasonably.

Reason being they weren't as common then and I thought it would be an appropriate place for meals should I meet up with my Muslim friends. Opportunity didn't arise and I eventually visited with my family to celebrate my sister's birthday! 

Ordering via the self service kiosk.

Which means no service charge.

No service charge also means we had to self-service to the bowls, the plates, the cutleries and the sauces. I think nowadays Singaporeans are very accustomed to such self-servicing. What I took issue with is that for some eateries, service charge is still applicable despite the lack of full service. 

Laying our table 33 ourselves. p.s. just a note here that despite the lack of a service fee, the service from the staff members were polite and friendly. 

Iced Lemongrass Tea - not bad tasting but S$3.00 for such a small cup!? Seriously, I should take out my double walled insulated Oasis water bottle more often, and fill it up with honeyed water so that I can stop paying exorbitant prices for sweetened beverages. 

Green Mango Salad - specially picked by the birthday girl, this was refreshingly spicy with a touch of sweetness; an appetizing start for the upcoming dishes! 

Pineapple Fried Rice - as a fried rice, I loved this for the generous inclusion of chicken floss to the fragrantly fried rice sweetened by the bites of raisins, and weren't' oily! Problem was; I prefer more pineapples to enhance the zestiness. p.s. fried egg was separately added, and charged.

Boiled Beef Soup with Mixed Balls and Radish - should I be having the meal alone, this would be something I might consider; broth was not too heavy on the tummy and exhibited a herbal-sweetness that came with vegetables, slices of beef and beef balls. 

Steamed Lime and Chilli Squid - looking absolutely shiok with the sprinkling of cut chillies, I must admit that squid might not be the right ingredient as the continuous cooking by the fire means that the texture turned rubbery quite fast and the "soup" that the squid was swimming in tasted mismatched. 

Steamed Sea Bass with Lime and Chilli in Thai Style - the "soup" was way more suitable for the seabass and packed a spicy pinch so suitable for the rainy weather we encountered that day. Fish wise, I had no complaint but do keep in mind that I seldom order whole fish. 

Honey Chicken Fillet - this was almost like Korean style honey butter chicken; I like the crispiness and they would be better with a plate of white rice! 

Fried Sliced Chicken with Sweet and Sour Sauce - this wouldn't be a stranger to most Singaporeans as it's really like your typical gu-lao-rou from economical rice stalls. Okay tasting but too saucy; I would definitely go for a crunchier texture. Like the honey chicken fillet, do have these with white rice. 

Stewed Sea Prawns with Glass Noodles - after having this at Nummun Thai Kitchen last year, I had been craving for it and almost immediately chose this over the rest of the dishes! Keeping my fingers crossed that it wouldn't turn out to be a dud. 

Flavourful, slurpy, not overly oily; this was sufficient to placate my craving even though the noodles lacked the herbal taste that I remember from Nummun Thai Kitchen. Prawns were okay only. 

=====

Would I be back? A firm yes as the prices were so reasonable; there were eight of us and the bill came up to less than S$120. While the taste wasn't ranked top; it was more than good enough for the bill we paid for. 

Address

Block 508, #01-390,

Bishan Street 11, 

Singapore 570508

Map

As above.

Facebook Page

https://www.facebook.com/matathai/

Pricing

Iced Lemongrass Tea - S$3.00

Green Mango Salad - S$6.50

Pineapple Fried Rice - S$6.00

Boiled Beef Soup with Mixed Balls and Radish - S$9.80

Steamed Lime and Chilli Squid - 18.00

Steamed Sea Bass with Lime and Chilli in Thai Style - S$25.00

Honey Chicken Fillet - S$7.90

Fried Sliced Chicken with Sweet and Sour Sauce - S$9.80

Stewed Sea Prawns with Glass Noodles - S$12.80

(Subject to GST)