Food Tasting Review at Bistro Kai, located in Hotel Kai at 14 Purvis Street

Looking for a cozy place to host friends or family members or company's gathering?  Check out Hotel Kai, a cozy boutique hotel located right in the heart of Singapore's Downtown Core and nestled in the Beach Road Conservation Area.

Address of Hotel Kai is 14 Purvis Street.  Just look out for the unique light box which is mounted at the top if you are walking over.  I love the unique light box which incorporates both Hotel Kai and Bistro Kai's names.  Let me show you from the two angles how the light box look like.

View from the side

View from the front

Even the reception counter is cool and funky with cutout holes in the backdrop to accommodate clocks reflecting the times in various countries.  Did I mention as well that everyone get to enjoy free wifi here?  Just get the friendly receptionists or servers the password to access it.  At the same time, if your mobile devices are running low on batteries, you can borrow Hotel Kai's power banks to charge the devices up for free.  Very nice gestures indeed!

A cozy warm corner is available for the travellers to wait to check into or check out of their hotel rooms.  Diners can also sit here to enjoy the wide range of drinks, alcohols and wine, together with some light bites.

Who loves ice-cream and cakes? Hands-up!  Ice cream sandwiches and cake sets are available for those who are looking for a nice quiet cozy place to chill out.

A look at the interior of Bistro Kai

The first dish which I tried was fresh oysters from USA.

These were one of the most freshest oysters I have ever tasted.  The temperature was just right and I didn't need to put any tabasco sauce, lemon, vinegar or cocktail sauces.  The fresh oysters has a balanced salt and sweet taste, with a savoury finish.  I strongly recommend this as an appetiser to start off your meal.  If you order an ala carte meal at Bistro Kai, you get to buy the oysters at S$2.50/piece (min half a dozen).  That's a very good deal indeed.

How you ever tasted deep fried broccoli before?!

I did as the next dish was "Broccoli with 63 Degree Egg" (S$10).  The poach egg yolk and white was runny... just the way I love it.  It was cooked up to 63 degree and placed on top of the deep fried broccoli.

I never thought that broccoli can be deep fried.  They took on a slightly crunch and when you broke the egg yolk and dipped the broccoli in it, the egg mix provided a sauce as a balance to the broccoli taste.

This dish goes well with beer anytime!

For those who prefer a lot more crunch, Bistro Kai also serves "Crispy Baby Squid" (S$12).  They were deep fried to crispness and comes with a dipping sweet sauce.

I must say the Executive Chef of Bistro Kai, Wee Kiat, is extremely innovative when it comes to the menu.  "Brussels Sprouts with Pickled Beetroot" (S$14) was next and for those who love brussels sprouts and beetroots, you are in for a treat.  The slight bitter taste of brussels sprouts was balanced off with the sweetness of beetroot.

For those who prefer a kick, try their "Buffalo Wings" (S$12) coated in pepper hot sauce.  The meat was tender and juicy matched with fiery chilli sauce.

After I tried some of the appetisers, it was time for the mains.

I am a lover of linguine pasta.  So when "Kaibonara"(S$20) was served, I jumped up with joy.  The usual cabonara pasta which is served elsewhere normally comes in white cream sauce but for Kaibonara, it comes with a poached egg nestled on a bed of linguine with bacon, prawns, cheese, garlic and chili with parmesan cheese.  It tasted amazingly wonderful without the 'jalak' feeling of the white sauce.  For those who are lactose intolerance and can't take white sauce, this is a good option.  I love the slight al-dente feel to the linguine and the succulent prawns which were bouncy in texture and slightly firm with a hint of crunch.

While I enjoyed my pasta, I took a look at the pricing for Bistro Kai's set lunch menu, available from 12 noon -2.30pm, Monday to Saturday.  For S$18 nett, diners get to enjoy an appetiser, main course and a drink.  I consider this value for money indeed.

Bistro Kai also offers ala carte breakfast menu.  Hence if you happen to be nearby, you can drop by to have a hearty breakfast to fuel your day.

Next main which i tried was "Indonesian Style Barbecue Pork Rib" (S$24).  The pork ribs were braised till the meat was so tender that it was easy to cut the meat off from the bones.  They were glazed with homemade barbecue sauce infused with Indonesian spices, served with seasonal vegetables and french fries.  All of us were also impressed by the french fries which was lightly salted with cajun powder.  I didn't know how the kitchen did  it but the fries was not oily or soggy even when it was cold.

Another innovative creation from the Executive Chef... "Spicy Tom Yum Risotto". (S$22)

The usual risotto taste took on a twist when it was cooked in Tom Yum broth till it reached a creamy consistency.

If you are a steak lover, "Australian Grade Striploin Steak" (S$26) would be the best choice for you.  The steak just melted in my mouth, even though it is not wagyu beef.  The pan seared sirloin steak was served with brown sauce, served with summer vegetables & roasted potatoes.

If you love wagyu beef, Bistro Kai also has on its menu, "Kagoshima Wagyu A4 Grade Beef Steak" 200g flown in from Japan along with perfectly seared foie gras, seasonal vegetables and mashed potatoes.  Picture not shown here.  It costs only S$58 nett.  Very worth it as it is a combination of wagyu beef and foie gras and if you order them separately outside, it would definitely cost more than S$58, if you add the separate pricing together.

"Sawadee Seafood Pasta" (S$20) is next on the menu.  It is farfelle with tiger prawns, clams and scallops in spicy Thai green curry cream.  It is one of the best sellers in Bistro Kai due to the exotic fusion of Thai and Western flavour.  I like the cream sauce as I am a fan of Thai food.  The pasta was infused with the spices from the green curry together with the seafood, making it a delightful meal.

Bistro Kai's desserts are amazing!  It has a unique offering, "Thai Tea Lava Cake" (S$10) which is lava cake infused with thai tea.  Normally in other bistros, the usual is chocolate lava cake so if you want to try something different, go for this thai tea lava cake instead.

The Homemade Creme Brûlée (S$8) was fantastic too. It had just the right level of sweetness which went well with coffee and tea.

After trying out some of the food which Bistro Kai offers, I went to check out Hotel Kai's hotel rooms too.

Even though Hotel Kai is a boutique hotel, it has services which 5-star hotels boast of like:

Free breakfast and welcome drink (beer included) for every room booking
Remote-controlled and ergonomically adjustable beds
Free Wi-fi throughout the hotel
Complimentary ultra-fast 4G personal Wi-Fi device for usage anywhere in Singapore
Complimentary bicycle rental for a fun, healthy and green way to explore Singapore

Hotel Kai features 33 cabins and suites efficiently designed complete with all the luxurious trappings in a compact package.  Each cabin is stylishly furbished and you can expect all the luxuries from a premium hotel without the hefty price tag.

All the guests rooms are equipped with basic amenities(kettle, hairdryer, iron, safe box), refreshing rain shower, remote-controlled and ergonomically adjustable bed, as well as Bluetooth speakers and traveler-friendly international power sockets.  Customers can choose from 28 complimentary IPTV channels while enjoying a daily replenishment of bottled water, coffee, tea and snacks.

Hotel Kai's urban skyloft is super amazing as it has a big balcony that oversees Singapore urban skyline.  You can book this room to host a birthday party, a friends' get-together, a company off-site meeting, etc.  The options are limitless.

Small is More... this is a tagline of Hotel Kai and I agree totally!

If you are keen to book a hotel room at Hotel Kai located at 14 Purvis Street, Singapore 188593, do call +65 6643 9999.

Check out and LIKE Hotel Kai's Facebook: www.facebook.com/hotelkaisg and Bistro Kai's Facebook: www.facebook.com/bistrokaisg for their promotions.

Head over to follow their instagram at hotelkaisg and bistrokaisg as well.  They run promotions and marketing campaigns very often on instagram too.

If anyone is travelling to Singapore and is looking for hotel rooms to stay but have limited budget, do check out Hotel Kai!

Love,

Elaine Heng

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