A Culinary Fiesta of Fantastic Asian Fare at Streetery - The food hall by ZEN

Asian street fare is definitely on a league of its own. Nothing excites me as much as indulging in Asian fare especially the spicy seafood, sushi, satay and noodles. So, last week when I got a chance to be part of a bloggers lunchathon at Streetery JLT, I was more than elated.

We were a bunch of 5 foodies with a great love for Asian fare so we had a culinary fiesta of sorts with the awesome line up of incredibly good fare from three different concepts – Chinese, Korean and Thai. 

First off what I have to remark on is the popularity of the joint. We went there on a working day close to lunch time and the place was full house. There were people from all walks of life. Right form Chinese tourists to corporate suits working in nearby offices. We were met by the super friendly owner who has been running the reputed ZEN for 14 years now.  Recently he decided to expand the concept and bring in two more restaurants under his umbrella, to offer diners a wholesome Asian streetside eating experience. Thus started the Foodhall which is now an extremely popular eatery in the JLT side of town. Popular mainly because of the fascinating options for diners under one roof and the competitive pricing like no other in the vicinity. These two factors have contributed to the fast growth of this brand at a time when new venture restaurants around town are finding it hard to break even.

The food

We started off with Fat Aunt’s Sambal Prawn with flaky malai roti which looked and felt more like the Indian paratha but more softer and flakier at that. The rich and flavoursome sambal prawn curry was a great side. Totally palette rewarding, I should say!

Then we had Hing Kee’s Thai BBQ chicken and Prawn Sattay.  The BBQ chicken was perfectly marinated with the signature homemade sauces and so was the prawn sattay. Both very delicious appetizers.

Then we had in the line up Fat Aunt’s Scallion Pancake, Crispy Prawn balls, Szechwan fried chicken and Chicken Potstickers.  Though all the above dishes were distinct in taste and flavor – my personal best is the Szechwan fried chicken. Reason being – it was spot on in flavor, spicy zest and taste just exploded in the mouth with every bite. It was very close to the kind of chicken fry we make back home in Kerala.  The Scallion pancake on side was a good addition to the mix. Prawn balls were crispy on the outer and soft on the inside.

If these were not enough, the spicy food was complimented by some green curry chicken with rice and Malay Mee goreng. We also tried some flavoursome noodles and Szechwan chicken wantons.

When we were stuffed enough, with only a few spaces left for desserts, we ordered Ondeh Ondeh, Sticky rice mango and Tap tim crob.  The desserts were as delicious as the main course and gave a perfect culmination to the savory feast.