Seabass En Papilotte Ma Now is yet another one of those F&B establishments which we had learnt about whilst scrolling around social media one day. The hawker centre at Our Tampines Hub is one of those hawker centres that have seen quite a number of tenants come and go over the years; there are also quite a number of pretty interesting stalls serving unconventional fare within the hawker centre. Therefore, it is really no surprise for us to know that Ma Now is one of the latest additions to the hawker centre at Our Tampines Hub — the establishment bearing a slogan of “Fun.Thai.Food” beneath its namesake on the signboard. There is already an existing tenant named Im Thai Kitchen that is serving up conventional Thai cuisine within the hawker centre of Our Tampines Hub; Ma Now attempts to serve up modern fusion Thai fare of its very own, creating a style of Thai cuisine that is unique to themselves. The menu at Ma Now does not feature a wide variety of communal dishes like how one would have expected at conventional Thai eateries. Instead, the menu of Ma Now features more of inventive individually-portioned dishes using various fusion elements to attract a younger audience — expect items such as the Basil Pork Donburi and the Thai Vermicelli; this would be aside from the small list of equally creative sides which they have to offer like the Tuna Salad Pie Tee that can be shared around the table.
Skimming through the menu of Ma Now even before making our way down to the stall, we were already pretty much fixated on going for the Seabass En Papilotte — an item which we thought was pretty rare to find in a hawker centre setting. For those whom are unfamiliar with the dish, the dish essentially features seabass that is steamed in a sealed parchment paper bag to allow it to cook in its own juices. Whilst the cooking method originates from Europe, Ma Now’s rendition of the dish sees a Thai twist — the dish features Thai lime and chilli to achieve that flavour that one would associate with Thai cuisine instead. The Seabass En Papilotte also comes with a complimentary bowl of rice on the side as well; an item which is designed for the individual diner in mind. It is noted that the item does require more preparation time than the other items listed on the menu here — so do be aware of the waiting time involved with the serving of the dish. Digging into the Seabass En Papilotte, it is evident which particular classic Thai dish that the Seabass En Papilotte is based on; this modern interpretation of the Steamed Fish with Lime and Garlic would do especially for those who do not wish to deal with the bones of the fish. Served as a de-boned fillet, the seabass does come with the skin on; all that whilst also coming with the lime and chili broth sitting beneath the slab of fish — there are also garlic and lime slices placed atop the fish as well. Admittedly, we did find the Seabass cooked for a little too long; not much of an issue here, though our preference would have been for the flesh to come a little softer and flakier since it was a little bit on the firmer side — not too bothersome for us though. The Thai Lime and Chili broth itself helps to add a distinct zippy note that was especially refreshing — went well with the steamed seabass, though we did detect a bitter aftertaste which intensifies as we go further with the dish which was not quite to our fancy; still went well with just a bit of fish and a bit of rice for each mouthful nonetheless.
Ma Now is an establishment that pretty much has its own ideas and interpretation of what a modern and fun take of Thai food should be — the Thai fare that it intends to serve definitely satisfies the slogan that they have created for their brand, though we do feel that they are still trying to figure out how to exactly make these interpretations of Thai food work. Items like the Basil Pork Donburi do sound like items that are quite comforting; a fusion of very familiar items between Thai and Japanese culture — that being said, we did feel that the dish was a little lacking when in terms of texture and that could also be the said about the flavour as well. While the savoury minced pork was tasty, there was a lack of a spicy kick that helps to further provide for the extra oomph; the entire dish, including the basil, seemed a little bit too dry as well — the basil therefore also seemed to lack flavour as a result. Given how it is modelled after a Japanese Donburi, we also felt that the dish could have done with more moisture; perhaps a dash of fish sauce or the sauce used in the preparation of the basil pork would help with things a little. Despite having some room for improvement, one could tell the effort that the folks behind Ma Now placed behind each of their creation — this did not go unnoticed with their Creamy Tom Yum Soup, which comes all tangy without being overly creamy and thus was actually easy for us to finish the entire bowl of soup; the Creamy Tom Yum Soup also coming with a skewer of shrimp, cherry tomato and mushroom for a heightened aesthetic appeal. Prices of the food at Ma Now is priced slightly higher than that of usual hawker food — prices of all the dishes served here are above $5, though none of the dishes exceeds the $10 price point; we do think that it is somewhat justified considering how there is a constant emphasis on keeping their Thai fare fun and modern, though we do wish they could look into the aspects mentioned here to further refine on their offerings. Ma Now does have a fresh take of Thai cuisine much like how HUE restaurant at Jalan Besar does; a spot that is worth considering dining at if within the Tampines area.