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AROI MAK! Taste of Thai Arrives at Carousel in Singapore

ByChill and Travel Last Updated:

Carousel, the award-winning Halal-certified buffet restaurant at Royal Plaza on Scotts, launches AROI MAK! Taste of Thai, a limited-time dinner buffet celebrating the bold, aromatic flavours of Thailand. The campaign marks Carousel’s first collaboration with celebrity chef Melvyn Lee, known to Singapore audiences as the “Asian Food Soldier”, and his Thailand-based restaurant HeckHoi.

Chef Darren Ong & Chef Melvyn Lee
Chef Darren Ong & Chef Melvyn Lee

From punchy som tam and fragrant curries to street-style noodles and comforting one-plate rice dishes, AROI MAK! (Thai for “very delicious”) brings the vibrancy of Thailand’s night market and warm hospitality of grandma’s kitchens to Orchard road. In celebration of the collaboration, Carousel introduces its AROI MAK! Signature Creations – a series of dishes that bring Thai and Singaporean culinary traditions together on a single plate.

A signature taste curation brought exclusively to Singapore from Celebrity Chef Melvyn’s restaurant “แหกหอย” (HeckHoi) in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand: featuring the freshest clams and oysters in a rich stock made from daily hand-picked local market ingredients, best paired with “Mee Kao” (Bee Hoon) and Chef Melvyn’s Family Recipe Sambal.

Chef Melvyn is a familiar face on Singapore screens, recognised for his cooking travelogue series Accidental Chef, and more recent appearances in King of Hawkers and Makan on Wheels. Fluent in English, Mandarin and Thai, he now splits his time between Singapore and Thailand, where he helms HeckHoi (แหกหอย), his restaurant in Nakhon Pathom, known for its fresh clams and locally sourced ingredients.

Where Thailand Meets Singapore

Giant Tom Yum Lobster & Seafood Paella

At the heart of the promotion are Carousel’s signature cross-cultural creations, designed to showcase the best of Thai and Singaporean flavours:

Starters & Live Stations

  • Heck Hoi Signature Fresh Roll (Por Pia Sod Samun Phrai Thai) – Fresh rice paper wrapped with Thai herb-marinated chicken larb, mint, coriander, cucumber and pickled vegetables, served with roasted chilli-lime nam jim.
  • Som Tam Hae Bee Hiam Corner – A DIY green papaya salad tossed with spicy, savoury hae bee hiam, fresh herbs, roasted peanuts and a zesty lime dressing, uniting Thailand and Singapore. Choose from Som Tam Pol-la-Mai (spicy mixed fruit salad), Som Tam Thai Gai Yang (with marinated grilled chicken) or Yam Ma Muang Pla Krob (spicy green mango salad with crispy fried fish).
  • Larb Kueh Pie Tie Station – Crispy pie tee shells filled with fragrant Thai chicken larb, fresh herbs, toasted rice and a zesty lime dressing. Also available: Krathong Thong (curried prawn and corn tartlet), Larb E-San Nuea (spicy minced beef salad, Isaan-style) and Krathong Thong Sai Phar Pla Tuna (tuna salad tartlet).

Mains

  • Tom Yum Chilli Crab with Golden Mantou – Succulent crab tossed in a rich, tangy tom yum chilli sauce with aromatic Thai herbs, served with crispy golden mantou.
  • Giant Tom Yum Lobster & Seafood Paella – A spectacular sharing centrepiece featuring giant lobster, premium seafood and fragrant tom yum-infused paella rice.

Desserts

  • Thai Milk Tiramisu – A contemporary twist on the Italian classic, layered with espresso-soaked sponge infused with authentic Thai milk tea and silky mascarpone cream.
  • Ondeh Ondeh Khanom Krok – Traditional Thai coconut pancakes reimagined with the beloved flavours of Singapore’s ondeh ondeh, finished with pandan, gula melaka and freshly grated coconut.
“HeckHoi is built around one pot: clams and oysters in a stock that changes with whatever’s freshest at the Nakhon Pathom market that morning. Bringing that pot to Carousel, together with my family’s sambal, is something I’ve wanted to do for years. This isn’t a version of HeckHoi, it’s the real thing, made just for Singapore, for this season only” says Chef Melvyn Lee.
“When Chef Melvyn walked us through his clam and oyster stock, we knew it had to anchor this collaboration. It’s a dish built on what’s freshest each day, so getting that same depth right at Carousel took real care. Served with Mee Kao and his family’s sambal, it’s as close to eating at HeckHoi as Singapore will get” says Darren Ong, Executive Chef of Royal Plaza on Scotts.

From Street to Royal Court

Thai cuisine at Carousel's AROI MAK! Taste of Thai

Beyond the signature fusion creations, the buffet spread brings together an extensive showcase of authentic Thai cuisine, from humble street food to royal Thai specialities:

  • Thai Appetisers – Crispy Phad Thai Spring Rolls, Thai Seafood Pancakes (Ka Buang Talay) and Fresh Salmon with Thai Spicy Sauce, among other daily selections.
  • Thai Salads – Guava Salad with Prawns and Cashew Nuts (Tam Farang), Spicy Glass Noodle Salad with Mixed Seafood and Spicy Grilled Chicken Salad (Num Tok Gai Yang).
  • Thai Specialties – A nightly rotation of four curries and wok-fried dishes, from Massaman Beef Curry and Green Curry with Beef to Southern Thai Yellow Chicken Curry.
  • Rice & Noodles – A rotating pair including Shrimp Paste Fried Rice (Khao Cook Kapi) and Thai Fried Rice Noodles with Prawn (Phad Thai Gung Sod).
  • Thai Hot Pot – Tom Yum Goong, Tom Kha Gai and other comforting Thai soups.
  • Noodle Station – A weekly rotation between Chiang Mai’s famous Khao Soi Gai and Thai Beef Kway Teow, served with a full spread of condiments.
  • Thai Desserts – Khao Niew Mamuang (Mango Sticky Rice), Tub Tim Krob and other traditional Thai sweets.

Grand Launch

AROI MAK! Taste of Thai will launch with a grand launch event at Carousel on Friday, 2 October 2026.

Pricing & Availability

AROI MAK! Taste of Thai will be available nightly from 2 October to 8 November 2026.

Dinner: S$92++ per person (Sun–Thu) | S$102++ per person (Fri–Sat & eve of Public Holidays)

As with all of Carousel’s offerings, AROI MAK! Taste of Thai is prepared in Halal-certified kitchens under Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), ensuring an inclusive dining experience for guests of all backgrounds.

Dine & Win

Adding to the excitement, diners stand a chance to win 2 return flight tickets to Bangkok through Carousel’s Dine, Scan & Win contest, running for the duration of the AROI MAK! Taste of Thai promotion.

  • Dine — Enjoy the AROI MAK! Taste of Thai buffet at Carousel, Royal Plaza on Scotts.
  • Scan — Scan the QR code on your table tent to complete your entry with your name and contact details.
  • Win — Each dine-in visit during the contest period counts as one lucky draw entry; multiple visits earn multiple entries. Stand a chance to win 2 return flight tickets to Bangkok.

Winners will be announced via Royal Plaza on Scotts’ official channels and contacted directly using the details provided at registration.

Full terms and conditions are available via QR code on in-house promotional materials. Prizes are nontransferable, non-exchangeable and not redeemable for cash.

One Taste, Two Kitchens

AROI MAK! Taste of Thai reflects Carousel’s continued commitment to reimagining global cuisines through a local lens, this time in partnership with a celebrated chef and his home kitchen in Thailand. Located in the heart of Orchard Road, Carousel invites diners to savour this cross-cultural celebration, one dish at a time.

For more information, please visit: royalplaza.com.sg/dine/offers/thai-2026

*Thank you for inviting Chill and Travel to the exclusive media preview of AROI MAK! Taste of Thai at Carousel. More information taken from a press release issued by Royal Plaza on Scotts.