Tiew Mai Thai Boat Noodles

The Midtown has relatively lower foot traffic although it is a short distance away from Hougang MRT. This is a pity because the food we have tried there so far have been pretty good and affordable. 

As it was raining on the day we visited Tiew Mai Thai Boat Noodles, it was a lot emptier than the previous time we visited. You order your food at the first floor and then go up to the second floor to eat. The second floor is basic and can get a little cramped when it is full house.

To satisfy our hunger before the noodles arrived, we ordered the Fried Wanton with Pork ($3). The crunch with every bite was satisfying and did not have the taste of overused oil.

If you want to order Thai Boat Noodles, you can choose between beef, pork and tom yum. You then choose the type of noodles you want, and finally the size of the bowl.  As we were not small eaters by any measure, we ordered a big bowl of Thai Pork Noodles ($6) each. The broth was rich and came with pork slices, pork balls and pork liver. They were generous with the ingredients and the bowl of noodles was a true delight on a rainy day. I also tried the Tom Yam Noodles on a previous occasion and it was executed well.

Value for money.

Tiew Mai Thai Boat Noodle 
The Midtown
1187 Upper Serangoon Road
#01-22
Tel No: 6238 0184 

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Gin Khao (One Raffles Place)

This is yet another Thai food place you can go on the weekends without having to jostle with the crowds. It is nearly always crowded on weekdays but empty on weekends (because it's located at CBD). 

As there were only two of us and the portions here are big, we ordered a Tom Yum Talay ($13.80) to share. It is the kind of tom yum I like- sufficiently sour and spicy.  Some places have such muted Tom Yum it sorely lacks the oomph factor. The spiciness in this bowl will make you break out into a sweat or two. They were very generous with the seafood.

I have come here on a number of occasions and never managed to finish my food because the portion is maybe too much for one person. We shared the Pineapple Fried Rice ($13.80). We smelt the fragrance of it even before seeing the dish served to us. Again, very generous with the seafood and the fragrance hits us each time we deliver the food into our mouths.

Gin Khao
One Raffles Place
1 Raffles Place #04-29
Tel No: 6532 2387 

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Sawadee

My friend was craving for spicy food and the cuisines that popped up immediately in my head were Sichuan or Thai food. We opted for the latter. 

Sawadee, established in 2000, used to be located in Sembawang. It then shifted to its current location in 2013. 

We had Olive Rice ($13) which was served with chicken strips and fried dried shrimps. The chicken strips were sweet and were a perfect combination with the fragrant olive rice. Maybe it's time to depart from my usual staple of pineapple rice and opt for this everytime I go to a Thai restaurant!

What would be a Thai meal without some Tom Yam? We ordered a Tom Yum Talay ($10). I am used to eating the mild versions of tom yam in Singapore and the spiciness in this gave me a jolt. Generous on the seafood, this was a clear indication of the quality of the food served here.

We were very attracted by the Thai Style Otah ($15). Cooked on a traditional clay plate, this is not the usual otah that we eat and is instead fish mousse with a strong taste of coconut milk and herbs.

We also had a Hearty Duck Curry ($15).  The lychee and pineapple lent some sweetness to this dish, which was otherwise a little heavy on the coconut milk. The duck was executed well and was not tough.

This is a pretty good option if we want to depart from our usual options of value-for-money Thai meals at Jai Thai, Nakhon etc.

Sawadee 
9 Tan Quee Lan Street
#01-01
Tel No: 6 884 6884 

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Rochor Thai

I've been waiting to drop by Rochor Thai for quite some time and Good Friday was the perfect opportunity. Rochor Thai prides itself on serving MSG-free dishes. 

Lots of Thai-related pictures on the walls.

What is a Thai meal without Tom Yum? We ordered a Tom Yum Talay ($14.80) and this was adequately sweet, sour and spicy. A little salty but goes perfect with rice. I don't normally finish my soup but this was too appetising not to wipe it clean. Prawns, sotong and mushrooms - the seafood was fresh. If only it were a little spicier, this version would make me remember it for a long long time- the mean bowl of tom yum at Aroy-Dee has stuck with me since 3 years ago.

If you subscribe to their mailing list, you get either free Spring Roll or Fish Cake. The spring roll was stuffed with lots of crunchy vegetables. Good but nothing fantastic about it.

I'm not sure why the Moo Pad Krapow ($12.80) was marked "Chef's recommendations". The pork taste was a bit strong and while the basil was fragrant, just felt a little one-dimensional.

(update: We took the leftovers back and it tasted so much better when we ate it again. Spicier and more fragrant.)

We also ordered a Tau Hoo Tun Mor Din ($12.80). The tofu and the sauce was great with the rice. Crab meat was nearly non-existent though.

The Kor Moo Yang ($12.80), grilled pork neck, was chewy and not dry. The pork on its own did not have much flavour and it was with the help of the accompanying spicy sauce that it managed to stand out a little more. I felt that the flavours of the sauce could be a little stronger.

This was the best way to round off the meal- the Mango Sticky Rice ($7.80) was so good. Incredibly sweet mangoes and a small portion of glutinous rice with tau suan which provided that additional crunch.

The food here is slightly above average. Very friendly service. There's free parking across the road. If you have an OCBC card, you can get 10% off with minimum spending of $80.

Rochor Thai 
340 Joo Chiat Road
Tel No: 6 440 3270

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Nara Thai

Many foodies were excited when they heard that Nara Thai Cuisine was coming to the Singapore shores. Afterall, this is a place which was voted Thailand's best restaurant since 2007.  

Starting from the entrance of Nara Thai, you will realise that many of the servers are Thai- we knew we were going to have polite service that day. 

We tried the Hors d'oeuvre Nara ($17.90). This is a platter for those who want to try everything but don't want to eat too much of everything, consisting of Thai fish cake, pandan chicken and satay (you can opt for either chicken or pork). The fish cake was a little hard, the pandan chicken was aromatic and nicely charred while staying juicy, the satay was ordinary, the pomelo salad was basically pomelo and cashew nuts with a drizzle of what I believe was fish sauce.

The Pad Thai Phu Nim ($15.90) was pad thai with soft shell crab. The soft shell crab was a little oily and the flavours of the pad thai was pretty standard.

The Kuey Tiew Kom Yum Kung ($14.90) was spicy but it hasn't quite reached the level of Aroy-Dee. This was spicy with a hint of milkiness. The prawns were gigantic and were chewy.

I would say that it's pretty average fare here and that I would opt for the cheaper option of places like Ah Loy Thai anytime. Service was good.

Nara Thai Restaurant
ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn
#B3-21
Tel: 6 634 5787 

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Mezza9

There are several show kitchens at Mezza9- grill, steam basket, deli counter, wok, seafood etc. We opted for the two course set lunch ($29++) which consists of an appetiser and main course. For an extra $10, you get a dessert thrown in as well. 

The only thing that might be slightly disconcerting is that the tables are placed very near each other such that you could easily listen to the conversation at the next table. 

We were served some complimentary bread which had a crispy crust with a soft interior. The tomato dip was also a break away from the usual butter/olive oil.

For the appetisers, I opted for the Yam Pu Nim which is crispy soft shell cab with green mango salad, shallot and spring onion. This was a very refreshing dish as the sweet and sour sauce drizzled over the appetiser seeped into the soft shell crab, without making the soft shell crab soggy. Together with the crunchy bits of sour green mango, this was indeed very appetising.

Ordinarily, the tom yum soups that they serve in Singapore don't faze me at all. But this was something to be wary of. The Tom Yum Talay was so spicy, the pores on my face opened instantly. Looking at the fiery red of the tom yum, I didn't expect anything less. The fish was a little overcooked. Despite the spiciness, this soup was addictive and was perfect with the rice. Now, excuse me while I wipe my perspiration away.

The set meal also comes with coffee/tea. I opted for a cappuccino. Finally, I realise how it is possible for people to enjoy drinking coffee. The main reason why coffee isn't a daily fixture of my diet (which really isn't a bad thing) is because of its slightly sourish taste- is that caused by acidity? In any case, the cappuccino didn't have any of that sour taste and together with the chocolate cookie, made a perfect drink.

For the price and the decent fare here, I think it's worth a trip to Hyatt for the set lunch. One more thing that really tips the balance is that the service here is really attentive- didn't have to ask anyone to refill our water, pleasant service and happy faces. It was a pleasant meal!

Mezza9
Grand Hyatt Hotel
10 Scotts Road
Tel No: 6730 7188 

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Folks Collective

Thai restaurants in Singapore can be generally categorised into the authentic ones (e.g. Ah Loh Thai), the ones you eat because you are lazy to think (e.g. Thai Express) and the cheap and good Thai food (E.g. Jai Thai). I have some problems trying to classify Folks Collective for the simple reason that it does not fall into any of the above-mentioned categories.

This place is a mish mash of designs- look at the following pictures and you know what I mean. 

Interesting decor aside, their food is pretty good as well which was why I bothered going there a second time. I had a Seafood Pad Thai ($10.90). Not too oily, sweet but not overly sweet with fresh seafood.

I think the Cereal Soft-shell Crab ($18.90) is enough for 3 to share. On the menu, it states sharing between two or more but honestly, you wouldn't want to share this. Unfortunately, considerations of an expanding waistline kick in and your are forced to share, albeit extremely reluctantly. Normally, it's cereal prawn. This cereal soft-shell crab had a certain kick to it with the soft-shell crab and the cereal deep fried to perfect goodness.

The service here is also good. Their set-lunch menu prices seem pretty wallet friendly. I heard it can get really crowded on weekdays- this place is open on weekends as well, so you might want to head there when there are really few customers!

Folks Collective
China Square Central
20 Cross Street
#01-25
Tel No.: 6536 6739 

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Jai Thai (East Coast)

I passed by Jai Thai when I went on a trail at Katong and decided to come back here yesterday (because the restaurant we wanted to eat at was closed). "Jai" means heart in Thai and Jai Thai has been in Singapore since 1999. 

It's a no-frills place, which reminded me somewhat of a Thai food restaurant in Boston, Nud Pob Thai cuisine, except that it's more spacious. If Singapore had winter, here's where I would head to for a relatively good and cheap fix of piping hot Thai food.

I chose the Tom Yum Noodle Set ($6.80, with 10% service charge). I was offered the choice of either clear broth or coconut milk base. I opted for the clear broth. Suitably spicy with lots of fresh seafood. The prawns were very bouncy and fresh, albeit a little salty. There was also sotong, fish and mushrooms in it. The fish were also fresh although I found them cooked for perhaps too long and too big a chunk.

My friend ordered the Pad Thai. This is what she says: "I think the phad thai at jai thai was a bit sour even without adding the lime, but the noodle was quite chewy. The jelly that came along with the set was really like agar agar, not something exceptional. Price wise it was really affordable. The only downside was the environment was quite noisy and i had to talk louder than them. Of course it may just be an once off occurrence and it just have to be the day i am there."

Our sets came with a drink and dessert of the day. I chose lime juice and the dessert of the day was konnyaku jelly with bits of nata de coco in it.

Service was decent, with the food being served pretty fast. It's not that often that I get to meet this very good friend of mine, so I was glad they didn't chase us away despite being there for 2 hours. But the best thing about this place is that it's really value for money! Jai Thai also has outlets at Clover Way and Purvis Street.

Jai Thai 
205 East Coast Road
Tel: 6346 4940 

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Ah Loy Thai

We were here a few Sundays back only to realise that Ah Loy Thai was closed on Sundays. But were we deterred by that? Obviously not! So, we were back last Saturday. We thought we had to wait since it was lunchtime but we were in, in around 5 minutes. 

Note: No GST and service charge. 

Their shop was partitioned. This is one of the two spaces, with another to its left. By the way, I don't like the plastic chairs. They look stylo mylo but they don't feel good at all for balancing.

We ordered the classic Pineapple Fried Rice ($7). It wasn't too overwhelming but just right, with the wok hei fragrance. I suppose it's not cooked with the usual yellow curry paste which normally gives pineapple rice its distinct yellow colour.

You ain't at a Thai restaurant if you don't order Tom Yum. The Tom Yum Seafood ($7.50) had prawns and squids in it, and was not too spicy.

I think the Thai Pandan Chicken ($10) totally stood out! Four big chunks of chicken, marinated in delicious condiments, accompanied by dipping sauces at the side. All the moisture locked within the chicken. Only "bad" thing was that it was a little oily.

I didn't really fancy Thai Green Curry ($7.50) but that's a matter of personal preference because I don't like the milky taste to stand out too much. Otherwise, there are many pieces of tender chicken and fishballs in it.

The Thai Fried Tofu ($6.90) had the signature Thai sweet and spicy chilli sauce drizzled over it. Good, but nothing out of the ordinary.

We also ordered the Thai Mango Crispy Chicken ($8.50) which was basically deep fried chicken with sauce over it. The sauce didn't have a very strong mango taste and we felt that this dish was not worth it.

Besides the mango crispy chicken, we were satisfied with the rest of the food. Coupled with 6 drinks, it added up to $60+ for 6 people. Sure, the service isn't outstanding. But remember, no service charge? Totally worth your buck if you are in a big group and can share the food!

Ah Loy Thai 

Shaw Tower
100 Beach Road
#01-39/40
Tel: +65 9165 1543
(Closed on Sundays) 

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Bangkok Express

Many think of Newton Food Centre as a chopping board for tourists. Complaints of how the food is overpriced and not that great are rife. But you'll be surprised that there are actually many stalls selling good and affordable food. One such stall is Bangkok Express. 

The Pad Thai ($4.50) had a generous portion of peanut and was not oily. The prawns were also fresh. 

I had the Tom Yum Soup with Noodles ($5). Spicy and sour, every slurp of the noodles was tasty! Furthermore, they don't skimp on their ingredients.

Four or five prawns, together with lots of sotong and mushrooms make this a truly delightful tom yam!

The standard of Bangkok Express doesn't lose out to the run-of-the-mill Thai restaurants in Singapore. The difference is that the portion might be a little smaller, although the money you save compared to eating in a restaurant is probably rather significant!

Bangkok Express

Newton Food Centre
500 Clemenceau Ave North
#01-004

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