Residents of Holland Close, Buona Vista can now savour the taste of Thailand minutes from their doorstep. Kin Hoi, whose name literally translates to “eat cockles” in Thai, is a stall specializing in Thai shellfish and other authentic dishes from the Land of a Thousand Smiles.
Helmed by a couple of former media executives who took a brave plunge into the world of F&B, Kin Hoi is also staffed with Thai cooks and servers, so its fare it as close as you can get to the real deal in the heartlands.
Fancy authentic Thai cuisine in the heartlands? Wang Thai Kitchen is a casual eatery that is fitted with mouthwatering dishes from the Land of a Thousand Smiles in Lorong 4 Toa Payoh.
With its retail arm stretching across 35 countries, and two bustling eateries in Singapore, Real Thai has added a new F&B outpost under its belt. Tucked away in the basement of Changi City Point, Real Thai presents authentic Thai cuisine that will have you declaring, “Aroi mak mak!” as soon as you take a bite.
While Thai cuisine is commonly associated with tom yum, green curry, and other fiery dishes, few in Singapore would be able to make the connection between Thai and Chinese cuisine – specifically, Teochew cuisine. In fact, the culinary scene in Samphanthawong District’s Chinatown bears heavy influences from migrant Teochew merchants who were once called Royal Chinese จนี หลวง.
Since its opening in 2016, Soi Thai Soi Nice has blazed a trail for authentic and scrumptious Thai cuisine in Singapore’s food scene. Starting this month, both outlets in Jurong East and Sengkang will draw on the rich flavours and heritage of Bangkok’s Teochew settlers of old, to let diners savour this lesser known side of Thai cuisine.
Did you know? Roy stands for “authentic” in Thai. So don’t go asking for a man named Roy the next time you’re at Roy Thai Kitchen in Hougang Block 106.
Jokes aside, though, it’s evident that the owners of Roy Thai Kitchen were gunning for authenticity, judging by the strong flavours of sweet, sour and spicy in their cooking. No punches spared on the palate!
Regular travellers to Phuket may be familiar with No 6 Restaurant near Bangla Street. But not many would have heard of its new branch located atop a hill at Soi Phabarami. So reclusive is it, that diners still prefer standing in line for a spot in the cramped premises of the original restaurant.
Having heard of the many tourist-targeted scams in Patong, we were initially wary when a non-uniformed staff member approached us with a flyer advertising No 6 Restaurant’s hill top branch (we had stepped into a different restaurant with the No 6 signboard earlier that day and we were not taking any chances). However, reading up on TripAdvisor reviews convinced us otherwise, and it wasn’t long before we hopped on the shuttle bus for our last meal in Phuket.
Oh, by “shuttle bus”, I mean a sheltered lorry. And by “on top of a hill”, I mean up a steep slope with lots of sharp bends and turns. Hold on tight!
I’m back from a whirlwind weekend trip to Patong, Phuket. 3 rejuvenating days of good company, adrenaline pumping activities (think ATV and white water rafting), roadside shopping, and yes – cheap, good food!
And what better way to start the trip than with mookata right in the country where it originated from?
Mookata, which has its roots in Northern Thailand, means “pork skillet”. Think of it as steamboat meets BBQ, with a shallow trough for boiling vegetables, noodles and seafood while strips of meat sizzles away on a dome-shaped skillet lathered with chunky pork lard pieces. Talk about getting the best of both worlds in one meal!
A quick search on TripAdvisor turned up Lhanya BBQ as one of the go-to places for mookata in Patong. As it was monsoon season, we were almost deterred by the heavy downpour – that and the fact that only 2 of us had packed an umbrella for the trip. But as they say, no pain, no gain!
Chue On It 