Yaowarat – Thai Kway Chap in Singapore

Thai Kway Chap @Yaowarat

Yaowarat is a popular district in Bangkok, it is also known as Chinatown of Bangkok. For foodies, this is one of the places you can have your gastronomic experience of Seafood BBQ, Shark Fin Soup, Birds Nest, Authentic Teochew Food and traditional desserts.

The Shop

One of the more renowned dishes here is Thai Kway Chap. For those, who never tried this dish in Bangkok before, you can try this in Singapore at Yaowarat Thai Kway Chap at Kovan.

The Menu

For $5, you can get a bowl of Thai Kway Chap. Don’t let the calmness of the slightly cloudy broth fools you, it packs of punch from the pepper infused in it. It is comparable to a solid pig stomach soup.

Thai Kway Chap

The Rice Noodle

The ingredients include curly and crunchy rice noodle, pig stomach, lean pork meat, fried pork belly and fish sausages. One thing for sure, the portion of the kway chap is here is bigger than those served in Bangkok.

Pig stomach and lean meat

If you order takeaway, they will separate the soup and the ingredients, so as to ensure that the rice noodles do not get soggy.

Deep Fried Pork Belly and Fish Sausage

For additional dishes, we ordered Deep Fried Thai Pork Belly and Thai Boiled Pork Belly $6 each. The fried pork belly has a crispy skin followed with juicy meat, accompany cut chilli in sweet soy sauce.

Deep Fried Thai Pork Belly

Meanwhile, the boiled pork belly bouncy texture with the meat that melts in your mouth. The dipping sauce is made from cut chilli and fish sauce, that will give the twang to the dish.

Thai Boiled Pork Belly 

Thai Boiled Pork Belly 

Not shown in the picture is the fish sausages. I recommend those dining at Yaowarat to order it as well. It is crunchy and meaty, taste closer to pork sausage instead of fish sausage.

 The Cups

The shop is brightly lit and uses metal tables and chairs, making you feel like you are dining in Bangkok. Service is friendly and efficient. You order and pay at the counter before they prepare the food. Currently, they are open daily until 2AM, you can drop by anytime for your meal, except for breakfast.

Table Setting

Overall, Yaowarat Thai Kway Chap definitely brings with them the authentic Thai Kway Chap flavours to Singapore. The price is very reasonable and you don’t have to board the plane to try this dish. Cheers!!

Food: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 7/10

Ambiance: 7/10

Budget per Person: $0 - $10, $11 - $25.

Yaowarat Thai Kway Chap

945 Upper Serangoon Road

Singapore 534711

T: +65 8822 5637

F: https://www.facebook.com/YaowaratKwayChap/

IG: @Yaowaratthaikwaychap

OH: Daily 11.00 – 02.00

Ding Te Le – A Very Good Shanghainese Staple Food

Signature pan-fried Crispy Pork Soup Buns - Sheng Jian Bao

Ding Te Le at Kovan is an eatery serving Shanghainese cuisines such as Xiao Long Bao (XLB), Shanghainese Noodle and Sheng Jian Bao. Surprisingly, it has been open for almost 2 years. LD and I visited the restaurant frequently when it just opened, but we got so busy we have not returned until recently.

DING TE LE

Signature Steamed Pork & Soup Bun ($5.40) also known as Xiao Long Bao (XLB). One tray comes with 5 pcs of XLB. The skin thin but not translucent, while the pork fillings are juicy and filled with Oink Oink soup that burst when you bit into the XLB. For an easy comparison, the skin is thicker than those sold in DTF, but the meat fillings are almost double in size.

Signature Steamed Pork & Soup Bun - Xiao Long Bao (XLB)

Signature pan-fried Crispy Pork Soup Buns ($5.40) also known as Sheng Jian Bao. This pork bun has a crispy exterior, followed with a chewy internal skin plus thick and juicy pork ball fillings. As it is served directly after pan-fried, it is better to let it cool down slightly before you bit into it. We ordered this for takeaway before and it remains hot even after we let it sit for 30 minutes.

Signature pan-fried Crispy Pork Soup Buns - Sheng Jian Bao

Sheng Jian Bao Fillings

The recent addition of Pan-Fried Meat Dumpling ($5.40) is definitely worth the wait. The skin is crispy, slightly chewy, but enjoyable. The fillings are juicy and generous, definitely, something for a gyoza lover to tried.

Pan-Fried Meat Dumpling

Pan-Fried Meat Dumpling Fillings

Part of the Shanghainese cuisine is their noodles. I personally like their “almost naked” Noodles with Soy Sauce & Scallion Oil ($5.30). Although the noodles that I ordered almost plain, the version in Ding Te Le come with dried prawns. The texture of the noodle is springy and bouncy, while the aromatic scallion plus soya sauce infused it with a delicious flavour. The dried prawns added the OMPH factor to this dish.

Noodles with Soy Sauce & Scallion Oil

Noodles with Soy Sauce & Scallion Oil

For the side dishes, we ordered Marinated Jellyfish with Cucumber ($7.20), Wheat Gluten & Shiitake Mushrooms ($4.80) and Boiled Soybean Sprouts with Oily Bean Curd ($4.80). Frankly, the side dishes did not shine like their main dishes. The jellyfish and beansprouts offer crunchy texture but under seasoned, while the wheat gluten is extremely sweet. A little bit of fine tuning in terms of flavour will add more points to their food.

Marinated Jellyfish with Cucumber 

Wheat Gluten & Shiitake Mushrooms

Boiled Soybean Sprouts with Oily Bean Curd

The décor of the restaurant is simple and bright. More like a modern Chinese eatery. The kitchen is a see-through model, where you can see the Chefs preparing your meal. Service is friendly and efficient.

Menu - Front

Menu - Back

Overall, Ding Te Le offers a very good Shanghainese staple dishes. The noodles, buns and dumplings are as good as those branded restaurants, while the price is relatively cheaper. So if you are near Kovan area, give Ding Te Le a try. Cheers!!

Food: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 6/10

Ambiance: 6.5/10

Budget per Person: $0 - $10, $11 - $25.

DING TE LE 鼎特樂

949 Upper Serangoon Road

Singapore 534713

T: +65 6282 4380

F: https://www.facebook.com/dingtele.sh/

IG: @Dingtele

OH: Daily 11.30 – 14.30; 17.30 – 22.30

Lola's Cafe – Your Backyard Cafe

For those that passed by Simon Road regularly, Lola's cafe need no introduction. The same can be said for the cafe hoppers, this place is definitely in the list of the must try cafes. However, before you made up you mind to visit this place, the waiting time to get a seat here is also legendary.

Nakhon Kitchen – Authentic Thai Food

Nakhon Kitchen is simple non air-conditioned café that serve simple authentic Thai food. Nakhon Kitchen has built up their reputation when they opened in Bedok. The second branch are opened in the North-east area. Located in the inner part of Kovan, at the junction of Hougang St 21 and Hougang Ave 1, this small eatery has build up quite a big followers. On the weekends, expect a long queue of customers waiting for their turns to have a fix of traditional Thai food. For Little Devil ('LD') and I, it is more like a game of cat and mouse game. If we passed by Nakhon and don't see any people queuing, we will quickly turn to the car park and grab a quick bite there. However if we see a long queue, then we just keep going.

All along, we find all the food here is delicious and authentic. The reason is simple, they bring the same basic ingredients, sauces and condiments direct from Thailand. Majority of their cooks and service staff are also Thai, therefore you can not only taste but also feel their authenticity.

Our favourite dishes here are: Pad Thai ($5), Green Curry Chicken ($8), Stir-fried mince pork w/hot basil leaves ($6) and Pandan Leaves Chicken ($6).

Nakhon Kitchen Pad Thai has a nice balance of sweet and sour. The rice noodle has a springy texture and combine all the ingredients and texture such as bean spout, chives, eggs and crushed peanuts beautifully.

Pad Thai

Every time I have green curry chicken here, I will more likely end up with extra serving of rice. It has subtle spiciness, fragrant green curry, and richness of the coconut milk are just too inviting. Although the carnivores will feel that the meat in the curry is lacking, I will add the meat from Pandan Leaves Chicken to satisfy my cravings as a carnivore. The Pandan Leaves Chicken is well marinated and fried to perfection with the wrapped pandan leaves. The chicken remain juicy and succulent, with a lovely pandan flavour.

Green Curry Chicken

Pandan Leaves Chicken

The Stir-fried mince pork is very spicy combined with fragrant basil leaves, this dish really open up your appetite. The saltiness of the dish is just right with a little tingling of sweetness, entice you to keep scooping for more even though the chilli is numbing your tongue.

Stir-fried mince pork w/hot basil leaves

The Thai Ice Milk Tea here is the same as the one you get in Thailand. The upside of it, it has less ice than what you normally get in Thailand. The downside, it is almost triple the price you pay in Thailand.

Thai Ice Milk Tea

Service here is friendly, efficient and no fuss. Your first dish will normally be serve within 10 minutes after they take your order. If you just want to order take away, you just need to approach the service staff. Decoration is minimum and please be considerate of the other people waiting for your seat :)

Overall, for those who never been to Nakhon Kitchen, consider this as a hidden find. One of the cheapest and most authentic Thai food you can find in Singapore. Cheers!!!

Food & Drink: 8.5/10

Value: 9/10

Service: 7/10

Ambiance: 7/10.

Nakhon Kitchen @ Hougang
Block 212 Hougang Street 21
#01- 341.
Singapore 530212

Tel: 6286 8785 (no reservation)
Op Hours: Daily 12.00 – 15.00; 17.30 – 22.00

Other Branch:
Nakhon Kitchen @ Bedok
Block 136 Bedok North Ave 3.
#01-166.
Singapore 460136

Tel: 6245 5548
Op Hours: Daily 12.00 – 15.00; 17.30 – 22.00

Ponggol Nasi Lemak – Not Your Ordinary Nasi Lemak

Nasi Lemak, one of Singapore Favourite dish. There are a few popular nasi lemak joint in Singapore, such as those in Adam Road Food Centre, Changi Village Food Centre or even the famous Ponggol Nasi Lemak.