The fiery spices in Thai food might deter many, and in Singapore, Thai food is generally more expensive than local food. Wang Thai Kitchen nicely fills the gap by offering authentic Thai food without the fiery punch of spice but at the same time still budget-friendly.
Many like myself haven’t heard of this Thai restaurant until an invitation was received from Chef Ivan. Wang Thai Kitchen is hidden in Toa Payoh Lorong 4. They have been around for many years, haven’t done much marketing and have a group of loyal fans supporting them.
As you walk along the corridor, you will think this is a flower shop until you enter the eatery itself. Chef Ivan recently finished decorating his shop with something he loves – flowers. It is also good to see many Thai related decors around, giving the shop bright happy Thai vibes.
We had a little chat with Chef Ivan and learnt that he does all the cooking by himself to ensure quality and consistency. Having said that, it didn’t take long for all our food to arrive at our table. That’s really impressive!
We were served platters for the salad and appetisers so that we can try as many items as possible. For the salad platter, we had Mango Salad, Larb Minced Pork Salad and Sotong Chilli Lime. For appetisers, we had Thai Fish Cake, Stuffed Boneless Wings and Pandan Chicken.
Thai Kway Chap (Dry) [S$12] – This is Chef Ivan’s own creation and it’s brilliant. You can’t find this in Thailand and this is really a dish catered for Singaporeans who love the wok hei. This dish actually sits in between Fried Kway Teow and Fried Carrot Cake. Fans of these 2 famous Singapore dishes will surely love this signature dish.
Thai Kway Chap (Soup) [S$7] – Having tried the real deal in Bangkok, this is on the lighter side without that peppery punch. This is the dish to order if you want something light and soupy.
Thai Sweet & Sour Pork Ribs [S$15] – If you know about Leng Saap, this is Chef Ivan’s rendition which appeals more to Singaporeans. This is good to go with Thai Jasmine rice.
Seabass with Thai Lemongrass Soup [S$35] – Fresh seabass with Tom Yum Soup base. What’s amazing is that the meat (from the other end) was already shifted to the top so that you won’t have to worry about turning the fish over. Apart from the fish itself, there’s also golden enoki mushrooms and vermicelli added!
Pineapple Fried Brown Rice [From S$8] – Made using Riceberry, Brown Rice and Red Rice, it does sound healthy and unappetising right? Well, you are wrong. We were also amazed by how delicious this was. It’s topped with generous chunks of sweet pineapple and pork floss. If I’m staying in Toa Payoh, this will be something I will get often. Enough said.
Tom Yum Seafood [From S$6.80] – Comforting and well balanced Tom Yum Soup without the overly intense flavours, we can see why every table had this.
Thai Sweet Tapioca [S$5]
Mango with Tri-Coloured Sticky Rice [S$6]
Tri-Coloured Ruby with Coconut Milk [S$6]
We love that they took the extra effort to warm the tapioca and sticky rice when served. The desserts will give you a happy ending to your Thai meal here.
The portions at Wang Thai Kitchen are generous for the price point. They cater to the local palates so flavours are not as intense as you would imagine. You don’t have to worry about sweating buckets here but still get to enjoy the authentic flavours of Thai cuisine. Do drop by to try if you are around the area.
[Singapore] Wang Thai Kitchen
This was an invited media tasting. As always, all reviews and opinions are entirely my own.
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