The salmon here was well executed; tender and moist on the inside with a slightly crispy skin, the citrus cream that came with it also helps you to refresh your palates for the next bite!

With the Christmas and New Year season dawning upon us, are you looking to host your small group gathering at home? Look no further than @chiangmaithaikitchen_amk for a satisfying and filling meal!

We had a small gathering at home and were treated to a sumptuous feast of the following dishes:

Moo Ping ($3 each)
Fried Prawn Cake (From $8)
Thai Claypot Prawn Vermicelli ($20)
Minced meat Omelette (From $8)
Fried Kang Kong (From $7)
Tom Yum Soup (From $8)
Thai Basil Pork (From $8)
Fried Pork Belly (From $8)
Phad mama (From $7)
Tom mamuang (From $8)
Green curry chicken (From $8)

And can I just say that every dish hits the spot?! I was really impressed by everything that was delivered to us. The signature dishes, Moo Ping and Prawn Cakes, were really good. The Moo Ping was well marinated in the sauce that coated it and each bite was a mouthful of tender and juicy pork.

But I think they should also label the Thai Claypot Prawn Vermicelli as a signature as well! Their version was done so well that even when we had it cold, it still tasted extremely delicious. The vermicelli was very flavourful and is good just on its own. But the huge prawns that came with it was a bonus too! I will definitely head over to the eatery myself to try this dish at its piping hot best. A must order!

The dish that shocked us the most was the Phad Mama! I think because we were just expecting fried instant noodles, our expectations were quite low. But with the myriad of ingredients that it was tossed with, the noodles soaked up the sweetness of the ingredients, making it very flavourful! And the texture of the noodles were just right as well.

I also love how the Tom Yum soup was not overly spicy and was a very pleasant drink that helped to whet our appetites throughout the meal. The green curry is also a good dish to order with rice.

It has been more than a year since I last visited Thailand and boy do I miss the place, its people and most definitely, the food. I have always made it a point to avoid ordering Phad Thai in Singapore due to the sheer number of times that I have been disappointed but not anymore, the Phad Thai here at @folkscollective instantly sends my tastebuds and me back to Thailand!

Helmed by 4 talented chefs hailing from the Land of Smiles, it is no wonder that the Softshell Crab Phad Thai ($18.90) here as well as most of the many dishes that we have tried hits all the right spots! While we were here, I also observed that there were quite a number of Thais visiting the eatery as well; now, you can be assured of their authenticity!

Apart from the Phad Thai, some of my favourite dishes here include:

Steamed Squid With Garlic & Lime ($23.90); cooked to perfection and with simple ingredients, it is choke-full of flavours while ensuring that you can still taste the freshness and sweetness of the squid
Chef's Fruit Salad ($18); part of the CNY menu, this medley of fruits accompanied by a Thai sauce is super refreshing and helps to clean your palates in between dishes
Spatchcock Chicken ($24); if looks could fool, this is it! This ordinary looking grilled chicken is packed full of flavours due to it being marinated in a blend of corainder roots, garlic and fish sauce before it is grilled to perfection. The method of cooking is spot on as well as it helps to lock in the juices and make the meat super tender, must-try!

We also had the pleasure to try some other great dishes like the Yellow Coconut Crab Curry ($15), Royal Kapi Rice ($15), Pork Belly & Long Beans ($20) as well as desserts like the Ice Cream Kati ($6.90) and Red Ruby ($6.90)

Looking for a place near the CBD to chill after work, make sure you don't miss the inconspicuous @astickysituationsg! This relatively new bar was as a result of the Covid restrictions, explaining the reason behind its name! But another reason is because of the many different types of skewers that are found here too. Although it began as a spin-off of the KTV lounge, Illuzion, the dishes that came out of the kitchen was a pleasant surprise for me.

Some of the dishes that we tried were:

Sticky Premium Skewers Platter ($37.90/18 skewers) - This reminds me of an Izakaya although the selection was pretty international
Pulled Pork Croissant ($10.90/3pcs) - Would want more pulled pork with this but I would imagine that this would go really well with a pint after a long day at work!
Thai-Style Salmon Aglio Olio ($14.90) - Looks can be deceiving with this one; it looks plain and ordinary but definitely packed a punch with the spices involved. This was also extremely flavourful as well. Must-try!
Top Shell ($14.90) - An old school bar snack that would go really with a pint too; canned pieces of top shell drizzled with lime juice topped with chillies, heaven! (my third fav)

We have all had frog legs porridge and have always been told that frog tastes just like chicken. But I haven’t always been able to draw that similarity until I tried Fried Frog Legs!

Fried frog is probably the lesser known frog leg dish but I would recommend that you try this the next time you are craving for frog legs porridge. The tender, fall off the bone flesh coupled with the fried outer layer is a refreshing take on a traditional favourite.

The Dried Chilli Frog Legs here are pretty good too. A really good place for supper.

Have you tried Fried Frog Legs before?

For the more adventurous souls, you would be glad to hear that you can DIY your own pasta here. Be the chef and create your own menu and leave it to the cooks to execute it for you!

But for those who are lazy like me... the house specials are pretty good! Usually I try to avoid carbonara as I feel that most of the time, they could be quite cloying but this was so good, I finished every bit of it 😅 the duck breast and pasta was also cooked to perfection. Also, one thing good about the house specials is that you can still customise it to suit your tastebuds.

Honestly the plating of the food was what attracted me 😅 This looks very reminiscent of The Coconut Club at almost half the price! But at $7.50 and located in a hawker center, I had high expectations for this.

However, I was kinda disappointed by what I have had here. The basmati rice was clumpy at times and did not have enough coconut fragrance. The chilli also did not give me the kick that I was looking for. It was not definitely not spicy enough to fall into that spectrum but neither was it sweet enough for me to understand the approach that they were taking? Essentially, the basic 2 stars of a good nasi lemak was not executed well here I feel.

That said, I have to say that the portions are pretty generous still and the spiced chicken thigh was done really well. It had a crispy skin on top of tender, juicy meat that was was very flavourful.

Given the portions served, the size of the chicken thigh and its location, I can understand why this is priced the way it is. However, with @thecoconutclubsg just a stone throw away, I would gladly pay more to be assured of an indulgence.

The soup that comes with the Kway Chup is fantastic! Light on the palate but robust in flavour, this went really well with the soft and tender pork belly.

Hainanese Yuan Yang Satay with Peanut & Pineapple Sauce ($15 for 10 sticks) - try this with both sauces together!

perfect for those looking for something lighter on the palate and especially great on rainy days!

daydreaming about the perfect kaya toast set from @yykafeidian. The claypot ee mian was amazing too! But all I really want right now, is that cup of strong iced kopi