Aoy’s Thai (Maxwell Food Centre)

There hasn’t been much of a movement of the tenants occupying the stalls at Maxwell Food Centre of the mate but it does seem that there is at least one new establishment that had recently moved into the food centre in recent times. Taking over the former premises of the now-defunct 1980 Penang Prawn Noodle just next door of TASTE Fusion Hainanese Chicken Chop is Aoy’s Thai. Taking up a corner unit in one of those rows closest towards Maxwell MRT Station along the Thomson-East Coast Line, Aoy’s Thai shouldn’t be too difficult a stall to locate — the bright pink storefront does make it quite easy to spot from afar as well. Aoy’s Thai may be a name that is rather familiar for those whom have been following the local F&B scene all these years — the logo does seem to be reminiscent of what Aoy’s Thai Noodle Bar had previously used when the brand was still in existence near a decade ago which was somewhat subsumed into the Saap Saap Thai branding a number of years back; the Saap Saap Thai brand also being one that is run but the same folks as Kaffe & Toast and Ma Mum. It does seem that the current iteration of Aoy’s Thai is registered as sole-proprietorship with its registered address being its stall at Maxwell Food Centre. Nonetheless, Aoy’s Thai’s food menu does feature a limited variety of Thai-style noodles and rice dishes — they also do offer a few different types of Thai salad on their menu, whilst also serving up side dishes like their Thai Grilled Pork Skewers as well as desserts such as that of Mango Sticky Rice. Interestingly, Aoy’s Thai also does serve up two (2) types of beverages — one being the Iced Thai Milk Tea and the other being the Iced Lemongrass Drink.

Interestingly, Aoy’s Thai does bundle up some of their offerings to form various sets which one can choose to opt for if they are keen to give more of Aoy’s Thai items a try in one single seating. All of them would typically feature a rice / noodle dish, whilst the rice / noodle item is being paired with either the Thai Grilled Pork Skewers or the Mango Sticky Rice; it also does come with a drink of the patron’s choice. With all being said, we went with the Set A which comes with the Signature Thai Pork Boat Noodle or Signature Thai Beef Boat Noodle, whilst also coming with Mango Sticky Rice and a drink of our choice. Our choice for the Signature Thai Boat Noodle would be that of the Pork variant — also the variant which was mentioned by the folks behind the counter when we initially placed our order. Aoy’s Thai does not describe the elements that are featured within the Signature Thai Pork Boat Noodle on their menu; that being said, it can be observed from our order that the Signature Thai Pork Boat Noodle does come with radish, greens, pork meat ball, pork, chili and thin rice noodle — coming with a pretty thick-looking broth coming in a brown hue that seems to have simmered for an extended period of time. Going for the broth, the broth carried a pretty interesting flavour that we found to be pretty complex; it starts off with a little bit of tang like how one would expect in soup with pickled vegetables as one of the elements — it also comes savoury with a bit of a herbal note, but also a little peppery as well with a spicy kick from the chili padi added to it. The broth also does seem to carry a bit more depth as compared to the same from other stalls serving up similar dishes. The thin rice noodles does come without being overly soft — cooked just about right, while the pork balls and sliced pork doesn’t come with any undesirable porky stench whilst coming with a meaty bite. The radish included was cooked to a soft consistency; breaks apart without a need to chomp down into it whilst having absorbed all of the flavours within the broth as well.

Set A also comprises of the the Mango Sticky Rice and one thing to note about the Mango Sticky Rice at Aoy’s Thai does seem to come in a pretty generous portion size — likely the full portion size even if one orders it as part of a set. This comes with the usual suspects of glutinous rice, mango, coconut milk and fried mung beans. The glutinous rice came sufficiently sticky and moist, while the drizzling of coconut milk helps to enhance the flavours of the dessert; we do think that the mango that was served with our portion of the Mango Sticky Rice was a little missing of that sweetness that we were expecting (though a factor that is really quite out of their control) — the addition of fried mung beans also helped to add a bit of a crunch factor to the Mango Sticky Rice as well. The Iced Lemongrass Drink that we had opted for over the Iced Thai Milk Tea was a light beverage that went well with the heavier-tasting Signature Thai Pork Boat Noodle; not overly-sweetened and being pretty refreshing. Overall, it does seem that Aoy’s Thai is a fairly interesting addition to Maxwell Food Centre — sure; these folks aren’t the only Thai stall that is operating there, but it does certainly provide a pretty fresh dining alternative especially considering how there hasn’t been much of activity when it comes to new players coming into this hawker centre. Prices for its ala-carte rice and noodle dishes are around $7.90 to $10.90; the sets are priced a little higher from $15.50 to $18.50 — though portions are pretty generous and filling nonetheless. Would perhaps consider giving their other items such as the Thai Beef / Pork Yellow Noodle Dry a go the next time we are craving for Thai cuisine whilst at Maxwell Food Centre!