Nakhon Kitchen

Nakhon Kitchen
212 Hougang Street 21

136 Bedok North Avenue 3

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nakhon-Kitchen/138608106191321


Good Quality, Tasty Thai Dishes, But Not Worth The Wait

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 5
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 7
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $14 per person.


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In any discussion about where to find the best Thai food in Singapore, Nakhon Kitchen always comes up. Having built their reputation for serving tasty, authentic Thai dishes with fresh ingredients at reasonably low prices, Nakhon Kitchen commands a constant queue of diners waiting to get in on a daily basis.

Ambience at Nakhon Kitchen is simple, rustic, and functional. People don't come here for ambience after all... They come for the food. However, I do like that they provide complimentary tissue paper (toilet rolls actually) on every table. Decor is minimal, though suitably Thai inspired. Prepare for a slightly warm, noisy dining environment.

Service at Nakhon Kitchen is brusque but efficient. Don't expect to get much conversation out of the staff. As most of the staff are Thai, expect to converse in either English or Thai with them. Because this place is constantly packed, expect to wait about 10 - 15 minutes for your food, even after being seated. And to be seated, you'll first have to queue for about 20 - 30 minutes. This 'queue to get in' is actually part of Nakhon Kitchen marketing strategy, purposefully implemented by the owners.

Food at Nakhon Kitchen is fantastic, with authentic Thai flavours. Expect each dish to have the Thai combination of sweet, salty, spicy and sour flavours, fresh ingredients, and great taste. Some dishes though, are simply much better than others. However, presentation of most dishes is rather lacking. I also like that prices are reasonably cheap here as compared to other Thai restaurants.

Overall, Nakhon Kitchen is an excellent place for Thai food. But I personally feel that sometimes, it is over hyped. While I don't mind waiting up to 30 minutes for the food, anything longer isn't worth the time and effort. If you really must dine at Nakhon Kitchen, I would recommend visiting just before they open (11.40am or 5.10pm), or way after the normal dining hours (2.30pm or 9.30pm).


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Some waiting is required for the food, even though the quickly kitchen churns out dish after dish... but due to the long queues here, expect at least a 30 minute wait!

Condiments

Tissue Holder

Steamed White Rice

The Thai Iced Tea is sweet and potent, while the Thai Iced Lemongrass Tea is clean, refreshing and thirst quenching.

Thai Iced Tea

Thai Iced Lemongrass Tea

The Green Curry Chicken has a nice fragrant aroma, and the taste is quite solid, though the gravy is on the thin side.

Green Curry Chicken

The fiery, spicy Tom Yum Seafood Soup has a nice spicy sour kick, and the ingredients are fresh, though the plain and unassuming presentation lets it down slightly. Beware, looks are deceiving!

Tom Yum Seafood Soup

The Minced Beef Basil and Minced Pork Basil both come doused in a flavourful meat gravy, with fresh string beans on top. Their version is a variation on the traditional dry style presentation though.

Minced Beef Basil

Minced Pork Basil

The Pandan Leaf Chicken is nice and chunky, but a little too oily for my liking. The aroma of pandan leaf comes through nicely in the taste.

Pandan Leaf Chicken

Pandan Leaf Chicken Unwrapped

The somewhat spicy Yellow Curry Squid is tasty, and the squid is fresh. Pretty good, though the curry is a little thicker than normal.

Yellow Curry Squid

When I tried the Mango With Glutinous Rice, I noticed the mangos were slightly sour... Not sure if this is typical, but I generally prefer mangos to be sweet. And while I'm not a fan of Red Ruby, the version here is quite good, with a nice milky syrup.

Mango With Glutinous Rice

Red Ruby

The heat from the Red Curry Chicken only starts to build towards the end of the dish, and the burn may last quite awhile. But the dish is flavourful and tasty, though you shouldn't eat this on an empty stomach.

Red Curry Chicken

I loved the authentic taste of the Thai Fish Cake. Good enough to eat on its own, the Thai chili sauce dressing it's served with does little to enhance the flavour.

Thai Fish Cake

The Pad Thai is tasty, with nice, slippery noodles that are savoury, sweet, and sour in flavour. Ingredients are generous, worth ordering!

Pad Thai

The Pineapple Fried Rice has large chunks of fresh pineapple, which lends a tart sweetness and a fruity flavour to the fluffy rice. Looks rather plain though.

Pineapple Fried Rice

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