Nakhon Kitchen is restaurant chain well-know for authentic Thai food at affordable prices. (Above: Pandan leaves chicken | S$6/-)
Photos by Chong Yap of Make Your Calories Count
With a humble beginning in Hougang, Nakhon Kitchen would be a familiar name for most with their various outlets in the heartland districts such as Bedok and Ang Mo Kio. While the closest outlet to us is Holland Village, it seems as if they upheld their philosophy of providing quality Thai food at affordable prices.
Let the tastebuds do the talking!
One of the must-tries for us when it comes to Thai food is the pandan leaves chicken. With a lovely fragrance that titillated our appetite, we could not help but resort to using our hands to unwrap the crisp pandan leaves to unveil the tender chicken on the inside.
Homemade Thai fish cake | S$6/- Deep-fried to a golden delicious tone, the Thai fish cake was oozing with juices upon the first mouthful. Beautifully marinated with Thai spices, the flavourful appetiser is guaranteed to please the guests at the table.
Thai mango salad | S$5/- It is almost a mantra to order the mango or papaya salad during a Thai meal and this was no exception. While we enjoyed the balance in flavours, a light spiciness to the sweet and tang of the green mango, it was an okay dish that managed to whet our appetite though it was definitely not the best we had.
Clear seafood tom yum soup | S$6/-
A bowl of goodness, we thought that the tom yum soup is a must-try. At just S$6, it was a complete steal given the freshness and quality of seafood in that clear broth. While the clear soup looked rather innocent, it packed a strong punch of heat which grew on us after a few spoonfuls.
Pineapple fried rice | S$6/-
A classic and an easy favourite for most, the simple pineapple fried rice hit the right notes for us. Individually greased rice grains, it had the right amount of wok hei and there was a generous portion of the pork floss to top off the dish.
Phad Thai noodles | S$5/-
For those who know me, the Phad Thai is a die die must try for me when it comes to any Thai restaurant. With the right assortment of chilli flakes, crushed peanuts and a wedge of Thai lime, all that was required was the right wok hei to impart the lovely flavours of tamarind and fish sauce to the rice noodles. Spot-on and I would gladly have another plate!
Green chicken curry | S$8/-
With a choice of green and red curries and choice of meat form chicken, beef to prawn, we thought the green chicken curry would be a safe option. The viscous and rich curry had a mild spice level which would be acceptable to most. What we really enjoyed were the tender chicken chunks that just kept me scooping for more! Be sure to pair this with some Thai jasmine rice or even the pineapple fried rice!
Having the right pricing for the dishes is definitely key to drawing the crowd. While Nakhon Kitchen delivers affordable Thai food to the masses, be prepared to be a food nazi as the service was almost non-existent. Not only were we shown some harsh and rather flat attitude when our orders were taken, it was almost impossible to get your glasses refilled with water. I had to eventually head over to the counter to grab the jar to refill our glasses after politely requesting for it twice. Well, one cannot really complain at such prices and oh, did I mention that GST and service charge are waived?
If the above is enough to make you get out to one of Nakhon Kitchen outlets, do be prepared to join the queue!
Overall verdict: 8.0/10
Nakhon Kitchen
27A Lorong Liput
Holland Village
Singapore 277738
Tel: (65) 6469 6862