Authentic Northeastern Thai Cuisine can be found in Aljunied, a suburban area around the bustling neighbourhood with housings estate.
How Northeastern Thai Cuisine differentiates themselves from the usual Thai food you have is the cooking method, charcoal is used instead of candle wax for a more lasting effect of fire also meat will be more tender when boiling with charcoal, and the food is extra spicy compared to the usual ones you have tasted. That is the taste of Isan.
| Spicy Thai - Thai Cafe 115 Aljunied Avenue 2, #01-35 Singapore 380115 | Opening hours: 11:00AM - 12:00AM | Contact: +65 6747 8558 Website: spicythaicafe.com |
Spicy Thai-Thai Cafe was founded by homegrown businessman, Ron Poh five years ago. With the success of its first outlet in Jalan Besar, the second shop sprouted at Aljunied Avenue 2 in 2013.
This cafe may seem to be in an alfresco dining style nevertheless, they also have an indoor dining area equipped with air-conditioning and washroom facilities. Spicy Thai - Thai Cafe unit size is comparable to a coffee shop space.
“Charcoal is the best tool to keep this dish simmering hot consistently without affecting the quality of the dish. Yes, it’s more hard work, but we think it’s worth it. We do not want our customers to be compromised, we want them to enjoy Thai food the authentic way”, said Ron, Founder & Owner of Spicy Thai-Thai Cafe. And precisely, this is what authentic cooking is all about.
Papaya Salad - Som Tum [$8.00]
We have a vegetarian friend with us, therefore, we had a special request of a vegetarian version with no dried shrimps and no fish sauce. This salad made from shredded unripe papaya is even spicier than the one I used to taste at home. Thai people like to eat this with hand paired with Glutinous rice known as Kow Neuw.
Lala Bee Hoon [$18.00]
This wet noodles with clam have a peppery taste which is not too overpowering, I would prefer this over rice which sometimes the consistency would be too hard for my liking.
BBQ Pork Belly $18
This red streaky pork is a favourite food in Thailand, cooked with charcoal and has no red colouring, unlike Char siu. For people who are more health conscious due to the fat level can consider getting BBQ Pork Neck ($12.00)
Thai Dill Omelette - Cha Om [$10.00]
This vegetable packed with nutrition is commonly used in Thai cooking as it can be quite unpleasant when uncooked. Cha-om a herby vegetable can be eaten raw usually with Thai salad, but here the chef made an omelette with the acacia leaves.
Thai Walking Cat Fish with Spicy Lemon Soup [$35.00]
The walking catfish is a species of freshwater airbreathing catfish named for its ability to "walk" across dry land, to find food or suitable environments. We waited for awhile to eat this dish because the meat will be even more tender with the boiling charcoal. This fish does not have a stinky taste, pair it with the spicy lemon soup if you are a chilli lover while it tingles your taste buds.
Deep Fried Kang Kong with Special Thai Sauce [$10.00]
For me that is still learning how to appreciate vegetable, this water spinach tastes like chips to me because of the crispy fried texture. This appetiser tastes, even more, savoury paired with its special Thai sauce moreover it is not too oily for my liking.
Thai Basil Crab [Seasonal Price]
Good time for a change of taste, no more chilli crab or salted egg yolk crab. We had two plates of Thai Basil Crab as there are 8 people dining together. Thai basil is naturally sweet on its own, not sure if it's me or what but I tasted on some spices, I like this dishes for its cooking method that is not unhealthy.
Olive Fried Rice - Kao Pad Nahm Liap [$6.00/portion]
Special request for a vegetarian version for this as well, no meat/seafood and no fish sauce. Salted black olive is used for this fried rice as a dominating flavour. There is a fragrant to this dish and I actually had more rice than the bee hoon.
Mushroom Tempura [$12.00]
This seems like a Japanese dish to me because batter fried food in Japan is known as tempura. The Thais develop their own Thai Tempura using vegetables. These crispy mushroom loaded dish taste somehow similar to me compared to the deep fried kang kong as seen above, the only difference will be their nutrition values.
Thai Style Otak (Hommok) [$18.00]
I have to rave that this is my favourite dishes of all! This Thai style otah is made flourless, stir fry with eggs, seafood and, coconut flesh. Great for people that are low carbohydrate diet, please be joyous of this creation, I can definitly finish this whole thing by my own.
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| Thai Red Ruby, Tapioca in Coconut Milk, Lemongrass Jelly with Aloe Vera & Calamansi (left to right) |
Thai Red Ruby [$4.00]
Red ruby are water chestnuts wrapped in some transparent tapioca, popular among the Thais when the weather is hot. I would prefer this over coconut milk rather that an ice-kachang style.
Tapioca in coconut milk [$4.00]
This vegan/gluten-free/lactose-free dessert is the top favourite among all of us that have tasted the three desserts. I had a mouthful of this feeling guilt-free, amora of the coconut milk can also be smell far away. I can't wait to put this into my mouth while photographing this.
Lemongrass Jelly with Aloe Vera & Calamansi [$3.00]
The name says all the ingredients. Amount and size of aloe vera given aren't what I expected to be. Overall taste like I am drinking calamansi with extra topping, somewhat taste like Jelly Bee drink.
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| Image source: thaipaddc.com |
Other drinks we had that are not photographed:
Ice Thai Tea [$2.50]
Ice Lemongrass Tea [$2.00]
Ice Calamansi with Plum [$2.00]
Bon Cafe Ice Coffee [$2.00]
Hot Lemongrass Tea [$1.80]
If you are looking for a classic meal of Thai cuisine that delivers on taste and won’t break the bank, Spicy Thai-Thai Cafe is the right place for you. The cafe is decked out in a comfortable non-intimidating Thai decor, with ornate patterns, bouquets of flowers and ceiling fans whirling. The cafe looks out onto the lush greenery and a quaint garden. Savour authentic Thai cuisine with the laid-back atmosphere, and enjoy them so much that your taste buds sing!
