Wang Thai Kitchen (旺泰小橱) - Thai Food in the heartlands of Toa Payoh

(Food Tasting) - Earlier this month, our family was invited by Chef Ivan Then, owner of Wang Thai Kitchen for a food tasting session. Located within the heartlands of Toa Payoh, the shop has been in business in the area for many years, earning the support of a group of customers over time.

A humble and down to earth man, Ivan cooks up the dishes in the shop all by himself! To improve his culinary skills, Ivan even traveled to Thailand to learn the authentic Thai style cooking from the local chefs. Upon returning home, he made adjustments and fine-tune his menu items to suit the local taste-buds. Apart from emphasizing on taste, Ivan also gave a lot of thoughts on how each dish is presented. I was indeed impressed by his efforts, passion and dedication to make good food.

As Ivan headed in to prepare the dishes, we had some cooling drinks. The children adore the sweetness from the Thai Iced Milk Tea, while I voted for the refreshing homemade Thai Iced Lemongrass.

Thai Iced Milk Tea (SGD 2.80)

Homemade Thai Iced Lemongrass (SGD 2.80)

When I told my 9 year old girl that we will be having Thai food for dinner, she wasn't impressed at all as spicy and sour food is not her cup of tea. Unlike our 12 year old boy who is very accustom to spice, even surpassing me! Though we are not frequent patrons in Thai delicacies, we were delighted by the line up of food during the tasting session. The entire flavour was much milder than expected and it turned out to be very palatable for our family (particularly the children).

Thai Mango Salad with Crispy Fish Skin (SGD 10)

Topped with slices of mango and peanuts, this dish had a tinge of sourness which was not too spicy for our girl. Fish skin was crispy and crunchy which is a nice pre-snack before the main dish. Personally, I thought the salad was a little dry and it would be more appealing if there was more sourly sauce within to start my meal.

Thai Fish Cake (SGD 2 each)

When the fish cakes were served, I wowed at the generous serving. At SGD2 per piece, a single piece is definitely filling and satisfying. I like the mild scent of lemongrass within but thought it would be perfect if the fish cakes can be sliced and served in smaller pieces, easier for children to manage and for more to share.

Boneless Chicken Wings (3 pieces for SGD 9)

I love the way how this dish is presented - innovative and appetizing. This should be one of our kiddos' favourite. Denver & Gladys were surprised to find meat instead of chicken bones! As the name suggests, Ivan took the trouble to de-bone the chicken wings and stuff it with fish meat. Each bite is filled with the sweetness and fusion flavour of chicken and fish. A must-have if have your little ones with you.

Fried Kway Chap with Seafood (small - SGD 6, large -SGD 12)

An interesting dish as it was the first time I had fried kway chap in this manner. While I couldn't really recall the spiciness or sourly flavour within, the texture of the noodles were tangy and I applaud for the generous serving of big prawns.

Pineapple Fried Rice (small - SGD 6, large -SGD 12)

Woohoo! The pineapple rice is delicious! I could almost see every grain of rice is fried with the eggs. Topped with lots of floss, you can see the chunks of pineapple within which makes the rice really SWEET!

Green Curry Chicken (small - SGD 6, large -SGD 12)

Unlike the other green curry chicken that I have, this one tasted milky sweet instead of spicy. The creamy sauce is a big hit among our kiddos and they were able to savour the chicken wholeheartedly. Good news for me since I cannot manage spicy food very well but a little disappointing for those who prefer it to be spicy hot.

Thai Style Kang Kong (small SGD 6, medium - SGD 8, large - SGD 10)

Among all the dishes that we had, the spice factor within this Thai-style kang kong knocked me out. It was really SPICY but shiok! I had to gulp down my last bit of icy lemongrass drink to regain my taste-bud!

Homemade Toufu with Minced Pork and Mushrooms (SGD 12)

A decent, non spicy toufu dish which is good to share within the family. 

Seabass with Thai Lemongrass Soup (small SGD 28, large - SGD 35)

Fresh steam Seabass which remains warm for a very long time, thanks to the relentless flame. It would have score more points if the soup is more spicy and sourly. Nevertheless, this is a delicious dish to go with rice.

Deep Fried Pork Knuckles (small - SGD25, large - SGD 30) 

This is probably the only dish that I did not favour as much. While I applaud for the way the pork knuckles were presented, the meat was a little too tough and dry for my liking. On the other hand, our children swept off all the fried egg noodles from the plate. :)

Crispy Soft Shell Crab in Curry (small - SGD15, large - SGD 22)

This is another one of my favourite simply because I love soft shell crab. :) The curry is sweet and not too spicy.

A sweet, cooling dessert to end our meal.

On the whole, I feel Wang Thai serves economical and delicious food that comes with a generous serving. It is a great choice for families, particularly with children to share a meal and experience some Thai food that is much milder in flavour and taste.

Wang Thai Kitchen

Address: Blk 92, Toa Payoh Lor 4, #01-274, S310092

* Disclosure:Our family was invited to the food tasting session at Wang Thai Kitchen. All comments and opinions are personal and no monetary compensation was received