Review Crew: Best Pad Thai & Green Curry

Singapore has lots of great Thai restaurants, from the fully fancy to fab cheap eats. So, which is best? The kind folks from Wolero chauffeured our Review Crew around town so we could sample the five most recommended spots, searching for the yummiest pad thai and green chicken curry that won’t break the bank.

JAI TAI, Various Locations

This place is thin on décor, but big on taste. The somewhat sweet pad thai came loaded with lots of seafood including a big piece of fried fish, calamari, prawns and more. The green curry was very tasty, with a slightly thick sauce and lots of perfectly cooked chicken. It was $15 total for the small portion sizes.

A-ROY THAI, Novena Square

The décor here was much nicer – think decent mall restaurant. The pad thai noodles were a bit gummier (which some of us preferred) and had less seafood, but the dish was cooked very well and was quite tasty. The green curry was curdled, tasting better than it looked with a more “Western” flavour than others. The curry also had both types of small eggplants. The portions were larger and so was the total price: $30.70.

SAWADEE, 238 Thomson Road

This was by far the swankest of the restaurants we tried, with gorgeous gold waves of material on the ceiling and beautifully presented food. The pad thai had only a few prawns and the noodles were wetter, sweeter and a bit bland. The curry was simply beautiful, made with long beans rather than eggplant. Sadly, the chicken was too chewy. $36.30 covered the bill, but they have a set lunch for $18.50.

DIANDIAN LELUK, Golden Mile

Golden Mile is really the “it” spot when it comes to anything Thai and this is the largest of the food outlets there. There’s absolutely nothing fancy about it, including the way the food is served, but looks can be deceiving. Though light on seafood, the pad thai noodles were great. The curry sauce was thick and creamy with lots of dark-meat chicken. $18 bought all we needed. Deal of the day? They have a set lunch for $8.90.

NAKHON, 341 Hougang Street 21

Sitting at sidewalk tables, we didn’t love the pad thai as it had far too much egg and onions in it and only two prawns. The green curry was curdled and wasn’t great either. One reviewer called it “a hot mess.” But the price is right: $14.

Longing to eat your way across Singapore? We’d love to have you join the Review Crew for our next adventure. Just write to editorial@expatliving.sg.

Looking for the perfect limo for a great night out? Easy! Just log on to wolero.com and book now.

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This article first appeared in the May 2019 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase a copy or subscribe so you never miss an issue!

Melinda Murphy

Melinda does Special Projects for Expat Living which includes pulling together big stories, videos — all sorts of cool stuff. It all builds on her background as a television correspondent, producer and author back in the US. Her life is kind of a special project, too, with two young kids, an old dog, a ridiculous number of volunteer activities — and a very understanding hubby.