Thai-licious Boat Noodles at Liang Seah Street offers Kuay Teow Rua or more commonly known to us as Boat Noodles, alongside with other traditional Thai dishes. This award-winning boat noodle restaurant is a collaboration between a team of our locals and a Thai, and with the vision of delivering that taste of authenticity to us in mind, the kitchen is helmed entirely by Thai chefs, who handpicked ingredients that are flown in directly from Thailand.
Boat noodle has its origins dated from the 1940s when water transportation became vital in Bangkok. Bangkok's canals were bustling with vendors peddling along the river, dishing out bowls of boat noodle straight from their boats, which are loaded with boiling soups, noodles and other accompanying ingredients. Hence, it is easy to see why boat noodle is meant to be only 2 mouthful. At Thai-licious, you can get the same portion at $1.90 (Small) or simply eat your fill at $7.50 (Large).
Pork Boat Noodle 3.8/5
Beef Boat Noodle 3.8/5
Thai-Licious signature boat noodle is available either pork or beef. The stock is prepared daily from scratch, boiled and simmered with bones, herbs, spices and aromatics for at least two hours. Interestingly, I learnt that one of the ingredients used is pandan leaves. The broth is really aromatic and if you love herbal soup, that's almost exactly how it smells like. The pork boat noodle has a different stock base from the beef boat noodle but I like the latter no less. Do note that the noodle is exceptionally sweet. Sticking to the original recipe, do expect quite a dosage of sugar being mixed in. And that's when the vinegar at the side comes in. A few drops of it will balance that sweetness and opens up the flavour of the soup even more.
Papaya Salad 3.5/5
Thai Papaya Salad with Salted egg 3.5/5
I had many Thai papaya salads throughout my life till date but is only today that I learnt that there are more than just one type and they varied in taste quite distinctively. In the menu, there is Thai Papaya Salad, Thai Papaya Salad with Salted Egg and simply Papaya Salad. The latter, I was told, is preferred by the Thais themselves. Dressed with a special papaya sauce, this salad is a lot saltier than our more accustomed Thai papaya salad, said to be the sweet cousin. The salted egg version comes with salted egg slices as topping. Although it doesn't make much difference to the taste but the golden salted egg yolk itself is quite a delicious treat.
Tom Yam River Prawn Noodle 4/5
The mains are split between rice and noodle dishes. In the noodle menu, Tom Yam River Prawn Noodle ($10.50) is recommended if you wish to have both Tom Yum soup and noodle at the same time! The piquant Tom Yum soup has a balance of acidity, sweetness and that fiery kick, one that makes you salivate just by thinking about it. My noodle was done just right, which remained quite chewy even after soaking up the Tom Yum soup. My prawn was a tad overcooked but that aside, the Tom Yum soup is right up my alley.
Basil Rice with Minced Pork 3/5
Falling back to a more familiar taste will be the Basil Rice with Minced Pork ($8.90). It's decent but I would suggest trying out other less commonly offered Thai dishes such as Braised Pork or Duck Noodle.
A cosy space for traditional Thai food, a much needed respite from the stretch of Mala and Hotpot restaurants ahead of them and opposite them. I hope Thai-licious will grow and thrive at Liang Seah Street, if not this street is just going to get too predictable!
Photos and words by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.
Thai-Licious Boat Noodles
8 Liang Seah Street
#01-01
Singapore 189029
Tel: +65 69179857
Nearest MRT: Bugis (DT Line, EW Line)
Opening Hours:
Mon-Thu: 11am - 10pm
Fri-Sun: 11am - 12midnight
Direction:
1) Alight at Bugis MRT station. Take Exit C or D. Walk to Liang Seah Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]
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