Tiong Bahru hawker phad thai ($6)!
Tiong Bahru Thai hawker — phad thai with prawns, squid, tofu, peanut crumbs, fried shallots, lime wedge. $6.
Lunch today: phad thai at a Tiong Bahru hawker for $6. 😋
What was on the plate ($6):
- Flat rice noodles tossed in a tamarind-sour sauce.
- A prawn, sliced squid and tofu mix.
- Crushed peanuts piled on one side.
- Fried shallots piled on the other.
- Lime wedge, chives and beansprouts.
Phad thai lives and dies by its sauce, and the backbone is tamarind: that sweet-sour-savoury balance of tamarind paste, fish sauce and palm sugar coating each strand of flat rice noodle, stir-fried hot so the noodles stay springy rather than mushy. This hawker version skips the thin omelette blanket some places wrap it in, but makes up for it with a generous hand on the seafood, plump prawns and tender squid throughout.
The fun is in the table assembly: squeeze over the lime for brightness, then fold in the crushed peanuts for nutty crunch and the fried shallots for a savoury, toasty edge. The raw beansprouts and chives add freshness and bite. It all comes together into a properly balanced plate. At $6, this is a reliable budget Thai fix.
Overall: 4.2 / 5. The sauce had a proper tamarind balance, the seafood was generous, and the peanut and shallot combo gave great texture. A Tiong Bahru standby. 😋👍🏼
