Aroy Dee Thai Kitchen - Alternate Thai cuisine in Town

Operating Days: Daily

Operating Time: 12 PM to 6 AM

Address: 262 Middle Road, Elias Building, S188989

We chanced upon Aroy Dee Thai Kitchen after some shopping at Dhoby Ghaut area. Located just a 5 minutes walking distance from POMO, this place is opened all night, which make it a great place to place for dinner/supper.

We are provided with the menu and a pencil after a table was allocated to us. They offer many familiar dishes you would see on the menu in any Thai restaurants.

Everything was pretty much self-service at Aroy Dee. Once you have marked out what you want to order on the paper menu, you are required to bring it over to the counter to place your order. Aroy Dee takes only cash transaction, do ensure you have enough cash on hand when you visit.

We ordered a cup of ice green milk tea which was served to us in just a few minutes. The first mouth was slightly too sweet for our liking, but thankfully, the taste was more balanced after the ice melted.

Our love for Tom yum soup is beyond words and It is definitely a must for us to order whenever we visit a Thai restaurant. The taste of the Tom Yum soup at Aroy Dee is slightly on the saltier side — but it is definitely full of flavour. It would be better if they can hold back slightly on the amount of salt added to their soup base. 

Next came was the Basil minced chicken rice. Unlike most Thai eatery, we were quite disappointed to not see a fried egg on top of the white rice. Nevertheless, the taste of the minced chicken won our hearts down. It was stir- fried very well with a good amount oyster sauce and fish sauce, and the fragrance of the basil leaves lingers in your mouth after you have eaten. The cut chilli padi also spiced up the whole dish, which overall left us with a deep impression.

It would be better if there was a fried egg added.

The fried egg was served almost immediately right after the Basil leaves with minced chicken. Overall, the taste was pretty normal— it is a dish that is hard to go wrong in any eatery.

The pandan chicken was the last dish that was served and we had some expectation for this dish. There were a total of 6 pieces served for the $10 portion.

The taste of the pandan chicken was no way similar to any other pandan chicken we had tasted elsewhere. Instead of using thigh meat, breast meat used, which made the chicken very dry. The taste of the chicken was normal.

All in all, we would still recommend Aroy Dee Thai Kitchen to people who have late night Thai food craving after having a pint or two nearby. The opening hours of Aroy Dee is also a plus point for all the night owls (they close at 6am).

Aroy Dee Thai Kitchen probably isn't the best Thai food you can get in Singapore, but they do have some kickass dishes that you can try if you visit. Do share with us some of your favourite dishes after you have visited them!

You Yi Fish Soup 友谊鱼汤 - A nostalgic taste of old school fried fish

• Operating Hours: 10.30 AM - 6 PM
• Operating Days: Closed on Sundays
• Address: Havelock Road Cooked Food Centre, 22A/B Havelock Road, #01-30, S 161022

Havelock road, or old Havelock road to be exact, is a hidden gem with lots of great food. Located within walking distance from Tiong Bahru MRT station, it is not unusual to see many office personnel/students from PSB Academy around this area.

It was lunch hour when we visited this place, and look at the queue! There were at least 10 people in front of me, and a many of them were actually packing more than 1 portion - probably back to their office. 

After waiting for about 25 minutes, it was finally my turn. Most of the people in the queue ordered the signature - Tom Yum Fried Fish, even though the stall offers other items, such as ban mian (板面), sliced fish soup and seafood clear soup, tom yum fried fish soup is the most popular dish that people always order.

There are many combinations you can have when you don't feel like eating rice. Just look at the board and tell the stall owner what you want, and you are done!

Auntie busy cooking my tom yum fried fish noodle.

This portion only cost me $4.00! Look at the generous amount of food given!

The fried fish is the star of this stall. Using an old school type of batter on the outside layer, this bowl of fried fish is golden crispy -- almost as crispy as what you eat at long john silvers! The stall owner insists using fresh fish daily, which means she needs to be at the store from 6 am onwards. Cooking the soup base daily without fail, we were really surprised to know that she is one of the earliest who would open her stall, and leaves only when everyone has left.

Most of the people were queueing for their tom yum soup, and that's no exception for me. Instead of eating rice, I chose ee mian. There are many types of noodle you can choose to mix into the soup. They have bee hoon, ban mian, you mian, Mee Hoon Kuey, Mee sua and of course my favorite ee mian.

That's a mouthful of ee mian with fried egg infused with the tom yum soup. Every mouthful is worth your calories, and the spicy- sour taste from the tom yum soup will make you want to eat more without stopping. 

One bite on the fried fish, you will be amazed by how crispy the crust from the batter is, without comprising the soft and fresh taste of the fish. There is a good balance of flour used and the amount of fish given, which is definitely worth to mention. 

All in all, You Yi Fish soup has won many hearts from people staying/working nearby. It is also frequently patronized by taxi drivers who wanted a nice and filling lunch during their break time.Though they do not operate on Sunday, the stall owner still opens her stall on Sunday to start preparing for the week ahead to ensure every bowl of quality food is served.