Took Lae Dee, Tai Seng
If you’re one to frequent Bangkok, you’d surely heard of the famous Took Lae Dee, one of the city’s oldest 24 hour restaurant chain to get your fix on Thai classics at any time of the day. And now, you won’t need to travel all the way to Bangkok to get that plate of pad thai.
Took Lae Dee, which means “cheap and good” food, has now landed in Tai Seng and you’d be able to enjoy authentic Thai food without blowing a hole in your wallet with food starting from just $3.80.
Check out the Pad Krapow ($3.80; $5 with egg), a definite crowd pleaser! This dish might seem simple, but there is a lot of complexity that goes into cooking it. This comforting street food dish that features minced chicken or pork with fragrant Thai basil leaves is sure to whisk you away to the heart of Thailand.
Most people I know must have a plate of Pad Thai ($5 with chicken; $6.20 with prawns) whenever they visit a Thai restaurant. Another all-time favourite dish, the Pad Thai here in Took Lae Dee comes in different renditions that can better suit your taste.
Other must-try Thai classics include the Tom Yum Thai Spicy & Sour Soup Chicken ($6.80)/Seafood ($8). This spicy soup features lemongrass, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, lime juice, chillies and a potpourri of Thai herbs and spices, along with your choice of chicken or seafood.
Another classic Thai dish is the Kang Keaw Wan Thai Green Curry with Chicken ($7)/Pork ($7)/Beef ($8). Don’t forget to get a bowl of rice ($0.80) to pair with this creamy and spicy green curry.
I’m sure before you can even get through half of this list of food, you’d be craving for something nice and cold to calm the burning spice in your mouth.
I heard that cha yen or iced milk tea is a good drink to help neutralise the spice. The Took Lae Dee Iced Milk Tea ($2.80) features authentic Ceylon tea and is also great to cool you down on a hot day. The best thing is, the ice is made out of the tea itself! So you won’t have that whole “diluted milk tea” issue.
Another cool drink to have that has been popping up in a lot of Thai food joints lately is the Iced Butterfly Pea Tea ($2.80). So, the butterfly pea tea is a blue flower-based tea that changes colour when you add citrus (lemon or lime) into it.
Unfortunately, unlike the original Thai outlets, Took Lae Dee here isn’t open for 24 hours. Instead, it’s open daily from 11am to 9pm, with its last order being taken at 8.30pm.
Took Lae Dee
18 Tai Seng Street
#01-34/35/K9
Singapore 539775