Background:

Have always been a fan of Joe’s kitchen at Queensway. So when Jamie (the lady boss) told me that they had an outlet at Kallang Bahru, I was delighted as I could get my Thai fix closer to my workplace. Since it was at a coffee shop, I asked Jamie a couple of important questions:

1) Is the place cheaper than Queensway?

Answer: The stall is priced at “tze char” price where vegetable dishes started at $6 and meat ones at $8. And yes, depending on what you order, it is about $1-2 cheaper than the Queensway branch.

2) Is the menu “same or not?”

Answer: Yes, they carry the same menu. Afterall, Joe’s assistant, Tom, is the chef at the stall so the cooking style and standard is the same.

The Review:

So I rounded my housemates and had dinner there one evening. We had:

1) Prawn cakes -$2 per piece

Juicy, crunchy and succulent. Like the main branch at Queensway, the prawn cakes were good patties of prawn sweetness that were fried to a nice golden brown. For $2 per piece, it was better value than over-hyped celebrity-owned Thai restaurants and more established up-market Thai restaurants.

2) Green curry (chicken) -$5

Sometimes I suspect that the green curry chicken is actually a “soup” because at Joe’s kitchen, they give me bowls to scoop the green curry into, and there’s plenty of green curry gravy that it looks like a mini-pond. Taste-wise, the green curry is better than some of the green curries I tasted at the Bangkok hawkers at the Chatuchak market

3) Pad Thai-$4

This version was a little paler than what I am used to at the Queensway outlet. But the taste was there all the same. Tasted as Pad Thai should. (Recommend this if you just want a quick meal for the day)

4) Minced chicken with basil leaf-$8

A favourite of my friends living in France. Much like a Chinese stir-fry of minced meat, the Thai version just has chilli padi and basil leaf added to it. It has the most “Chinese” taste going for it, but retains its Thai identity. I reckon that identity lies with the basil leaf.

5) Tom Yum soup (fish, special order with no chilli) -$4

Depending on your tolerance for chilli, the tom yum soup comes default with chilli padi. Personally I prefer my tom yum soup without chilli, but then it doesn’t have the same kick as the version with chilli does.

If you were to order the Tom Yum soup, just be brave and don’t alter the chilli in the soup. The flavor is just nice and they don’t cheat by using tom yum paste. So while the soup looks clear and oil-less, the potency is there. Then again, if you love your spicy food, then you can tell them to make it more spicy.

6) Olive rice-$6

I have a thing about not ordering olive rice when I have curry or the sliced fish fillet with special chilli sauce. I reckon I can’t taste the rice with all the spices dancing on my tongue.

The olive rice at Joe’s kitchen is good. I really don’t know what to say because I’ve had this so many times at the Queensway branch, so there’s nothing new to say about the olive rice except that I like it, it is well executed and that it is always too much rice for one person.

7) Sliced fish fillet with special chilli sauce -$8

For some reason, I love the special chilli sauce that goes with the deep fried fish fillets. It could be the bean paste that they add in to give it a “more earthy, less spicy” flavor. The fish fillets were quite generous in portion (about 10 pieces) and Joe’s kitchen didn’t use the cheap muddy Dory fish, but some sea fish where the meat was firmer and less “watery” or “rubbery” in texture.

Absolutely good quality and value dish. Eat this with rice



7 things you need to know:

1) The coffee shop is not within the market. It is outside the Bendemeer food centre/market cloistered at a ground level coffee shop that faces the playground/open air auditorium. If there is a pasar malam held at the playground/open air auditorium, you’ll need to look a little harder to find the coffee shop.

2) You need to look for the stall. The stall is inside the coffee shop and honestly is in a poor location because of the low ceiling which is made lower by the coffee shop banners (don’t understand? When you get there, you will).

3) Do not get a table inside the coffee shop because it is stuffy. Just brave it and find a table in the smoking area with a fan that blows the smoke away from you.

4) There is plenty of car parks surrounding the coffee shop. There is one at block 66 and outside the Bendemeer market/food centre.

5) Come for the food. Only bring people who love good food at good prices. The environment is not as pleasant as the idyllic Queensway branch.

6) Best if you buy take-away from Joe’s Kitchen. Imagine: Good Thai food to please your family - in the comfort of your home.

7) Bring cash, and an empty stomach.