Jai Thai's brand name is synonymous with good value Thai food, and that is what I expected when I made my way to this residential estate near Bishan one Sunday evening. Fortunate are the folks who live around the area to have good excess to such a value for money place as parking can be a hassle.

The setting is what one would expect in a typical simple set-up but patrons, who are mostly families, are here for the grub so I will get down to the details.

I started with the mix platter which was an assortment of deep fried appetisers. The winners of this dish were the fish and prawn cakes. The spring rolls were also pretty good as it had a strong crisp and crunchy vegetables within.

Next was the soup. It is hard for me to step into a Thai restaurant without trying the Tom Yam Talay and that is what I ordered. Fit for two, the version served here is very thick in coconut milk.

The Chicken Green Curry was a bit odd, as it was not green but a thick cream colour. The chicken was tender but only sporadic pieces liked that of a food reviewer's tasting portion.

The Fried Kang Kong, meanwhile was quite ordinary and nothing much to shout about.

The winning dish of the day had to be the pandan chicken, as regulars would know by now. The tender chicken is well soaked in its own fats and makes a great eat when your doctor looks away.

Overall it was a nice plesant meal with the family, even though there is much to be improved on the service front - given that I had to get my own menu and even snatch an order pad off the counter to take my own order before a waitress attended to us.

Went down to the place yesterday, the place is totally filled up with families and a few pairs of couples.

Just nice a table of 2 is right in the corner, so sat down and taken order. The service is fast and good.

- Ordered 2 set of set meal(a normal and a spa set meal - $7.80 each with drinks)

- Fried Beef with basil leafs

- Seafood Tom Yam soup

First came our set meal, the smell of the olive and pineapple rice rushed into our nose and indulge all the senses, and all senses came alive. The pandan chicken is superb, the smell of panda chicken and the taste of it still lingers in my buds when I'm writing this review. The fried fish with Thai sauce are so-so, but it is already too cold. Will be better if its served hot.

Fried beef with basil leafs cost $5, initially we thought that it will be just a small plate, so didn't expect much, but when it was served, the plate out sized our imagination! The portion is so big! Not so bad . At least it is served hot.

The tom yam soup is just mediocre. My gf loves tom yam soup, and she tasted many kind of tom yam, but she just thinks that this soup is alright only. She said too much onions inside.

There is desert served with the set meal too, mango pudding thai style. but i think its alright only.

there are so much food yet to try, i will sure come back.

One thing that i don't like about the place is there is hardly any parking spaces and the flying insects are zoooming pass our food etc. Quite annoying.

But after all my gf and i loved the place. =)

Overall cheap and good thaifood... what do I have to say... DIE DIE just try....

Brought whole family there (8+1) for dinner on Sunday. No crowd when we arrived. Ordered the set meal for 8-10 pax ($99) an an additional green curry plus drinks for everyone.

No qualms for the food but my siblings mentioned that it could be better by sprucing up the spice factor.

For the price of $135, 8+1 pax had a great time!

Being in a quiet private neighbourhood, parking space is at a premium, but it's worth taking a bus and walking 400m for.

Most of the menu items will fill you up nicely. The beef noodles are flavourful and not too salty, and the chunks of meat are tender. At $4 it's wonderful value.

The pineapple rice set includes a piece of pandan chicken, green curry, battered fish in chilli sauce and fried spring rolls. It also comes with dessert and a drink (the food court stall outlet at Thomson Plaza does not offer these). All this for $7.80. The hot items are served nice and piping hot. The pandan chicken is oily but not overly so, and everything is lip-smackingly good.

If your friends ever suggest eating at Thai Express (especially the nearby branches at Thomson Plaza and Junction 8), give them a good shaking and bring them here. All your tastebuds and wallets will thank you for it.