Authentic and affordable is how I best describe this nook of a place at Sunshine Plaza. You'll spot the cafe easily. They're facing directly onto the newly re-opened Bencoolen Street opposite the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. All you need to do is to look out for the foldable tables and stools.
Come meal times and the small cafe is often packed to the brim. Millenials, Gen Z, office workers, university interns, painters, dancers, filmmakers, musicians, students... and the occasional walk-in from the printing shops next door.
I'm one of those walk-ins from the printing shops next door. At least I think so. I frequent this place pretty much whenever I'm in the area, and I've quite forgotten how I found it in the first place.
I do know why I'm sticking around with Thai Gold Food though. :)
Besides the fact that the owner kindly helped keep a friend's Oakley sunglasses after it was mistakenly left behind... it's the food that endears straight to the heart. This is not a place for fancy, shiny plates or heavy cutlery. Neither is this a place where skillfully carved pineapples and watermelons are served with every dish. You don't get a deep cultural experience with your dining experience. Neither will you get servers in impeccable uniforms. But this is a place that blends street food and home-cooked meals with a no-frills style that's wholesome, heartwarming, filling, and great-tasting.
I've had a couple of dishes here thus far. I've had the green curry. I've had the seafood pad thai. I've had the chicken omelet. And I've also had the coconut milk soup and the BBQ pork and the olive fried rice.
The green curry is more milky than spicy- the way I like. The seafood pad thai comes with little pots of chili powder and chopped peanuts that you can sprinkle liberally. The coconut milk soup is a light one, but the coconut-y taste is great and so is the milky texture and the pieces of chicken bobbing about in the soup are just right for one.
I like the omelet. It's light, fluffy, embedded with chicken (or pork) pieces inside and the whole egg rests on a shallow bed of shredded lettuce. This has become a favorite order of mine.
Likewise, the crispy spring rolls served with sweet chili and the pineapple fried rice that has chunks of juicy pineapple cubes in it has become favorite orders that the ladies nearly expect me to order the same each time I'm there.
This cafe is at best, indie. It's remarkably charming. It's a place where you can have interesting discussions and good talks. It's a place that's fun, artistic, inspirational yet also eat-up-and-go get at the same time. Plus there's the quirky decor, with a big, big fan painted with a sunset scene placed on top of the wall-mounted television and little representations of the country here and there.
And she's been there through various seasons of my life over the past few years.
Whether it were a time when with just $6 in the pockets and one plate of pineapple fried rice and one glass of iced milk tea had to be shared between the two of us, whether it were a mini celebration with the BBQ pork and the pad thai and the olive fried rice and two glasses of iced tea, whether it were waiting for the name cards to be printed, or whether it were a hurried lunch before dashing to a meeting..
I'm talking about their $1.50 Thai iced milk tea. :)
Come meal times and the small cafe is often packed to the brim. Millenials, Gen Z, office workers, university interns, painters, dancers, filmmakers, musicians, students... and the occasional walk-in from the printing shops next door.
I'm one of those walk-ins from the printing shops next door. At least I think so. I frequent this place pretty much whenever I'm in the area, and I've quite forgotten how I found it in the first place.
I do know why I'm sticking around with Thai Gold Food though. :)
Besides the fact that the owner kindly helped keep a friend's Oakley sunglasses after it was mistakenly left behind... it's the food that endears straight to the heart. This is not a place for fancy, shiny plates or heavy cutlery. Neither is this a place where skillfully carved pineapples and watermelons are served with every dish. You don't get a deep cultural experience with your dining experience. Neither will you get servers in impeccable uniforms. But this is a place that blends street food and home-cooked meals with a no-frills style that's wholesome, heartwarming, filling, and great-tasting.
I've had a couple of dishes here thus far. I've had the green curry. I've had the seafood pad thai. I've had the chicken omelet. And I've also had the coconut milk soup and the BBQ pork and the olive fried rice.
The green curry is more milky than spicy- the way I like. The seafood pad thai comes with little pots of chili powder and chopped peanuts that you can sprinkle liberally. The coconut milk soup is a light one, but the coconut-y taste is great and so is the milky texture and the pieces of chicken bobbing about in the soup are just right for one.
I like the omelet. It's light, fluffy, embedded with chicken (or pork) pieces inside and the whole egg rests on a shallow bed of shredded lettuce. This has become a favorite order of mine.
Likewise, the crispy spring rolls served with sweet chili and the pineapple fried rice that has chunks of juicy pineapple cubes in it has become favorite orders that the ladies nearly expect me to order the same each time I'm there.
 |
| thai spring rolls |
 |
| there's the chilli |
 |
| and pineapple fried rice.. |
This cafe is at best, indie. It's remarkably charming. It's a place where you can have interesting discussions and good talks. It's a place that's fun, artistic, inspirational yet also eat-up-and-go get at the same time. Plus there's the quirky decor, with a big, big fan painted with a sunset scene placed on top of the wall-mounted television and little representations of the country here and there.
And she's been there through various seasons of my life over the past few years.
Whether it were a time when with just $6 in the pockets and one plate of pineapple fried rice and one glass of iced milk tea had to be shared between the two of us, whether it were a mini celebration with the BBQ pork and the pad thai and the olive fried rice and two glasses of iced tea, whether it were waiting for the name cards to be printed, or whether it were a hurried lunch before dashing to a meeting..
I'm talking about their $1.50 Thai iced milk tea. :)