Soi 47 has to be one of those Thai/Thai-Chinese places that offer you a great meal for great value with a strong cafe-like vibe.
It is a place you can go to with family and friends.
It is also a place you can go to with colleagues, business partners and business prospects.
We used to frequent the outlet at Temple Street.
But then they closed that outlet down.
We didn't know.
Only after going to their social media then we found out
They didn't open this outlet at Central Clarke Quay until it was nearly September.
And it would be almost October before we finally went.
This outlet has got more tables.
They've also got a little sort of shelf garden on the balcony.
And they've done the decor more sleek- with a black theme and frames (of plastic plants) on the walls.
The vibe's still the same.
Staff are friendly, efficient, not pushy, and on the day we were there, they were doing Tiktok videos using the decor of their plant-based wall.
We ordered green curry beef that (for us) always double up as an appetizer and palate cleanser.
If you ever find yourself at a Thai restaurant with (unfortunately) very little appetite, green curry, I assure you, is the way to go.
You don't have to have it with rice.
We didn't.
You just take the rich, creamy, sweet-tasting curry as a broth-type soup of sorts and chomp on whatever you decided to have in there.
If you can't finish, don't worry, you can ask for a takeaway.
They're familiar with the practice, we've done it before, and green curry goes pretty well with instant noodles or whatever rice dishes you have back at home.
The Tom Kha, on the other hand, can be a little more difficult to do a post-meal takeaway.
Honestly, I wouldn't suggest it.
This milky white, slightly sweet, slightly salty coconut soup is way tastier consumed straight from its shiny pot and warmer whilst you're having your meal.
Not that it tastes weird if you takeaway it home.
It's just as good (I should know) but nothing beats the flavor of bubbling soup on low flame compared to a reheat in the microwave.
I love their version of Tom Kha-the soup's thick, mildly sweet, and every ladle is full of mushrooms, cabbage, other vegetables and chonky pieces of chicken floating about inside.
I wish we had ordered a prawn omelet.
But then today we decided on a (rather unusual) order of fried chicken skin instead.
It was a Friday.
And it was a good decision.
Crunchy, crispy, the chicken skin (served with Thai chili sauce) came in a huge portion, and made for a fulfilling snack between slices of beef, pieces of chicken and spoonfuls of soup.
Will I order this dish again the next time?
I might.
Or I might decide to go for a Mango Sticky Rice (I've not had that in a long time) or another favorite of mine- the seafood Pad Thai.