Nakhon Kitchen @ Vivo

The last time I ate at Nakhon Kitchen was in January at Compass One.

This time we were at Vivo. 

We were here because it was a weekend and I wanted Pad Thai. 

Pad Thai seafood/chicken is one of those dishes in Thai street food that I'd eat every day if I could. 

But an urbanite can't eat wok fried glass noodles every day, can she? 

So, unlike Tom Kha which I can have on more frequent days, it's usually reserved for the weekends, or the occasions, that I make the order.

I relish it well. 

Lunch this afternoon wasn't just a plate of noodles, of course. 

There was the thought of a whole steamed fish, but after some discussion we decided we wanted variety, so, along with the Pad Thai, we ordered a bowl of fish maw soup, a serving of fried spring rolls and a plate of butter chicken as well.

It was a wonderfully appetizing meal. 

Thai street food is known to stimulate the senses, whet the appetite, satisfy the stomach and give you a delightful experience overall. 

Doesn't matter whether you've had the dish before or if you've had it not too long before. 

It feeds you for the day. 

And it feeds you again for the day after. 

I have a particular liking for the fish maw soup here at Nakhon Kitchen. 

Not that the other places aren't good, but the portions here are great for three or two, you get a substantially large bowl, and the thick texture is enough to remind me of those sharks fin soups I used to have during birthday dinners at Chinese restaurants. 

We don't get to eat those these days, but memories linger, and this makes a better, less endangered substitute.

I like mine with the vegetable and without vinegar.

My friend likes his without vegetable and with vinegar.

Midway during the soup, the spring rolls and Pad Thai arrived. 

The spring rolls look like ordinary finger food- not so big a deal- but they make for a nice, crunchy, crisp start to the meal. 

And they do it well. 

You can literally hear the crunch on first bite. 

It wasn't just the soup and the spring rolls that made this a fantastic meal. 

The butter chicken was amazing too. 

Yes, it's a far cry from the healthier option of steamed fish, but it's just so good. 

I love the color.

I love the way its done.

I love the taste.

It's very hard to resist a thick, creamy salted egg sauce that oozes out every time you bite into a battered, well-fried chicken.

It's also very hard to look at the leftover sauce on the plate and leave it there.

The sauce even makes the big lettuce taste more palatable. 

This salted egg (butter) chicken dish is, howeve, not one we have very often.

So I end up thinking of Tampines One every time we have it. 

No particular reason, except that I don't go to Tampines much, and the first time I had this bright, cheery, perk-me-up dish was at their (Former) outlet over there.