Finally, the restrictions for dining out has been lifted and we can start meeting friends in small groups. Although pretty much most of the time, we are encouraged not to dine outside yet until a more stable situation, there are still certain instances where dining out is not avoidable like lunch and celebrations. It was during a farewell dinner session that I chanced upon this Folks Collective. The biggest reason why we chose this place was to avoid the big crowds in the other restaurants along the same street.
The restaurant itself has both indoor and outdoor seating although most of the outdoor seating is customers hanging around more for after-work drinks.
We chose to sit indoors for the air conditioning and lesser crowd. When we enter, this area was empty but started filling up. The internal decor of the restaurant does not resemble a Thai restaurant at all. There was a mix of eclectic furnishings like a huge gramophone used as a centrepiece.
There is also a great character in terms of decor at the front of the entrance of the restaurant itself. You are greeted by this cheerful red scooter and colourful pop-art posters and huge floral arrangements on top of the bar.
At the far end from the bar, I was attracted to this authentically Thai corner of the restaurant. It was done up like a traditional medical shop with shelves for herbs and a signboard written in Thai
The menu is quite interesting in terms of design and has a range of generic Thai street food as well as the usual Thai favourites
Firstly, the prawn cakes were fried golden brown and crispy and have a good bouncy texture. The flavour is pretty light but is good when paired with the sweet chilli sauce
Next, we had the pork skewers which is commonly found around Bangkok as a popular street snack. The pork is juicy and very well flavoured with a sweet and savoury flavour.
Next is the fried omelette with pork which is also a Thai flavour. The omelette was light and fried till crispy with slightly charred bits at the edges. The centre part of the omelette was so soft and fluffy although I would have liked it more crispy personally.
Minced chicken fried with basil is also a Thai favourite but this version is slightly salty and the flavour of the basil did not come through well in the dish.
For greens, we ordered the fried morning glory with crackling pork which is like our roast pork. The vegetables were fried very well as they were not too soft and still has a nice crunch. The crackling pork was very crispy and the meat was very tender.
To fill our stomach, we had the pineapple fried rice which was very generous with their seafood. The prawns were huge and the serving was good for 2 persons. It was a pity that there were very little pineapple bits.
The next main dish we had was the Phad Thai which is sweet fried noodles, personally, I found the taste to be generic and there were not enough wok flavours. I have had many other Phad Thai in Thailand which was much better.
We ordered 2 desserts to share, the first being the red ruby which is jelly covered chestnut cubes in coconut milk and shavings of sago and jackfruit. I personally love this dessert but the one served here was a bit lacking as I felt the coconut milk was not fragrance enough and the chestnuts were not sweet.
The other favourite dessert for Thai is the mango sticky rice which is also a bit disappointing as the mangoes were not very sweet and the sticky rice was not as fragrant as some other I have tasted
Overall, the food at Folk Collective is pretty general but is ok to satisfy a sudden Thai food craving. The pricing is also quite reasonable and the atmosphere is great for catching up with friends or dinner with family. Ther service staff is also generally friendly and attentive although, during peak periods, they can be quite short-staffed.
Address: 20 Cross Street, 01-25 China Square Central, 048422
Operating hours: 11 am to 11 pm, 11.30 pm to 10.30 pm ( Sat and Sun)
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