I personally have a love-hate relationship with Thai Express. It is one of the first dining places in Singapore which offers affordable Thai food in a contemporary setting. Therefore, we do not have to hunt down Golden Mile for a taste of Thai. However, due to franchising and the quick expansion, there has been general consensus that there is a drop in food quality.

With its brightly coloured orange walls and adapted menus to suit the less intrepid to Thai food, it is an popular choice for small groups of friends to hang out together in a lively mood, without burning a hole in the pockets. However, let me emphasize that every Thai Express differs from the next, even though they serve more or less the same menu.

Some of the customers’ preferred choices include Tom Yum Talay ($6.90) - Tom Yum Soup with Seafood, Kaeng Khiew Wan Gai ($8.90) - Thai green curry with chicken, Khamon Chine Nam Ya Pla ($9.90) - “King of Thai laska” with golden minced fish gravy, and Poo Phat Pung Kari ($9.90) curried soft shell crab with eggs and onions served with rice.

One of my favourite Bangkok hawker fare is the Phat Thai, a dish of stir-fried rice noodles with eggs, fish sauce, and a combination of crunchy bean sprouts, tofu, prawns or other meat. The light and tasty noodles have an added bite when sprinked with crushed peanuts all over it. Unfortunately, the Phat Thai Neua ($9.90) that I tried had beef that was over-cooked and tough. The only consolation was that the noodles were not too oily.

The Tom Yum Soup that I ordered was ironically not hot. Yes, it may be spicy to the taste, but it was more cold than warm. What is Tom Yum soup when it is not piping hot? The drinks seldom disappoint, but the pricey Thai Iced Tea and Avocado Milk Shake was diluted and lacked that punch to perk me up.

For plus points however, the Plaza Singapura branch first strikes me as the branch with better service and friendlier staff. The assistance at some of the other branches can be dismal with clueless staff. While the waiters at the Plaza Singapura branch are generally informed, as well as friendly and courteous, they get short-handed at times which prevents them from being prompt.

So back to my love-hate relationship: Thai Express is still one of my first choices over other similar entities if I want to indulge in my Thai food cravings. The food and service is just so inconsistent that you never know what you are going to get. If you want a well-savoured food experience, the probability I would say is only half-half.

Food: 2/5
Ambiance: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Value: 3/5
Overall: 2.75/5