Yaowarat Thai Kway Chap

Yaowarat Thai Kway Chap is a casual Thai noodle shop at 945 Upper Serangoon Road, close to Kovan MRT station. It is named after Yaowarat, the Chinatown district of Bangkok, and serves kway chap in the style sold at street stalls there.

Owner Stanly opened the shop in 2018. He had grown fond of the kway chap he ate on trips to Bangkok and wanted to serve it at home. Even the tables and chairs came over from Thailand.

What is Thai kway chap?

Kway chap is a Teochew dish of broad rice noodle sheets eaten with pork and offal. The local Singapore version usually comes in a dark, herbal soy broth with flat sheets. The Thai version is quite different. The rice sheets are rolled into small tubes, and they sit in a clear broth with a peppery kick. It is lighter than the local style but still full of flavour.

What to order

• Signature Thai Kway Chap: the rolled noodles with pork belly, sliced pork, offal and fish sausage in one bowl. It is the easiest way to try a bit of everything.
• Plain Kway Chap: a simpler, cheaper bowl that you can pair with side dishes.
• Deep Fried Thai Pork Belly: deep-fried pork belly with a crackly skin, served with a dark, garlicky soy sauce for dipping.
• Thai Fish Sausage: a firm, coin-sized sausage with a sweet and savoury taste, good as a side to share.
• Thai Mid Wings: fried chicken wings, a good choice for anyone who wants less pork.
• Thai Stir Fried Cabbage with Fish Sauce: cabbage cooked with plenty of garlic and fish sauce.

Braised tau pok (tofu puffs), braised egg and fried beancurd are also on the menu. Most dishes are built around pork, so check with the staff if you have dietary needs.

The setting

This is a simple, no-frills shop. It has white walls, a cement floor and metal tables and chairs. It feels more like a roadside stall in Bangkok than a restaurant. The space is small, so you may need to queue at busy times. It has long been a popular spot for supper, though its hours have changed over the years.

Getting there

The shop is about three minutes on foot from Kovan MRT station on the North East Line. It sits near the junction of Upper Serangoon Road and Simon Road.

Nearby

Just around the corner, Lola's Cafe on Simon Road is a good stop for coffee and cake. For more local food in the evening, Chomp Chomp Food Centre in Serangoon Garden is a well-known hawker centre. You can also browse other restaurants in Serangoon and Punggol, more Thai, Korean and Asian restaurants, and our list of hawker favourites. If you plan to stay out of the city centre, read our guide to staying in the Singapore heartlands.