HatYai Noodle Cafe – like eating by the klong

Brown Sugar Bubble Tea, Fancy Cheese Toasts and Thai Boat Noodles are among the latest food trends in Singapore. Kuay Teow Rua ( ก๋วยเตี๋ยวเรือ ) or Boat Noodles is a Thai cuisine classic. Its origin could be traced back to an era when Thailand was connected by an intricate network of waterways. Vendors would row their long slender boats up and down the canals and serve small bowls of noodles to people along the banks of the canals. Today, there are numerous Thai Boat Noodles shops all over Thailand and more than a few in Singapore. HatYai Noodle Cafe is a fairly new Thai Boat Noodle chain with outlets in Eastpoint Mall and 112 Katong.

HatYai Noodle Cafe in 112 Katong is set up to look like a small rustic Thai eatery along one of the klongs. Whether it was intended or otherwise, you would feel that you are in a compact space and the chairs are not the most comfortable. You could very well feel like you are eating in one of the boat noodles restaurants in a small alley along a canal in Thailand.

HatYai Noodle Cafe Menu

The menu of HatYai Noodle Cafe is fairly simple and straightforward. It offers noodles with beef, duck or chicken and a choice of 3 different soup bases – chicken, beef or tom yum. There are also rice sets and a few BBQ skewer options. Below are photos of portions of HatYai Noodle Cafe Menu.

Thai Boat Noodles

We visited HatYai Noodle Cafe in 112 Katong recently and tried their Thai Boat Noodles with Beef Tendon ($8.50) and Braised Duck Noodles ($8.50).

The noodles were served piping hot after a short wait. The portion of meat was quite generous. The braised beef was meltingly tender and flavourful. The rich broth had a slight herbal taste and was aromatic and delicious.

The Braised Duck Noodles had a broth that was like a lighter version of the beef broth. It was still nice but not as rich and tasty compared to the beef base soup. The duck was well cooked and was not gamey.

A cold Honey Lemon ($2.80) was very refreshing and a nice counterpoint to the rich savoury broth of the noodle dishes.

HatYai Noodle Cafe serves a good version of the popular Thai boat noodles. The service was friendly and the prices were reasonable. It is good that there are more places like HatYai Noodle Cafe in Singapore. Now, when we miss the taste of good Thai boat noodles, we don’t have to travel to Thailand or even to Golden Mile.

Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 3
Value: 3
Atmosphere: 2
Overall Rating: 3 TOPs

HatYai Noodle Cafe
112 East Coast Road
I12 Katong, #B1-18
Singapore 428802

Opening hours: 11am – 9.30pm

The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog

เมื่อคุณขุดอดีตขึ้นมา คุณฝังอนาคต ( Mêua khun khùt a-dèet khêun-mah khun făng a-nah-khót).
When you dig up the past, you bury the future.

– Thai Proverb