Diandin Leluk Thai Restaurant probably needs no introduction to most — this is especially so for those who are especially familiar with the F&B scene at Golden Mile Complex. With the successful sale of Golden Mile Complex being sold to a consortium in 2022, tenants would have to make their move out of the complex in around mid-2023 for redevelopment. Being one of the more established F&B tenants that is situated in Golden Mile Complex, Diandin Leluk Thai Restaurant has since found its new digs within City Gate — the same complex which houses other notable tenants such as ahan Thai by Xiao Jiu Guan, Evan’s Kitch and Doris's Devilishly Delicious Curry; just to name a few. Diandin Leluk Thai Restaurant occupies two shops unit within City Gate — one located at #01-05 and another at #01-17/18; the former shop unit being at the entrance of City Gate that faces the traffic junction of Jalan Sultan and Beach Road located opposite Toast Box, formerly occupied by the now-defunct YTEA, while the latter shop unit is situated at another entrance of the building facing the junction of Jalan Sultan and Minto Road and was formerly occupied by D’Life — the shop unit located right opposite Sichuan Chinese Restaurant.

Unlike the cafeteria-like setup of its previous premises at Golden Mile Complex, Diandin Leluk Thai Restaurant is decked out more like a casual fast dining eatery in both of its City Gate spaces; both being in a clean and minimalist setting with furniture and fittings that come with a monotone colour scheme, the unit at #01-05 coming with a counter with wooden accents retailing snacks and a selection of their desserts, while the unit at #01-17/18 is where the kitchen for the hot food is (those seated at #01-05 would have their food items delivered from #01-17/18). Diandin Leluk Thai Restaurant’s menu remains the same at City Gate —the menu being sectioned out into categories dedicated to Soup, Salad, Crab & Lobster, Fish, Prawn, Squid & Mussels, Fried Delights, Curry, Recommendations, Vegetable, Noodles, Rice, Steamboat and Dessert accordingly. Beverages available at Diandin Leluk Thai Restaurant includes the usual Thai drinks that one would expect — think Thai Green Tea, Thai Milk Tea and Thai Coffee with Milk etc.; there are also other beverages such as fruit juices, homemade rosella and homemade lemongrass, fresh coconut, as well as a selection of canned drinks and canned / bottled beer.

The Stir-fried Pork with Basil Leaves and Chilli & Egg may be a pretty basic item that is easily found in most Thai establishments around, but this is a dish that really sets the expectations right for any Thai meal. We were actually pretty surprised at the speed of the Stir-fried Pork with Basil Leaves and Chilli & Egg was being served to our table — the dish probably taking only 5 minutes to appear at our table after we were done placing our order on the online ordering system which they have adopted. On first sight, the Stir-fried Pork with Basil Leaves and Chilli & Egg seem to have hit all the right spots; the stir-fried pork with basil leaves and chilli being done just dry enough without being served in a pool of sauce — most establishments would serve their variant with quite a fair bit of sauce in retrospect; perhaps in a move to keep the white rice moist to the preferences of some. Digging into the dish, we noticed how flavoursome the stir-fried pork with basil leaves and chilli was — there was sufficient savouriness from fish sauce whilst it also carried a garlicky punch from the chopped garlic included in the mix; the minced meat being sufficiently moist, whilst the basil leaves added that flavour which is distinctive of the dish itself. The Stir-fried Pork with Basil Leaves and Chilli & Egg was also not shy when it comes to how fiery it can get — the chilli padi added to the dish gives it a piquant spicy kick that is bound to tickle the tastebuds of those who even have a higher tolerance to spiciness. Meanwhile, the sunny-side-up was perfectly executed — came with that runny, molten egg yolk that would have been perfect for the ‘gram — the egg yolk eagerly bursting as one pokes a fork through it.

Having given quite a number of items from Diandin Leluk Thai Restaurant, it is little wonder how the establishment has garnered a following over the years — there is no denying that Diandin Leluk Thai Restaurant’s cooking is especially authentic; we were actually pretty impressed with how the various dishes that we had ordered turned out to be. This would include the Thai Style Steamed Otah, Green Curry Vegetable, Diandin Signature Claypot Tung Hoon Prawn, Tom Yum Fried Rice with Seafood and the Red Ruby — there really wasn’t any dish that we didn’t enjoy at all during our visit there. That being said, we did have a brief discussion on the food from our recent visit to Baan Chadar at Bukit Timah Plaza — no doubt we were torn between the two, but we reckon that we would prefer the food from Baan Chadar just a little more; the slight edge that Baan Chadar has over Diandin Leluk Thai Restaurant being its unique variety of dishes that are not being served up at Diandin Leluk Thai Restaurant, and that it does seem that Baan Chadar does serve up Thai cuisine with better quality produce overall. This was particularly evident for Diandin Leluk Thai Restaurant in the case of the Diandin Signature Claypot Tung Hoon Prawn — the prawns being particularly tough and “old” which quite marred the overall experience which we had on the dish. That being said, Diandin Leluk Thai Restaurant is all about having a slice of Thailand without having to get your passport chopped; there is certainly no denying about the skills of the chef behind the kitchen here who is able to consistently churn out such high standards of Thai food that has gotten the attention and love from locals at a wallet-friendly price. For those whom have always wanted to check out Diandin Leluk Thai Restaurant a go but always found making a trip to Golden Mile Complex a little daunting; it’s probably time to head down to City Gate before the queues start to form!