Came to know about Baan Chadar when we were scrolling through social media recently — a new Thai establishment which has recently opened its doors at level one of Bukit Timah Plaza; the establishment describing itself as a “Thai restaurant in Bt Timah Plaza serving authentic Thai dishes”. Taking over the former premises of the now-defunct Liu San 劉三阁 which used to serve up Taiwanese fare, Baan Chadar occupies quite a small shop unit; there are only five (5) dine-in seats that would accommodate four (4) pax each, though these can be easily joined up to allow for larger groups to dine-in within their premises. Unlike the former tenant however, Baan Chadar does not have any external seating outside the restaurant along the walkways beside the railings of the shopping aisles. Whilst being rather simply decorated, Baan Chadar does feature a few murals painted on its walls that gives the otherwise plain interior of the restaurant some character; the furniture and fittings of the restaurant could be described as more function over form otherwise. The menu at Baan Chadar is pretty extensive given the size of the establishment — the menu is segmented out to sections such as appetisers (further split into Deep Fried, Salad, Boiled and Grilled subcategories), main dishes (comprising of both dishes to share in a communal setting split further into Soup, Curry, Grilled, Fish, Vegetables, Egg, Noodles, Stir-Fried, and Fried Rice; there is also the Single Dish subsection for individual diners dining alone), and dessert. The list of beverages at Baan Chadar include Soda, Herbal Drinks (i.e. Lemongrass, Roselle etc.), Traditional Thai Coffee, Thai Milk Tea, and canned drinks just to name a few — the only alcoholic item here being a Chang Beer.

There were quite a number of dishes that caught our attention here and we were initially a little spoilt for choice for which curry to go for — whilst we had originally settled for the Massaman Curry, we found ourselves going for the Haaw Mohk Young Coconut Seafood after seeing a photo of the dish on the menu. True enough, the Haaw Mohk Young Coconut Seafood came to the table just like how it was being illustrated — the Haaw Mohk Young Coconut Seafood came with a young coconut that contains the seafood curry within. The name of the dish is a little misconstrued here in the menu; the actual name of the Haaw Mohk Young Coconut Seafood in Thai would be Hor Mok Talay Ma-Praow-On — this could be translated to English as a Thai Steamed Curry Seafood in Young Coconut. A dish that is not a particularly easy find in Thai establishments in Singapore, we were actually surprised how Baan Chadar offers it on the menu. More of a savoury curry dish instead of being a sweet one like the Thai Green Curry or Massaman Curry which we are familiar with, the Haaw Mohk Young Coconut Seafood comes with chock full of ingredients within — digging into the coconut, one could find the creamy, coconut milk-laden red curry coming with loads of wispy, beaten eggs within; something akin to an egg drop soup that provides a fluffy texture to chew on with the curry being creamy, fragrant and not being overly sweet, savoury or MSG-laden. Going further into the young coconut, one could find squid rings, chunks of fish and prawns within the curry — all of the seafood being fresh; the squid ring being not too rubbery, the prawns being juicy and carries a good bite, while the fish was flaky, soft and moist. The key to enjoy the dish is to scrape off the young coconut flesh to have it together with the seafood curry within — the young coconut flesh carrying a subtle sweetness that adds on to the fragrant curry; a dish that we found ourselves demolishing in no time.

Having visited Baan Chadar in a group of four (4), we had the opportunity to try quite a number of dishes that they have to offer — this would include the Khanom Pang Na Goong (i.e. Thai Prawn Toast), Thai Pork Omelet, Thai Braised Beef Noodle, and the Thai Basil Pork with Rice and Egg. We were really impressed with what Baan Chadar has to offer; they seemed to have really nailed all of the dishes listed on their menu considering how we are pretty satisfied with all of the dishes we had tried — the Thai Pork Omelet being crisp enough without being greasy with a chili dip that is savoury, zingy and provides a spicy kick that tickles the tastebuds even for those who are able tolerable to moderate levels of spiciness. while we really loved how the Thai Braised Beef Noodle comes with a flavoursome savoury broth with beef tendon that is especially gelatinous and melts in the mouth. Patrons also get the choice to opt between Kway Teow (Thin), Kway Teow (Thick), or Mama Noodles to go along with their Thai Braised Beef Noodle. The Thai Basil Pork with Rice is also pretty stellar — not doused in too much sauce, the meatiness is pretty evident without carrying any undesirable porky stench; the basil carrying an evident fragrance with a good spicy kick at a level akin to that of the chili dip that accompanied the Thai Pork Omelet. Given the quality of the food that we have had at Baan Chadar, we would say that they indeed serve up pretty authentic Thai dishes as described on their social media — perhaps even more so as compared to the Thai restaurants located at Golden Mile; a feat of its own that makes them a deserving spot to make a trip for; the owners also pretty active in getting feedback and engaging into small talk with their guests as well. Prices are fairly affordable as well; most communal dishes priced between $8 to $18 though there are dishes priced at $25 to $28 — single dishes for individual diners are slightly pricey at $12. Overall, a promising spot that we would definitely be back to visit for their stellar Thai dishes again!