Yet one of those days where we made a visit to a spot but was told that there wasn’t any space available for walk-in patrons — and then we found ourselves walking down Circular Road looking for another spot to settle our dinner at. Walked past Bior Restaurant & Bar; a Thai establishment that was recommended by a friend of ours and decided pretty much to just wind up here for dinner instead. Being an establishment that serves Thai cuisine, the menu at Bior Restaurant & Bar offers items ranging from starters to salads, soups, omelette, vegetables, meat, fish and claypot dishes that are pretty much catered for communal dining. However, it is noted that single diners can also opt for soups to be served in a small portion here (the other size option here would be the “large”), whilst also offering rice and noodles as well. Desserts here are pretty much limited to four options — Mango Sticky Rice, Red Ruby and Thai Chendol, while both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages are also available.

Thought that their Thai fare were actually pretty impressive in general but if there was one item we would choose as a favourite — it is probably the Tom Yum Red Chicken. We did feel that they do their Tom Yum soup really well; we were actually pretty intrigued by it when we were skimming through the menu and noticed a photo of the Tom Yum Goong Mama on the menu; hence the choice to go for the Tom Yum Red instead of the Tom Yum Clear. We really liked how this was a good balance of sour and spicy — tangy yet tickles the taste buds; the level of spiciness being just about right for those whom are tolerable to moderate levels of heat, all that together with a slight hint of spices used in the preparation of the soup. The soup comes with a quite a good portion of chicken and some mushrooms within; enough for a single diner to have together with a bowl of rice on the side or even for two to share along with other communal dishes to go along.

Despite being one of those establishments that seem to be more of restaurant-cum-bar concept along Circular Road, Bior Restaurant & Bar dishes out some pretty well-executed Thai dishes for an establishment of its type — really liked their Tom Yum Red Chicken, as well as the Minced Pork with Basil Leaves that was savoury yet fragrant. That being said, we did feel that the food here does seem to contain a bit of MSG though we aren’t particularly sure about it since there were just so much spice involved. The folks here are also pretty friendly — perhaps one of the few establishments of its type that actually does attempt to make connections to its patrons whilst being warm and sincere; it is also little wonder how the patrons here do seem to be regulars as well. Amidst all of the nightclubs and KTVs, as well as the bars and upscale Japanese dining concepts along Circular Road, Bior Restaurant & Bar is a little bit of a hidden gem for something a little more wallet-friendly and family-friendly in the area.