The fact is that we didn't come all the way to Pasir Panjang to have Thai food, but because I wanted to eat at one of my favourite cafes (On The Table) again... however, I was disappointed to see On The Table closed for a private event. This happens to me a lot these days. Pasir Panjang is quite isolated from the rest of the island. Since we are already here, we checked out the restaurants beside the cafe and caught sight of this Thai restaurant that looked amazingly packed to its gills. I took a look at its name - E-Sarn Thai Corner.
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| Picture taken at closing time, long after we finished our meal |
Its name doesn't really ring a bell, but it looked really well-received. OK, let's give this a try. At the dinner peak hours, diners might have to wait for one or two tables to clear before they can get a seat. Lucky for us, we didn't have to wait but it was at full house capacity already.
One of the dishes that we had to try was the Red Tom Yum Goong. A good blend of sour, sweet and savoury tastes, the soup base was piquant and rich. It was not as spicy as I expect Tom Yum Goong (but still spicy) to be. I could tell that the prawns - the center of attention of this dish, was very fresh based on its bouncy texture. There were other ingredients like mushroom and fish in it too!
One of my favourite Thai selections have to be the Pad kra pao gai, the Thai Basil Chicken that always pander to my tastebuds effortlessly. This one is even spicier than the Tom Yum Goong, but in a very appetizing way! I think I can eat a meal just with this one dish and rice.
Somehow I always end up ordering Crab Cakes because it's almost as if nobody can do this dish wrongly! This one from E-Sarn is pretty good as well. I love dipping it with the lemongrass peanut sauce that is so fragrant and it whets the appetite well. I could not get enough of it!
To say E-Sarn exceeded my expectation isn't fair (I had none). But reasonably, E-Sarn can be considered very good, performs decently well for the dishes we tried. I think they did modified some of the dishes to cater to the local palate, like the spiciness and sourness level of the Tom Yum soup which I appreciate very much. The service here is excellent, reminiscent of the wonderful Thai hospitality. Despite being located at such an awkward location, I understand the crowd now. I am surprised to find such a gem at Pasir Panjang. If you love Thai food and want to explore Thai options in Singapore proper, E-Sarn should be part of your list (I rank this higher than Aroy Dee and similar to Aloy Thai's standard).
E-Sarn Thai
130 Pasir Panjang Road
Singapore 118548
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