Tuk Tuk Gai: Crispy Thai fried chicken, tom yum noodles & desserts at Sengkang kopitiam
What constitutes a well-executed chicken wing? For me, the outer layer has to be crispy and light while the insides remain moist and flavourful. I came across Tuk Tuk Gai, a kopitiam stall in Sengkang which specialises in Thai fried chicken and other Thai dishes.
The cute logo of a chicken riding a tuk tuk caught my eye, together with the striking yellow signboard that stood out from the rest of the stalls. I was impressed that besides a smorgasbord of Thai dishes, they even have desserts on their menu— what a diverse offering!
What I tried at Tuk Tuk Gai
When a stall specialises in a particular dish, instinctively you’d want to kick off your meal with that. Tuk Tuk Gai has two kinds of rice on their menu: chicken rice and coconut rice.
I decided on the latter, and ordered the Coconut Rice with Wings (S$5.90). It came with a sunny side-up resting atop a bed of green-hued coconut rice, a side of ikan bilis and peanuts, two whole chicken wings split in half, and a dollop of sambal which was darker than usual.
While I was busy snapping pictures of the dishes, my dining partner, Alex, had already started on the chicken wing and he commented, “It’s disappointing.”
Taken aback by what he said, I took a bite of the chicken drumstick. The fried shallots that were sprinkled on top added an extra layer of crunch to the crispy skin. I picked up peppery notes coming from the black pepper embedded on the skin, but that was it.
Alex was right, it was certainly underwhelming. The crispy skin had no taste, but to our horror, even the meat was bland. Could the chef have missed out on the seasoning for this batch of chicken wings? It sure seemed like it! Dipping the chicken wing in the Thai sweet chilli sauce redeemed the dish… just a little.
The coconut rice had robust flavours of coconut and pandan, and was cooked perfectly. It paired well with the crispy ikan bilis and peanuts.
The intense-coloured sambal had the perfect balance of salty, sweet and spicy. It tied all the ingredients nicely together and lifted my spirits a little after my disappointing chicken wing experience.
I was looking forward to my next dish, the Tom Yum Seafood Noodles Soup (S$6.90). You could either have it with Thai Mama noodles or vermicelli. I chose the former and it came served with a couple of large prawns, sotong, lala, straw mushrooms, fresh tomato quarters, and a raw egg which was cracked on top.
I can’t recall when I had tom yum soup last— an indication that it’s been quite a while. I went for the soup first and the spice hit me instantly. “Wow this is shiok!” I thought to myself and I couldn’t stop drinking it even after 3-4 spoons.
The tom yum was my favourite kind, creamy and spicy. The overall experience was taken up a notch when the egg got slightly cooked due to the soup’s temperature, and made everything taste smoother and richer.
I was stunned that the prawns used for this dish were pretty decent in size, and there were two! The sotong pieces were shaped beautifully like a flower, and the intricate incisions on it made it tender and textural. The lala were also plump and fresh.
It was a really tasty dish with the instant noodles, which soaked up all the flavours of the soup like a well-absorbent sponge— this was my favourite so far!
I moved on to the Deep Fried Garlic Pork (S$6.90). It had plump pieces of fried pork belly with a generous sprinkling of fried shallots.
The meat wasn’t as tender as I’d like , but it was seasoned beautifully. The fats on the belly melted as my teeth sunk into it, providing a buttery finish to the overall bite.
The thing that confused the both of us was the absence of any garlic elements. It was supposed to be garlic pork, but it reminded us of Hakka fermented pork instead.
Dunking the pork belly into the sweet and tangy Thai chilli dip made it more delectable, and kept me going back for more.
I wanted to order the Mango Glutinous Rice (S$5), but it wasn’t available. Fortunately, the Tapioca In Coconut Milk (S$3) saved the day. It had golden chunks of tapioca soaked in a syrup and coconut milk sauce topped with black and white sesame seeds.
The fibrous pieces of tapioca had a little bite to them, and the sesame seeds gave it a slightly nutty taste. The sauce below provided a milky sweet finish to this dessert. The dessert was nice but it didn’t blow me away.
Final thoughts
My experience with Tuk Tuk Gai was a lukewarm one. There were certain good dishes which I would return for, such as the tom yum seafood noodles soup and the coconut rice with the sambal.
If I’m in the area, I would patronise them again, but I wouldn’t specially travel all the way there just for a meal. Let’s hope that the kitchen team can improve on the taste of their main star: the chicken wings.
Expected damage: S$5.90 – S$20.80 per pax
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