If you are looking for a place to meet up friends in the city, you may consider Folks Collective. The Thai restaurant is conveniently located between Telok Ayer and Chinatown MRT station (5 minutes walk to either). The decor ambiance exults a sense of Oriental exotica. The service is truly Thai - friendly, accommodating and enthusiastic. The food is distinctly Thai but easily appreciated by all, including the uninitiated. The bar is well stocked with beer, wine and spirit. Pricing is moderate - the two times I am here, the bill came to $30 plus per pax.
Folks Collective is conveniently located at China Square / Cross Street Exchange but it is a little hard to spot as the restaurant doesn't sport any large or prominent signage.
One way to spot the restaurant is to look out for this blue tuk tuk in the clutter of al fresco furniture.
Alternatively, look out for this bronze rickshaw statue. Folks Collective have a yellow tuk tuk parked at its entrance (just behind the rickshaw statue).
There's also a red Vespa at the entrance.
On entering, you will be greeted by the small, shiny bar cramped with beers, wines and liquor.
The main dining room is spacious and decked with an eclectic collection of
There are a few thick, firm padded benches.
Maybe this chest of drawers once served in a traditional Chinese medicine shop in Yaowarat (Bangkok Chinatown).
These were the dishes we had over two separate visits.
They have a few simple lunch sets for weekdays. This was the chicken green curry and street omelette set (price $10.90). Flavours were mild (not spicy) and felt homely.
Chicken Cauliflower Rice (price $12.90). Of course, there is no rice in this dish but light, fluffy stir fried grated cauliflower. Tasted like a salad with grilled chicken breast.
Pad Thai with Soft Shell Crab (price $18.90).
Pad Thai Seafood (price $12.90). Folks Collective serve one of the tastiest pad Thai that I have tried. They have different versions - I like the seafood one better. The noodles were soft-tender and well infused with umami savoury tangy sweet flavours from the ingredients and sauces. Neither overly greasy nor wrapped in gooey sauce.
Seabass Tempura Yum (price $25). It's a couple of pieces of fried seabass fish made into a light, crisp, crumbly floss biscuit - like fish keropok. These were set on top of savoury salty sour spicy yum of fish sauce, lime juicy, and aromatic herbs. There were pieces of generic Thai pork sausage.
Prawn Sashimi Yum (price $25).
The first time we were here, we wanted pork collar yum or baby octopus yum but both were not available (supply ran out). So, we settled for this prawn version instead. The prawns were sufficiently fresh. The yum was robustly savoury, sour and spicy. It went really well with my sticky rice.
But, it was not our first choice. I suggest calling in to book if your want pork collar or baby octopus as these items are in high demand.
Grilled Pork Collar (price $18).
This is another elusive dish as it is in high demand. Managed to get some on our second visit. Meat was tender, juicy and sweet while fatty layer was slightly crunchy. The marinate added a layer of savoury sweet balance. This is good. Must Order (that is, if you are OK with fat lah 😂 ).
Ribs and Sato Curry (price $15).
I am not sure what is Sato but seems like it is Thai for petai (stinky bean)?
Green Curry Chicken (price $10.90). Very sweet from the coconut milk and vegetables with a very little bit of savoury and spicy notes. The chicken was tender and sweet too. Too sweet for my liking, actually. No Thai eggplant inside, some more 🙄
Tapioca Queh (price $10).
This dessert turned out to be one of the memorable dishes. On our first visit, mid way through our meal, a friendly lady staff came to say that she just made tapioca queh (cake) and suggested that we get some. We were swayed by her ernest enthusiasm and accepted her recommendation.
The tapioca queh or cake was marshmallow soft and gently chewy yet did not stick to teeth. It was not very sweet and there was a separate cup of sugar for those who like it sweeter. The grated coconut was fresh and was not salted. This queh / cake was really nice. It differs from the local version by not having coconut milk in the queh.
We had the tapioca cake again during our second visit. This time it was not straight out of the steamer but still nice, just not as soft.
Folks Collective is popular with Singaporeans and Thais in Singapore. It's a nice place in the city to eat and chill out. We will be back. (Lady on Mr Song's right is the tapioca queh lady.)
Written by Tony Boey on 4 Dec 2021
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