ArtBox Singapore may have been the disappointment of the year, but that doesn't stop Singaporeans from their love for Thai pop-up markets. The yearly Thai Festival located at the Royal Thai Embassy is back and you can now enjoy the plethora of Thai goodies all authentic and flown in from the Land of Smiles. Do expect to see your favorite Thai food like Phad Thai, mango sticky rice, Kanom Beung (Thai crepes), Moo-Ping (grilled pork), Thai Milk Tea and so much more!


The Thai Festival 2017 boasts 110 stalls ranging from food and drinks, fruits, fashion and accessories, jewelry as well as gift and decoration. Visitors can enjoy cultural performances like Muay Thai and take part in cooking classes where you can learn how to make Thai stir fried noodles and Som Tam (papaya salad). Spend $20 on Thai products and you may stand a chance to win a pair of THAI Airways tickets to Bangkok. Or you can post pictures from the Thai Festival on Instagram with #ThaiFestSG and win a pair of Bangkok Airways tickets to Samui.

If you're expecting the Thai Festival to be a pretentious hipster, artsy event like ArtBox, you're in for a disappointment. While it doesn't do much for your Instagram feed, the Thai Festival offers the most authentic and unpretentious Thai experience, so don't expect to see any rainbow unicorn drinks or galaxy desserts. It is also more of a cultural fair instead of a food fair so the food stalls are pretty limited. But I'd like to warn you that the food section is still the busiest and most crowded section with queues taking an average of 20 minutes.

Food stalls aside, other areas of the festival are well ventilated with little crowds. If you happen to be at the festival around 5.00pm to 6.00pm... good luck to you!

Here are some of the food stalls available at the Thai Festival 2017:

PORK SKEWERS (ZAP X 3)



I had to queue for 25 minutes just to have a taste of this pork skewers, so I thank the heavens that they were tender and well marinated. The pork isn't skinny like the satay you get from Tampines pasar malam, but big and juicy with thin strips of fat in the middle. Definitely worth the 3 for $5.00.

THAI BOAT NOODLES

The portion may be small, but these beef and pork boat noodles offer you a taste of heaven at just $5.00 per bowl. Also, they're prepared by very attractive looking ladies in their traditional Thai costumes!

THAI DURIANS

Thai Mon Thong durians may be smaller than their Malaysian counterparts, but they definitely do not lose when it comes to taste. Also known as the "golden pillow", Mon Thong durians are sweet with a yellower color and firmer texture.

PHAD THAI



MANGO STICKY RICE

The mango sticky rice ($6.00) was one of the more expensive food sold at the Thai Festival. There was another store selling sticky rice at $3.90 (Thai Super Bowl), but we only got to know about it after we bought from this store. This $6.00 mango sticky rice stall was located at the far-end corner, and I had to queue for 20 minutes while being sandwiched between queues from the two stores beside us.

The sticky rice was very sweet but not at all worth the wait.

KANOM BEUNG (C&N THAI SNACKS)



If you're looking for something small to bite, try these fried Thai crepes, crispy and filled with coconut fillings and sweetened eggs. They're selling 4 pieces for only $2.00, but you'd have to wait in line for about half an hour!

GRILLED AND FRIED DELIGHTS



THAI SNACKS

COCONUT WATER

Buy a bottle of raw coconut water at $5.40 or just the coconut itself at $4.00!

HOMEMADE DRINKS (MEILI BEE FARM)

Soothe your tastebuds from all the spicy dishes with these homemade drinks at only $2.00 per cup. The Thai Milk Tea was delicious as always, but the lemon honey drink was a little bland.

SINGHA BEER STATION

Get the 100% barley malt beer at just $5.00 per can at the Singha Beer Station which is located away from the buzzling crowd complete with standing and sit-down tables.

TRADITIONAL THAI MASSAGE

Your feet may get sore after all the walking and lining up in queues so what better way to relax than enjoying a 20 minute traditional Thai massage for $15.00? The massage covers your back, head, shoulder and feet, and you'll be feeling as good as new once it's done.

FASHION STALLS



GIFT AND DECOR STALLS

The Thai Festival 2017 is open from the 4th to 7th of May between 10.00am to 9.00pm. Admission is free so do check it out ASAP or you'll have to wait until 2018 for the next round!

Love this post? Feel free to share and comment below or check out my Yayoi Kusama Exhibition experience here.