Melting beef cubes and Thai-Teochew cockles? Here’s everything you must try over at Kin Hoi’s latest stall in Holland

Restaurants serving Thai food in Singapore are aplenty, but you might be hard-pressed to find one that offers authentic Thai cuisine that takes you back to the days spent on the streets of Bangkok where you soak up the culture through its plethora of delicious food.

But, we think we may have found it in Kin Hoi, which opened its latest brick-and-mortar stall in Holland.

kin hoi founders
From left to right: Allie, Daniel, and Thomas

Kin Hoi (which means “eat shellfish” in Thai), is manned by Daniel, the business mind behind the brand; Alie, the fiery third-generation Thai from a family of chefs; and Thomas, the peacemaker that binds the team together.

The trio is on a mission to bring authentic Thai fare to our sunny island with Thai street seafood served hawker-style.

AVENUE ONE had the opportunity to sample some of Kin Hoi’s signature dishes on its menu, and we’re here to tell you whether they’re worth a shot or not so keep reading to find out!

What to try at Kin Hoi

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With fresh seafood at the heart of the business, Kin Hoi has certainly mastered the art of marrying seafood with Thai flavours through a wide range of offerings on its menu.

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Photo source: @kinhoi.sg/Instagram

Warm your heart with Kin Hoi’s Signature Half Shelled Cockles (S$19), which are highly favoured by foodies for their mouthful freshness and kick of Thai spices.

Serving up a kilogramme of fresh cockles, it’s definitely a must-try for cockle lovers who can’t get enough of the mollusc.

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Dual Delight

At Kin Hoi, you can choose from two flavour choices: the Thai Spicy option, and the Thai Teochew option, which presents Thai spices with a local twist.

Can’t decide? Then, go for the Dual Delight (S$19) which lets you enjoy the plump and juicy morsels of flesh in both flavours.

We were especially surprised by the Thai-Teochew flavour, which left our tongues tingling and wanting more.

Apart from the crowd-pleasing cockles, Kin Hoi cooks up a variety of seafood dishes that you can consider as well – there’s everything from the savoury Thai Grilled Squid (from S$15) and Jumbo Grilled Prawns (from S$28.80) to the Velvety Atlantic Cod (S$24), which is topped with a Thai-Teochew-style soya sauce that’s sure to pack a punch with its buttery, umami richness!

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Gong Gong

Fans of the sea conch can delight in a plate of Kin Hoi’s Gong Gong (S$16), which is best eaten with the restaurant’s signature Thai chilli sauce that’s prepared from scratch by Chef Allie.

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Melting Beef

It’s not just seafood that Kin Hoi excels at, though. Its loyal customers are in love with Kin Hoi’s meat dishes like the Thai Honey Grilled Pork (S$12) and its crowd-favourite Melting Beef (S$12), and frankly, so were we.

If you’re a beef-lover, you definitely cannot miss the Melting Beef cubes, which are served medium rare with a dash of Himalayan pink salt.

As its name suggests, the dish simply melted in your mouth and you just can’t stop at one beef cube the moment you start digging into it.

In fact, we loved it so much that we couldn’t resist ordering another bowl of rice to eat it with.

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Thai Honey Grilled Pork

Meanwhile, the Thai Honey Grilled Pork had a good balance of savoury and sweet, and it was a fairly decent dish which we think we would like even more if the meat was more tender.

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Original Style Thai Vermicelli

To load up on carbs, a highly recommended pairing for the meat and seafood dishes in Kin Hoi’s menu is the Original Style Thai Vermicelli (S$8).

Loaded with crispy pork lard and brimming with the right balance of tanginess and heat, the tantalising Thai vermicelli is one to satisfy any cravings you have for the flavours of Thailand.

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Duck Noodle Soup

At the Holland outlet, you will also come across the Duck Noodle Soup (S$5) which is especially perfect to savour on a chilly, rainy day.

If you’re not a fan of soups in general, the dish also comes with a dry option that still packs a herbal punch even without the umami-rich broth.

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Fluffy Thai Omelette with Sweet Crab Meat

We also had the chance to dig into Kin Hoi’s Fluffy Thai Omelette with Sweet Crab Meat (S$16.80), which had a luscious, pillowy texture plus a little bit of crunch and a whole lot of fresh seafood goodness from the think crab meat chunks.

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Photo source: @kinhoi.sg/Instagram

For those who like to spice things up, be sure to enjoy all of Kin Hoi’s best-selling dishes with its signature Thai chilli sauce. Trust us, a small dab of the condiment is enough to bring a whole new flavour to each dish you order.

Kin Hoi’s newest location is at 6 Holland Close, Singapore 271006 and it opens daily from 11am to 9pm. You can also find Kin Hoi at Block 168, Lorong 1 Toa Payoh, Singapore 310168 (opens daily from 11.30am to 9pm).

Kin Hoi offers islandwide delivery, and orders can be placed here. For more information, visit Kin Hoi’s website, Instagram, or WhatsApp the team at 8866 8668 (click on the number to send a WhatsApp message).