Two Fat Men is one of my usual supper spots because it’s fairly close to home and serves affordable but decent Thai fare till midnight. A no frills pub with a small menu, it was interesting to note that there were about as many dishes offered for Thai food as there were for the Western ones, probably due to the fair number of expats living around the area.

I’d heard that the service was wanting so I was apprehensive on my first visit a year ago. I was pleasantly surprised that they were willing to accomodate my request to add Tang Hoon to my Seafood Tom Yam Soup ($6.90) for a light supper. Although the tom yam soup is not of the clear variety that I love, it’s a decent version that was largely flavoured by the chili paste. The soup is a nice balance of sourness, spiciness and saltiness.

Another favourite Thai dish is Yam Woonsen or Thai Tang Hoon Salad ($5), a lukewarm salad of mung bean vermicelli and seafood tossed with a tangy and spicy dressing. The flavour depends on whether the crew had drained the vermicelli well enough, which they did. My main gripe about the seafood here is that sometimes the prawns are not very fresh.

On our second trip there for a late supper, we managed to try out heavier dishes. Having heard good things about the Grilled Pork Neck with Tamarind Sauce ($8.90), we had to order it. We also ordered the Basil Chicken Fried Rice ($6.50) and Thai Iced Tea ($2.70) to complete the meal.

The Basil Chicken Fried Rice could do with a lot more basil so that one can taste the herb as opposed to the almost cloyingly sweet fried rice that seems sadly devoid of Basil. The Thai Iced Tea was a sugar-reduced, chilled version, similar to the local Teh-C Kosong. Except a different tea mix was used.

Two Fat Mens’ signature dish is Grilled Pork Neck with Tamarind Sauce. The grilling had melted away a large part of the fat leaving a crispily charred crust that encased the tender meat. Though it was a little too charred and dry outside, it was still juicy inside. The savoury flavour of the marinade had penetrated the meat with the charred bits adding a touch of smokiness.

I don’t drink beer, but I suspect that it would have been nice to wash all these down with a nice cold brew.

Two Fat Men

376 East Coast Road, Singapore 426984

Tel: +65 6346-0046 Operating Hours: Daily from 5pm to 1am.

* Last order for food: 12.30am

* Last order for alcohol: midnight