Stallholder-chef, 62-year-old Khun Buachan Pamakham, known to her customers as โJaneโ, now runs ๐ก๐ถ๐บ๐บ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ฆ๐ผ๐ถ ๐ต, a smallish but very popular Thai food kiosk inside a food court at Tampines Round Market & Food Centre. Jane has been operating here since 20 July 2023, but she has been in the food business for more than 35 years now.
Khun Buachan, a Chiang Mai native, used to run the uber-popular ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ถ at the infamous Orchard Towers, Singaporeโs ๐ฅ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ข๐ค๐ต๐ฐ red-light district. ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ถโs target market then were the Thai โladies of the nightโ, ladyboys, masseuses and other miscellaneous sex workers. But Janeโs reputation for serving authentic Thai food soon caught the attention of foodies, who flocked there for the food instead of the flesh trade.
I never did find out from Khun Buachan why she chose โJaneโ as her business name there. But I did manage to ask her what her Thai nickname was, as all Thais have one. She said, โPornโ.
OK, so I guess registering โJaneโ for her food business there made good sense.
Nowadays, Khun Buachan Pamakhamโs new place is more accessible, as she plies her offerings to a more family-friendly general public at Tampinesโ busy Round Market and Food Centre.
Our lunch spread here:
- Tod mun koong - Thai-style deep-fried prawn cakes, made on the spot upon order by Jane. Her prawn cakes are roughly-chopped prawns, mixed with fish-paste, squid-meat, egg, fresh coriander sprigs, Ros Dee seasoning mix, plus sugar/salt. She coat the donut-like cakes in panko crumbs before deep-frying.
Served fresh from the wok, Janeโs tod mun koong were light, crisp, greaseless, and absolutely delicious.
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Pla sam rot - this was a whole seabass, crisp-fried on the outside, but still moist on the inside. Itโs coated with a sweet-sour-spicy sauce. Janeโs version had a light touch when it comes to the sauce, letting the freshness and natural flavors from the fish shine through.
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๐๐ฐ๐ฐ ๐ฌ๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฆ๐ฎ - stir-fried pork with golden-crisp garlic crumbs. This dish was a disappointment, as the pork strips didnโt have the tender and moist texture we were looking for in this dish. Taste-wise, it was fine - garlicky and with a touch of light soy sauce.
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๐ ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ - glass noodles salad with minced pork, squid and prawns, in sour-spicy dressing. Very popular with my dining companions. I was looking for something more โporkyโ, i.e. use of more fatty minced pork, and perhaps the addition of toasted peanuts which was absent from Janeโs rendition.
- ๐๐ข๐ช ๐ถ๐ข - Northern Thai pork sausage. Its name in Thai comes from ๐จ๐๐ (โintestineโ) and ๐ช๐ (โto stuffโ).
Taste-wise, this was absolutely stupendous - donโt miss ordering it.
- ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ช - Thai-style fried noodles, flavoured with tamarind and palm sugar, and garnished with beansprouts, chives, shrimps, tofu and crushed peanuts. The version here was excellent - one of the best Iโd had in Singapore.
Overall, one of the best casual Thai dining options in town at the moment. Itโs really worth a trek to Tampines to have a taste of Janeโs cooking.
Address
Nimman Soi 9 Thai Food
Block 139 Tampines Street 11, #01-08, Singapore 521139
Tel: +65 8032 0887
Opening hours: 11am to 9.30pm daily
