Basil King: Can this viral pad kra pao rival Phed Mark’s?

When I first learnt of Basil King, I instinctively went “HUH?”

Its offering of pad kra pao, orangey multi-yolked eggs, spice level metre, colour palette and crockery… everything about this viral stall reminded me of Phed Mark, YouTuber Mark Wiens’s famed pad kra pao joint in Bangkok. A little too much, maybe. The similarities are uncanny at first glance unless you have razor-sharp eyes.

Needless to say, I was itching to find out if the fabled stall was worth all that buzz.

Basil King is nothing short of a force to be reckoned with. Sceptical as I was about its “heavily inspired” concept, I couldn’t ignore the numbers: an average Google rating of above 4.4 stars across 5 outlets. Yes, that many in the short 2 months it’s been around, and 2 more confirmed to be on the way (at time of writing).

After carefully mulling over the options, I settled on the Jurong West outlet — the first of them all, with an impressive 4.6-star rating over nearly 400 reviews.

Oh, I should mention that I have dined at Phed Mark, on a trip to Bangkok just last year. The basil pork rice wasn’t exactly mind-blowing, although the meat was tasty and, most notably, very spicy.

Now, I had just one question:
Can Basil King hold a candle to its… Siamese twin?

What I tried at Basil King

Going in, I knew that the Basil Pork was a must-get. My only real decision was how many eggs to top it with. The default Single Egg option goes for S$6.90, with each extra egg tacking on S$1 more.

Behold: my glorious Quadruple Egg Basil Pork (S$9.90). Never have I ever had this many eggs in one sitting, but there they were — 4 golden yolks, perched atop a disc of nicely fried white draped over the rice and basil pork dotted with chilli bits and basil leaves. Carrying the plate back to my table was a whole balancing act, as I watched them jiggle and slide around like they had minds of their own.

While it was ‘go big or go home’ for the eggs, it was a different story when it came to the spice. Still scarred by the heartburn Phed Mark gave me, I played it safe with a sensible Level 3 here.

“No spicy, no kick la!” Basil King’s slogan teased. Another day, I guess.

Where do I even begin with this colossal sunny-side? I don’t enjoy my yolks whole, so I went straight in. My spoon broke into the quadruplet, letting the molten yolk cascade onto its neighbours.

The yolks were as indulgent as yolks come: velvety and buttery. The white, soft and toothsome, had lacy, crisped edges that cracked audibly with each bite. It feels almost wrong to dig into anything else but the basil pork when having pad kra pao, but I couldn’t help myself — not with the egg stealing the show like this.

A heady mix of garlic, chilli and holy basil, the tangle of rusty-brown basil pork smelled divine — and tasted just as good. The wok-kissed meat was an umami bomb: deeply savoury from the fish sauce, slightly sweet, and laced with a slow-building heat that, thankfully, I could handle with no sweat.

I also appreciated the scattering of fat within the heap — just enough to keep it juicy, its richness cut through by the clove-like edge of the basil leaves.

Paired with creamy yolk, warm rice and crispy fried egg, this take on pad kra pao went above and beyond my expectations. My only gripe would be how that much yolk got a little surfeiting by the end, although that’s easily solved with fewer eggs (and a lighter bill to match).

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I took a bit of a leap for my second dish, this time opting for the Double Egg Basil Prawn (S$9.90). I’d never had pad kra pao with seafood before, so this was a refreshing change I didn’t mind at all.

The plate was furnished with a smaller, double-yolked egg and 5 whole prawns — sizable ones, at that. Considering the prawn variation’s slightly heftier price tag, I was pretty pleased with the portion.

I also noticed that the basil sauce mixture had been lathered over the shelled prawns, and hoped that the flavour hadn’t just clung to the surface.

After a whole lot of tedious deshelling, I was unfortunately proven right. While the prawns were fresh, snappy and sweet, I was dismayed by how the flesh within was unseasoned. Its natural brininess didn’t quite gel with the punchy basil sauce either; both elements worked on their own, but felt wholly disconnected.

And while I understood why the prawns couldn’t have been deshelled, I didn’t exactly enjoy having to work for my meal. LOL.

Final thoughts

Not gonna lie, I had my doubts when I first visited Basil King. How could a local upstart hold its own against a famed Thai establishment?

But boy was I glad to be proven wrong. Although I didn’t quite fancy the Basil Prawn, the Basil Pork more than earned my seal of approval. I’d even say this rendition is leagues above your average kopitiam Thai stall, and I completely understand why its ratings have been stellar across the board.

Expected damage: S$6.90 – S$11.90 per pax

For a list of locations, contact numbers and opening hours, click here.

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