Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
Fried chicken is possibly one of my favourite foods of all time. I’ve enjoyed different versions of this dish from countries all over the world— XXL chicken cutlets from Taiwan, classic Southern chicken from the USA, karaage from Japan and more. However, I’d never tried Thai fried chicken, and hence decided to head down to Good Gai to give it a go.
Good Gai is Singapore’s first Thai fried chicken specialty store. You’ll find this quaint takeaway store in the Thai Supermarket within Aperia Mall, sporting a concise menu.
The stall offers 2 flavours of Thai fried chicken, available as either a cutlet or winglets. I decided to get one of everything on the menu and watched as my order was freshly fried, chopped and placed in takeaway boxes.
What I tried at Good Gai
Since Good Gai operates as a takeaway stall, finding a good location to sit down right after receiving your chicken may be tricky. Despite that, I would still recommend finding some way to enjoy the chicken fresh as it is served piping hot.
I started off with the Signature Thai Fried Chicken Cutlet (S$6.90), which had a gorgeous golden brown shade. As with all good fried chicken, the skin was very crunchy and delightful, though I found that the flesh was a little tough.
On its own, the Signature Thai Fried Chicken Cutlet was honestly a tad bit bland. Thankfully, my order came with a few tubs of Thai sweet sauce and spicy sauce to elevate the flavours.
The sweet sauce on the left was phenomenal when paired with the chicken, providing it with lots of much needed flavour. The spicy sauce on the right, however, was slightly less impressive to me as it was overly sour and not as palatable.
The Hatyai Thai Fried Chicken Cutlet (S$6.90) was definitely miles better than the Signature Thai Fried Chicken Cutlet. This cutlet donned a darker brown shade and was topped with a generous amount of fried shallots, making it more aromatic.
The Hatyai Thai Fried Chicken Cutlet had stronger flavours than the Signature Thai Fried Chicken Cutlet due to its seasoned skin, though it was definitely a lot less crunchy.
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Good Gai also sells their chicken in winglet form. The Signature Thai Fried Chicken Winglets (S$6.90 for 5 pieces) tasted just like its cutlet counterpart— I felt that both iterations were not very flavourful on their own and relied on the sauces to elevate them. Still, I must praise these winglets for their impressive crunch.
The Hatyai Thai Fried Chicken Winglets (S$6.90 for 5 pieces) paled in comparison to the cutlet version as each wing was small in size and honestly a tad bit overcooked. I liked how these wings also came topped with fried shallots, but in terms of fleshiness, the cutlet was definitely superior.
Finally, I had the Thai Fried Chicken Skin (S$5) at Good Gai. Though this snack was pretty typical and did not stand out in any way, I thoroughly enjoyed every bite of it— the skin stayed crispy for a long period of time and was super fun to crunch down on. You certainly can’t go wrong with fried chicken skin!
Final thoughts
In all honesty, I wasn’t all that blown away by the Thai fried chicken at Good Gai. The sauces served on the side were the saving grace as they provided the chicken with lots of much needed flavour.
I found the chicken prices to be pretty reasonable in relation to the portions, though the actual taste was quite average. I’d revisit Good Gai if I ever find myself craving fried chicken while in Aperia Mall, though I doubt I’d travel down just to patronise them.
Expected damage: S$5 – S$6.90 per pax
