KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 — A friend had come across Talad Noi Thai Food Market via an Instagram advertisement.

Piqued by their Thai food hall concept and the fact they had just opened days before MCO started, she organised a group buy among a few friends. I joined in and we all ordered various items to sample.

Located at Bandar Menjalara, the place offers a large variety of budget Thai eats. Prices range from RM7 to RM14 for their menu selection.

Forced to adapt to lockdown restrictions, they now offer their food for delivery.

Select from various types of noodles such as Kuey Teow Nua Toon (Thai beef noodles) or Khao Soi Gai (Thai chicken coconut noodles).

There are three types of chicken noodles to pick from; their Kuey Teow Boran Nam (soup or dry) and Kuey Teow Namsai Gai. Both look like clear soups with different toppings. You also can order tom yum Mama instant noodles (soup or dry) and Thai fish laksa.

For rice dishes, there's braised pork rice, Khao Man Gai Tod or Thai fried chicken rice or Khao Man Gai or Thai chicken rice. You can also get side nibbles such as fried chicken and tom yum pork balls.

Nibble on Thai fried chicken that is sold either in a combination of various parts of the chicken or your preferred parts (left). If you like your tom yum to have a mild spicy kick, this will be perfect... they serve it with bouncy own-made pork balls fashioned from minced pork (right)

The highlight was their braised pork rice (RM8). You get fork tender meat topped with a gelatinous jelly like skin that is paired with rice soaked with the braising liquid. There's also slightly tangy ham choy to cut through the richness of the meal and a half portion of braised hard boiled egg. I definitely will order this dish again when I have cravings.

I was curious about their Khao Soi Gai (RM9) hence I selected it. Their version, the soup seems a little watery compared to others I have tried. Nevertheless there was a huge piece of chicken with meat that was falling off the bone.

Even though the Khao Soi Ga is served with a watery broth, it is tasty plus you also get a delicious, huge piece of chicken where the meat is falling off the bone

The broth was subtle with a nice, sweet taste that you will want to drink up. This was served with smooth wheat noodles and topped with crispy fried noodle strands, ham choy and sliced raw onions.

Since I wanted to try their tom yum soup, I had also ordered one of the side dishes where they paired pork balls with the soup (RM6 for regular and RM8 for large). The reddish-coloured soup was mild with a slight spicy punch which suited me well but those who love their chillies may find this lacking. What I really enjoyed were the pork balls that are homemade with minced pork and had a nice, bouncy texture.

The fried chicken is placed in a brown paper bag while you can easily eat the braised pork rice from the takeaway container

We also tried the fried chicken. There's a choice of getting the mixed version where they give you a combination of various parts of the chicken, or you can also select which part you prefer.

I enjoyed the fried chicken with its mild flavour. They cut the pieces smaller, making it easier to eat. Some of us felt there were too many bones so it's up to individual preference. Prices start from RM8 for the regular mix version.

If I have Thai food cravings, I'll order the braised pork rice and tom yum pork balls again. I also want to try their Thai fish laksa (RM8) as it is highly recommended by my friend who tasted it.

Heat up the broth for the tom yum and the noodles if you want a piping hot meal

They also offer special MCO deals where you can get a meal for two persons at RM25 with drinks. For four people, it's RM48 for the main meal and drinks.

Talad Noi Thai Food Market, No: 60, Jalan 8/62A, Bandara Manjalara, Kepong, Kuala Lumpur. Operations start from 10am onwards. Closed on Mondays. You can WhatsApp 012-5600165 to arrange for your orders to be delivered through a third party delivery company or do a drive-through pick up. They are also available on Food Panda. Facebook: @taladnoithaifoodmarket Instagram: @taladnoithaifoodmarket