We Finally Tried This Viral Basil Pork Rice With 4 Eggs—Here’s Our Review

Basil King has viral basil pork rice with quadruple eggs

Those familiar with the American food vlogger Mark Wiens may notice a striking resemblance between his Thai pad krapow (basil pork rice) brand, Phed Mark, and local stall Basil King. From its fireball mascot to its brand aesthetic, the similarities are uncanny. Of course, the menu also bears a close resemblance, with pad krapow the star of the show here.

Like Phed Mark’s version, Basil King lets you load the dish with up to four sunny-side-up eggs, all fused into one Frankenstein monster. These elements have helped Basil King become a viral sensation of sorts, and now the brand has numerous outlets across Singapore, including the one we visited in Ang Mo Kio.

Food at Basil King

We started with the Basil Pork, and went with the Triple Egg ($8.90) option. There are five levels of spiciness to choose from, so we went for the middle option, Level 3—just to keep things consistent with our next dish.

The dish arrived with the massive three-eyed egg covering most of the plate. Underneath it was, of course, stir-fried basil pork and a mound of rice.

We were surprised to find that the meat was actually quite light on that unmistakable aroma of basil. Without that, the minced pork tasted more like a generic stir-fry. That’s not to say it wasn’t tasty, though—it balanced savoury and spicy notes quite well. The meat was also tender, and the white rice nicely soaked up any excess oil.

The egg was something else. Because it was constructed with three eggs, you could tell it had a lot more body to it—and naturally, more fluff. When torn into, the three egg yolks let loose on the rest of the dish, enveloping them in a rich creaminess. We also liked that the egg was nicely fried till it had crisp edges, and there was even a smoky aroma.

Our next dish was the Basil Prawn, and for this one, we decided to go all in with the Quadruple Egg ($11.90).

Sadly, the prawns were a huge letdown for one reason: they were incredibly mushy, likely from overcooking. Attempting to peel the prawns caused it to disintegrate, like you see in the picture above. Maybe this was a one-off, but it was disappointing to see, especially given how much we paid for it.

The quadruple eggs were, of course, even more indulgent than the triple eggs were. It was almost difficult to handle how eggy it all was. But if you’re a fan of sunny-side eggs or need a large protein hit, then this is for you.

If you’re looking for a side dish, Basil King has the classic Thai street snack, the Moo Ping ($1.90 for each stick).

This was a solid rendition—the pork was juicy and well-grilled, and the sauce was sweet and savoury. It also went really well with the Thai chilli sauce, which lent a spicy-sour dimension to the meat.

Ambience at Basil King

The Basil King we visited was tucked away in a small Ang Mo Kio coffeeshop, though one that packs a surprisingly wide variety of food options. To accommodate the sizeable crowds during peak hours, there is a good amount of tables, and the place is relatively well-ventilated.

Basil King is a six-minute walk from Ang Mo Kio MRT Station.

Basil King – Eatbook Review

Basil King offers decent Phed Mark-inspired pad krapow, though it does have a few flaws. Still, if you love basil pork rice or eggs, the stall might be worth checking out if you’re near an outlet.

For a $14.90 mookata buffet in Ang Mo Kio, read our Family Mookata review. For other Thai eats, read our best Thai food places in Singapore guide.

Address: 347 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3, Singapore 560347
Opening hours: Daily 11am to 9:30pm
Website
Basil King is not a halal-certified eatery.

Photos taken by Paula Formantes.
This was an independent visit by Eatbook.sg.