Good news to all regulars of ThaiExpress – The Orange Member Card is finally making an official comeback! From cash rebates, birthday benefits to dining vouchers, ThaiExpress’ Orange Member Card is one card that all frequent diners should possess.

Being the world’s largest chain of modern Thai restaurants with a current territory of 25 ThaiExpress, Kaffir & Lime and Basil outlets across Singapore, ThaiExpress – the award-winning household brand – is celebrating its 13th birthday and they are giving away luxurious holiday packages to Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai Bangkok to show their appreciation to patrons. And three Orange Member Card holders (who activate their cards by 14 December) will be selected at random and you could be the lucky one.

But wow, thirteen years of yummy food it has been!

Yet another reason to sign up for the ThaiExpress’ Orange Member Card; you might just walk away with unbelievably amazing travel prizes such as return business class tickets on Thai Airways for two pax and an all-inclusive trip to Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort Chiang Rai.

Here are the perks of The Orange Member Card, and a toast to many more thirteen years of Soft-shelled Crab Curry Rice and Tomyum Glass Noodles with ThaiExpress!

Regulars to ThaiExpress would be familiar with its signature dishes such as Massaman Curry, Phat Thai Talay, and Prawn Toast. To celebrate its 13th anniversary, ThaiExpress launches 5 new dishes to add to their repertoire, and they include Chicken Thigh in Curry Pasta with Fried Noodle, Crispy Fish Flakes with Shredded Mango, Seafood Chilli Paste Fried Rice, Prawn Cake Donuts, and Coconut Pancakes with Coconut Ice Cream.

For those who have not heard of the Orange Card, do not let the idea of paying S$15 for an annual membership put you off. ThaiExpress’ Orange Member Card is actually a worthy investment as The Orange Member Card holders are instantly entitled to more than S$30 worth of Thai food.

On your first month of card activation, enjoy a complimentary side dish of Tofu Square, main course of Signature Basil Chicken/ Tofu Jasmine Rice and a Lemongrass Drink. Think about it – you are actually paying half the price for S$30 worth of food, and more dining privileges and counting.

The Orange Member Card boasts a value-for-money privilege aka its 5% cash rebates, where members can get back 5% from their total food bill. And guess what? This benefit is applicable for takeaways too.

For instance, the total bill for a dinner is S$100 (excluding service charges and prevailing taxes). Orange Member Card holders gets a S$5 “credit” in their card, and that can be deducted from the next expenditure at any restaurants (ThaiExpress, Kaffir & Lime, and Basil by ThaiExpress) across Singapore.

The Orange Member Card Holders also get to enjoy a Pandan Tapioca dessert on the house upon presenting the cardholders’ identification card(s) during their birthday month. More members’ specials will also be introduced in 2016; you see, they keep tempting you with all these perks, it is impossible to not own one!

How awesome does a free holiday sound?

Customers who activate their Orange Member Cards before 14 December 2015 also stand a chance to win exciting travel prizes (inclusive of return air tickets) to Thailand. This is the part that all of you are waiting for, yes?

The prizes include all-inclusive holiday packages to Chiang Rai and Bangkok.

The first prize comprises a pair of return Thai Airways tickets on economy class, and an all-inclusive trip to Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort Chiang Rai. This handsome grand prize is valued at more than S$6,000!

Similarly, the second prize – with an estimated value of more than S$4,000 – includes a pair of return Thai Airway tickets on business class and a hotel package at 5-star Anantara Chiang Mai. You and a loved one might just be the lucky ones to whisk off to Thailand for free!

The third prize is not too shabby too, where the lucky winner gets to enjoy over S$2,000 worth of travel goodies – return tickets on Thai Airways’ economy class for two pax, a 2-night stay at Bangkok’s Amari Watergate Hotel that includes hotel breakfast; even airport transfers are covered!

Only members aged 18 and above are eligible for this lucky draw and other terms and conditions apply.

When purchasing The Orange Member Card, quote ‘Ladyironchef Orange Card’ to receive additional beverage vouchers. This offer is only valid till 13 December 2015 and is available to all our lovely readers.

Do note that The Orange Member Card’s membership is on an annual basis but you can renew your expired membership card at just S$10 instead of S$15 to continue reaping the exclusive benefits.

This post is brought to you by ThaiExpress.

We are excited to be sharing ThaiExpress’ new dishes. To celebrate the annual Songkran – otherwise known as Thailand’s water festival – ThaiExpress will be launching a Songkran menu (available from 9 Mar to 19 Apr 2015) which features four tantalising dishes, and that’s not all.

To kickstart the celebration and to get you more excited, in the month of March, you get to dine and receive free mini water pistols, and a lucky pair will win a trip to Bangkok and Koh Samui – with a pair of return Business Class tickets - to experience the Songkran festival itself, and to celebrate the Thai New Year with the locals.

We are always enthralled by the idea of Thai food and a holiday at Thailand, and we believe we are speaking for most Singaporeans when we say the Thai food and culture is something so familiar and close to our hearts.

Time to revisit ThaiExpress and to try the four new dishes. If you are fans of salted egg-anything like we are, then the star has to be Thai-style Salted Egg Calamari. Coated with batter and deep fried, then lavishly covered with the chef’s homemade Thai-style salted egg sauce with basil. There is also the Songkran Wings, and Papaya Salad. Spicy, tangy, sour “som tum” always pleases, yes? As for the main, there is the Phuket Bee Hoon with Tiger Prawns. Oh yes, we love a good Thai-style noodle dish.

ThaiExpress is partnering Bangkok Airways and Tourism Authority of Thailand to give away a grand prize – a pair of return Business Class Bangkok Airway tickets to Bangkok and Koh Samui (from 10 to 14 Apr 2015)! It also comes with 5-star accommodation with Anantara, breakfasts and airport transfers.

Simply spend a minimum of S$50 (before GST and service charge) to receive a free mini water gun and a unique code to enter the lucky draw for the grand prize. The unique codes will be given out till 29th March and the winner will be announced on ThaiExpress’ Facebook page on 1st April 2015. Visit www.thaiexpress.com.sg to find out more.

Also, you can stand a chance to win S$100 ThaiExpress’s dining vouchers by posing and taking photos with “trick-eye” museum-like standees that are placed in front of ThaiExpress’s outlets. Upload your photo on Instagram with the hashtags #thaiexpresssg and #songkranthaiexpress – the three most creative photos will win the vouchers.

This post is brought to you by ThaiExpress Singapore.

The number one Thai casual dining chain restaurant in Singapore, ThaiExpress is a household name for many of us, and we grew up with the restaurant’s friendly and affordable fare.

For regulars, there is something to look forward to this Chinese New Year 2015 – ThaiExpress is introducing its first-ever Thai-Style Soft Shell Crab Lo Hei!

Lo Hei is one of the things that we always look forward to every Chinese New Year, and it is almost synonymous with the Chinese festival. Instead of the ubiquitous salmon yusheng, ThaiExpress‘s Thai-style Soft Shell Crab Lo Hei is inspired by one of its signature dishes – “Poo Phat Pong Kari” – which means Rice with Soft Shell Crab, Egg and Onion Curry. Yes, all ThaiExpress fans are excited already, we know.

Priced at S$22.80++, the Lo Hei comes with two Soft Shell Crabs, Shredded Red and Green Capsicums, White Radish, Carrots, Cucumber, Peanuts, Sesame Seeds, Rice Crackers, Lime and Green Mango and is drizzled with Mango Sauce. By the way, the rice crackers are homemade and baked by the team of chefs who are true to their Thai roots and want to pay homage to a traditional snack that they grew up eating.

The dish is good for 2 to 4 people to “Lo”, and there is a step-by-step guide to introduce you to the Thai-Style Lo Hei. Also, every order of the Soft Shell Crab Lo Hei will give you a customised ThaiExpress’s red packet.

ThaiExpress’s Thai-style Soft Shell Crab Lo Hei is available at all ThaiExpress outlets from 1st February to 5th March 2015, the 15th day of the Lunar New Year. With so many outlets across the island, there is no reason to give this a miss. Besides, how often do you get to toss soft shell crabs, right?

For the latest updates, go to ThaiExpress.com.sg, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

This post is brought to you by ThaiExpress Singapore.

Quite contrary to “popular beliefs”, ThaiExpress is not a fast food chain. It is a restaurant chain, yes, but its casual dining style is what makes the household brand so popular and affordable. With more than 20 outlets island-wide, ThaiExpress is the number one Thai casual dining chain restaurant in Singapore.

The chefs here take their Thai food very seriously, and the kitchen is kept busy all day through because every item that is served on the table is prepared in-house with fresh ingredients and homemade sauces – cooked to order in each kitchen daily.

Sticking true to the Thai culture and taste preferences, ThaiExpress offers an expansive menu of appetisers, soups, mains, one-dish meals and desserts. There is always something to eat and to satisfy every craving. You’d be happy to know that the price tags are superbly friendly, too; think home-style cooking in an air-conditioned and casual environment.

We will also be sharing the Sanook set lunches that are so value-for-money, they make just the perfect lunch option when you need something hearty. And of course, evergreen dishes that never go out of style, and the bestsellers of ThaiExpress.

The standout dish – and something that you must order when dining at ThaiExpress - is the Massaman Curry. There are debates about the origins of the dish, but what we can say for sure is that it is an immensely satisfying and incredibly rich Thai-style curry that is great with a bowl of rice, or Thai-style pancakes.

At ThaiExpress, the Massaman Curry is painstakingly made from scratch with more than 20 ingredients and spices, and it takes the chefs 12 hours to prepare it! So much thoughts go into every pot of curry, and the sheer amount of ingredients may sound complicated, but what you get is a bowl of flavourful and smooth curry that is mildly spicy and superbly gratifying. There are two variations – Massaman Chicken Curry (S$13.90) and Massaman Beef Curry (S$14.60); both come with Thai-style pancakes which are perfect to mop up the curry.

With so many appetising starters on ThaiExpress‘s menu, you will be hard-pressed to decide on what to order. We have this problem too, but there are items that we return to and can never get bored of. For one, you cannot go wrong with their Thai Mango Salad (S$8.90). A very quintessential Thai appetizer, this spicy one will whet your appetite. Our all-time favourite? The Prawn Toast (S$8.90). We’ve had it for many years, and its recent improved version features a sesame crust that adds a layer of fragrance. Warning: highly addictive.

Most Thai restaurants in Singapore tend to tone down the spiciness to please local palates, but this is not the case at ThaiExpress. The Tom Yum Talay (S$8.30) – better known as the clear tom yum soup – is kick-ass spicy and tastes exactly like the ones that we’ve had in Thailand. A variation that also pleases the crowd is the Tom Kha Gai (S$8.30) – chicken soup with coconut milk. Rich and sweet, just the way we like it.

Phat Thai is our utmost favourite Thai dish and we are glad to say that ThaiExpress’s Phat Thai Talay (S$12.90) is always consistently good no matter which outlet we go to. That is another amazing part about ThaiExpress. Every outlet has their own kitchen with different chefs, but they can maintain its high standards – every plate of Phat Thai is beautifully sweet and well-fried, complete with plump prawns and a generous dash of ground peanuts.

For rice lovers, ThaiExpress has the classic dishes such as Pineapple Fried Rice with Seafood (S$11.90), and our favourite Rice with Stir-fried Spicy Minced Chicken with Thai Basil (S$12.90), but the one that is not to be missed is its Rice with Soft Shell Crab, Egg and Onion Curry (S$12.90). Yes, the price tag is unbelievable. And for that price, you get whole soft shell crabs copiously covered in egg-y curry.

Among the dessert choices, the best-sellers are the Mango Sticky Rice (S$6.80) and the Thai Chendol (S$6.80) – a wonderful blend of jackfruit slices, chewy flour bits, coconut milk and Thai palm sugar.

VALUE-FOR-MONEY SANOOK SETS

To celebrate the New Year, ThaiExpress has launched 3 brand new Sanook Sets which are priced not more than S$10.90++. Our favourite is the Sweet Chilli Fish Set (S$9.90++) which comes with Jasmine rice, Tom Kha Mushroom Soup, and Sweet Potato with Ginger Slice Dessert.

If you need your poultry, then go for the Honey Chicken Set (S$9.90). It features some very succulent chicken that is well-marinated, with fragrant rice and Tom Kha Mushroom Soup. Yes, a serving of the same dessert, too.

For something lighter, we have the Thai Chicken Glass Noodle Soup (S$10.90++). Cooked in a thick chicken broth and topped with shredded roast chicken, this is one satisfying bowl, especially on a rainy day. As part of the set, you also get the Mini Prawn Toasts (3 pcs) and Red Bean Dessert.

There is an optional add-on of S$2 for Thai Iced Tea/Iced Lemon Tea, or additional starter of Mini Prawn Toasts (3 pcs)/ Rice Crackers with Chef’s Special Dip. The next time you want an affordable yet satisfying lunch, drop by ThaiExpress for their Sanook sets. You might have just found your perfect lunch answer.

But of course, we say do not miss out on adding on for more Prawn Toasts. ThaiExpress’ Prawn Toast all day, every day.

For the latest updates, go to ThaiExpress.com.sg, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.

This post is brought to you by ThaiExpress Singapore.