S’poreans Behind New Pad Krapow Stalls Say They’re No Copycats, Just ‘Inspired’ By Mark Wiens’ Viral Bangkok Eateries

Launched in April with its first outlet in Jurong West, Basil King quickly followed up with a second stall in a Tampines kopitiam – where 8days.sg met the founders. A third outlet in Punggol will be open by the time of publication, with another in Ang Mo Kio set to launch later this month. The ambitious duo plan to have a total of 15 coffee shop stalls by year’s end.

Spot the difference

At first glance, you might confuse Basil King with Phed Mark, the fast-casual pad krapow concept co-founded by YouTube food personality Mark Wiens in 2019. The Thai brand operates a dine-in eatery and a takeaway joint in Bangkok, and is best known for its punchy, zhnged-up basil stir-fry featuring pork, beef and chicken, customisable spice levels, and the option to top up on fried eggs – all of which is also offered at Basil King outlets.

When we point out the uncanny resemblance – specifically the yellow flame-themed logo – Ian grins while protesting: “They’re different!”

It’s a bold claim coming from someone who met his co-founder, Shen Wei, back when they were both design students at Nanyang Polytechnic.

“Quite a lot of people have pointed out that it’s similar,” Ian finally concedes after we pull up photos of Phed Mark on our phone. But the pair are quick to shrug off the chatter. 

“We do not wish to be associated with any other brand”

While they acknowledge being “inspired” by Phed Mark – both Ian and Shen Wei had even dined at the Thai eatery last year – they’re adamant that Basil King stands on its own. “We do not wish to be associated with any other brand,” says Ian firmly. “Phed Mark only has two outlets. This year, we’re targeting 15,” adds Shen Wei.

When asked if their version is better than Phed Mark’s, they demur, stating that both are “different.” “Our friends who love spice couldn’t handle level five [at Phed Mark],” Ian laughs. “We don’t want to go that far – it may hurt the stomach.”

As for other customers who have tried both versions, the jury’s still out. “Some say ours is nicer, some prefer Phed Mark because they use duck eggs and they find them richer and creamier,” he says. 

And while some might raise eyebrows at the striking similarities, Basil King’s founders aren’t losing sleep over what Mark might think. “We’ve trademarked the logo already. We hope customers will remember us as Basil King, and not confuse us with other brands,” shares Ian.

In any case, we don’t foresee any direct competition with Phed Mark anytime soon. When we asked Mark about a Singapore outlet back in 2022, his response was non-committal: “No, probably not at the moment. But maybe in the future. We’ll see, I’m not totally sure!

Why pad krapow?

“We feel that there isn’t a dedicated basil stir-fry brand in coffee shops,” Ian explains. “We understand there’s some risk – it’s not as mainstream as chicken rice. But we’re trying to position it as a potential daily option, like cai fan.”

Their idea is backed by experience. Shen Wei previously ran a Thai food hawker stall (he declined to name it on record) with his Thai wife, and basil pork rice was consistently one of their top sellers. “I know the demand is there,” he says. “People love it, but there’s no one brand in Singapore that really owns it yet.”

He adds that Basil King’s version is different from what he used to serve – it’s drier (to better balance the creaminess of runny yolks, a highlight of their pad krapow), more flavourful and deliberately excludes long beans, which some stalls use to pad the dish. “We want to provide more value with actual meat,” Ian chimes in. Basil King’s recipe was developed by their Thai cooks, with input from both founders (although, notably, neither of them cook).

For now, Basil King is very much a side hustle – Ian runs a finance advisory business, while Shen Wei owns an air-con servicing company. Both maintain that their day jobs offer them the flexibility to juggle management of the hawker chain: Shen Wei oversees manpower (with assistance from his Thai wife to liaise with their all-Thai crew), while Ian handles marketing and branding. Along with two additional shareholders who prefer to remain anonymous, they collectively invested a “high five-figure sum” to date to launch the business. 

Reason for rapid expansion

So far, their Jurong West outlet has proven a hit, selling an average of 400 plates daily thanks to social media buzz and strong foot traffic. Sales have been slower at their newer Tampines stall opened in late April, which sits in a quieter residential coffee shop. They declined to comment on whether the venture is profitable yet.

Their customers are mostly younger diners. “Even my parents don’t like the runny yolks,” Ian laughs, referring to one of Basil King’s most photogenic features.

To achieve their ambitious goal of becoming Singapore’s go-to pad krapow brand, rapid expansion is a must. “Scaling up is the only way to be cost-efficient,” says Ian. To support this, they’ve set up a central kitchen in Mandai, where all basil stir-fry dishes are pre-cooked and delivered to outlets daily. At each stall, orders are finished with a quick stir-fry to reheat and topped with eggs that are fried in advance onsite – another move designed to reduce wait times, which once stretched to 30 minutes at Jurong during its opening weeks.

The menu

Start by choosing your protein: pork, chicken, beef or prawn. Then, pick your preferred spice level from one to five. We tried both level three and five – as chilli lovers, we found level five to be bold and fiery, but still manageable. (Their Thai cashier cheerfully informs us that level five is considered “normal” by her standards.)

For context, level three includes one tablespoon of their fresh chilli blend featuring potent Thai bird’s eye chillies, while level five uses three scoops.

Next, decide how many fried eggs you want – from one to four (the default plate includes one egg, and each additional egg costs $1 each). The founders recommend two, and we agree it’s the sweet spot between indulgence and overkill. Very few customers actually go for the quadruple egg option. “They usually order it for [their] Instagram or TikTok [posts],” says Ian.

Price-wise, the pork and chicken options are the most wallet-friendly, ranging from $6.90 to $9.90, while beef and prawn go for $8.90 to $11.90. As a comparison, a similar Phed Mark dish goes for 139 baht (around $5.45) in Bangkok.

Basil Pork, from $6.90 (8 DAYS Pick!)

The stir-fry is intensely garlicky – in the best way possible – and deeply savoury. We opted for the recommended level three spice here, which delivered a mild kick that doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the flavours. Fresh Thai basil adds a subtly sweet, verdant lift to the slightly smoky, umami-laden dish. 

While we haven’t tried Phed Mark’s grub, Basil King’s version stands out for its drier texture and richer flavour profile compared to many other pad krapows we’ve had. As it’s not as sauce-heavy, the savoury, tender minced pork pairs well with the runny yolks in the double egg ($7.90) option, which adds just the right amount of creaminess to round out the moist and chewy jasmine rice. 

Though the meat is pre-cooked at Basil King’s central kitchen, we find that it retains a good texture and isn’t overly dry – likely thanks to the robust marination and seasoning that holds up well through the reheat.

The overall dish, however, could be tastier if the eggs are freshly fried and served hot. While the yolks remain relatively runny, some parts of the whites are a little dry. Still, we appreciate the care taken to ensure the yolks are always centred for the ’gram.

Basil Chicken, from $6.90 (8 DAYS Pick!)

Don’t expect any major flavour difference from the pork – the minced chicken is similarly robustly seasoned (we’d probably have trouble telling the two apart in a blind taste). Choose this if you prefer white meat, but otherwise, both are solid options.

We picked the spiciest level for this. While we didn’t break a sweat, there was a lingering heat that should please most spice seekers. 

Finally, while the indulgent quadruple egg option ($9.90) makes for a fun picture, you’ll probably hit diminishing returns by the third yolk. Stick to two for the best balance.

Basil Prawn, from $8.90

While a seafood option sounded good on paper, ultimately the sea prawns didn’t quite hold up to the bold, punchy pad krapow seasoning. The flavours seemed better suited to meat, so we’d recommend sticking with the pork or chicken.

The details 

Basil King has three outlets including at #01-06, 494 Tampines St 45, S523494. Open daily 11am - 9.30pm. Visit Instagram for more info.

Photos: Kelvin Chia

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