Food In The Hood - The Sunday Times (5-part series)

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16 Stick to the original

 

 

JADE'S CHICKEN

Where: Johnson Eatery, 125 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh
Open: Noon to 3pm, 5 to 8.30pm (Wednesdays to Mondays), closed on Tuesdays

 

Taciturn might be a gross understatement when describing the proprietors of this Korean fried chicken stall.
 

They answer questions by pointing to signs, shrugging or with one-word answers.
 

A friend had told me about the place, but the name he gave does not tally with the sign at the stall.
 

"Did you use to be called Waker Chicken? Why does the sign say Jade's Chicken?"
 

"Same." Shrug. See what I mean?
 

But I am here and I want my fried chicken. The hissy fit will have to wait.
 

Go basic. Order the Original Crispy ($15 for half). It comes with three dipping sauces - wasabi, honey mustard and ketchup. The wasabi one has plenty of power and is great with the atomically crunchy chicken.
 

For me, fried chicken skin is the food of the gods and this stall, whatever it wants to be called, does it very well. I love the stray strands of batter that cling to and drip from the chicken skin as the pieces go from batter to deep-fryer. They get fried alongside the chicken and offer extra crunch. Like tenkasu, crumbs from the tempura fryer, but more epic. The meat is well seasoned and delightfully juicy.
 

Do not be tempted by the other variations.
 

Do not order the tenders ($7 for four pieces). I do that so I can try the sauces without ordering a mountain of chicken. But, see, tenders, a strip of meat pulled out from the underside of the breast, has no skin. No skin, no satisfaction. I don't care if the tenders are brined beforehand.
 

The coatings - Sweet Spicy, Soy Sauce and Honey Butter - are nothing to shout about. There are other Korean fried chicken places that offer these with much more oomph. One of my baskets of tenders comes naked.
 

I march back to the stall.
 

"Where's my honey butter?"
 

He grabs a squirt bottle and showers the chicken with a white powder.

"Sorry."

 

 

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17 Gravy with gravitas

 

 

IAN-TAU SARAWAK LAKSA

Where: Johnson Eatery, 125 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh
Open: 7.30am to 2.30pm (Wednesdays to Mondays), closed on Tuesdays

 

Sarawak laksa stalls have sprung up in the last few years, offering Sarawakians a taste of home any time they want.
 

They are not the only fans in Singapore. I love the deep throttle power of the gravy, the roar of cumin, coriander and cloves, the deep heat from chillies, and everything brought together with just enough coconut milk.
 

Barry White, not Barry Manilow.
 

This coffee-shop stall does a good, basso profondo version of the laksa.
 

I am too cheap to pay $9.90 for the bowl with Jumbo Prawn. For that amount, they should shell them for me. Instead, I go with just the Normal ($5.90) bowl. It is the gravy that is groovy, not the garnishes.
 

In any case, it is only mid-morning and they have already run out of egg omelette ribbons, and offer me more bean sprouts. Er, gee, thanks.
 

The shredded chicken is dry - breast meat often is - and funnily enough, the smallish prawns end up being the best garnish.
 

But I'm here for the gravy and it is growly and good, with tang from calamansi juice. Thin beehoon soaks up the gravy more readily, I feel, and is easier to wrangle than the thick version.
 

One of my friends makes terrific Sarawak laksa, but entertaining in a pandemic is fraught.
 

Good thing I can come here for a tar pau. Noodles packed separately please.

 

 

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18 The fiercest wok hei

 

 

 

KELLY JIE

Where: 01-11/15, 211 Lorong 8 Toa Payoh
Tel: 6353-3120
Open: Noon to 2.30pm, 4.30 to 10.30pm daily

 

In a perfect world, every plate of seafood hor fun, char kway teow and fried rice would be deeply infused with wok hei - the expert charring in a nuclear hot wok that makes food smoky and irresistible.
 

Alas, we do not live in a perfect world. We do, however, have Kelly Jie, a restaurant in Toa Payoh that serves good, honest, zi char-style food in comfortable surroundings.
 

There is no air-conditioning in the ground-floor dining space, but you can opt for cool comfort upstairs.
 

The Signature "Kan Xiang" Mee Tai Mak ($8) has fierce wok hei. I have a spoonful and swoon.
 

It takes skill to char those squiggles of rice noodles, modelled on rats' tails, and chef Chin Chi Vun, 45, has what it takes. I imagine they'd burn in a heartbeat unless tossed and turned very firmly and quickly in the wok.
 

Prawns, cuttlefish, sliced fish, greens and egg are on the plate, but I am fine having just the noodles.
 

The "kan xiang" in the name is a housemade condiment with dried shrimps, curry powder, dried chilli, dace in black bean sauce and other ingredients, all cooked down into a thick, deep-red paste that is an umami bomb.
 

Another must-order is Chilled & Crispy Sweet & Sour Pork ($15). It arrives in dramatic fashion, a square platter piled high with ice, lots of billowing white smoke from dry ice.
 

Like the name implies, this is sweet and sour pork served ice cold. It sounds counter-intuitive, but the ice keeps the exterior crisp. There is no danger of burning your tongue with a hot nugget of pork either. And the contrast between hot and cold is shiveringly good.
 

The balance of tart and sweet is perfect and that tender, springy pork is also a joy to eat. My dining companions and I fight over the last pieces. And no, I don't need the canned longan and other fruit in this dish. Gimme more pork.
 

Salted Egg French Bean ($16) reminds me of French fries. Actually, they are more interesting because the beans are crunchy all the way through and the salted egg coating is delicious.
 

A dish of cod fish steamed with black garlic ($50) has a great sauce that cries out for rice. The black garlic paste is mixed with dried tangerine peel, a lovely surprise.
 

The surprise when I dig into Fortune Chicken ($55) is not as lovely. By every measure, the dish should be good. Chicken is braised in a pot with Chinese herbs and there is also fish maw, mushrooms and asparagus clams. In short, sort of like pen cai. But the sauce is over-thickened and under-seasoned.
 

Save your money and order another helping of mee tai mak.
 

Our server suggests Coconut Pudding ($15) for dessert. It arrives in a coconut, with a scoop of what tastes like raspberry ripple ice cream on top. I can do without it. But the pudding is the perfect ending to the meal - not too sweet, singing sweetly of coconut milk and juice, and very wobbly.
 

Days later, on the phone with owner Kelley Soon, I remark about how good the service had been. The server had made good suggestions about what and how much to order, offered to pack up leftovers without our having to ask, and had cheerfully gone to get answers for my questions about a couple of the dishes.
 

The 58-year-old, who used to be in the entertainment business, says: "I'm very particular about service and the attitude of the staff. Customers come not just because of the taste of our food, but also for the service."
 

She has also promised fierce wok hei with every plate of mee tai mak. I trust you will hold her to it.

 

 

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19 Mighty mini murtabak

 

 

RAHMATH CHEESE PRATA

Where: 01-08, 74 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh
Tel: 8712-9115
Open: 5.45am to 2.30pm (Tuesdays to Sundays), closed on Mondays

 

This stall should really be named Rahmath Mini Murtabak.
 

The prospect of cheese prata gets me excited about the stall. What's not to like about crisp layers of dough with melted cheese? I find that much more appealing than, say, prata with bananas and chocolate sauce.
 

Alas, the prata here is the doughy kind and I like mine crispy. So the Cheese Prata ($2) just does not float my boat. While ordering it, I see a sign for Mini Mutton Murtabak ($4) and order one on a whim. There is a sardine version for the same price too.
 

And, oh, the murtabak is grand. I don't mind a doughy murtabak, especially when there is a generous amount of ground mutton and onions in it. For me, murtabak is about the filling and the accompanying curry.
 

Usually, at prata places, the curry is an afterthought, watery and bland. The one served here is properly made, thick and with a deep flavour. The meat in it is not stringy either.
 

Although the murtabak is supposed to be mini, it is, to me, very large. If you are having this for breakfast, you might not need lunch.

 

 

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20 Warm up to dessert

 

 

 

DOVE DESSERTS

Where: 01-21, 22 Lorong 7 Toa Payoh
Tel: 9272-5712
Open: 11am to 6pm (Mondays to Saturdays), closed on Sundays

 

One benefit of doing this series has been revisiting some of my favourite hawker stalls. I have not been to Dove Desserts in a while, not since we started working from home and I couldn't nip there quickly from the office.
 

I am happy to report that the desserts are still as good.
 

Everyone orders the Homemade Nyonya Chendol ($2) and it is a good version. The green squiggles, made with rice and tapioca flours, do not have the radioactive green colouring of versions made with pandan from a bottle. They are green in a minor key and actually taste of the aromatic leaf.
 

But the chendol at Jin Jin Hot/Cold Dessert at ABC Brickworks in Bukit Merah tops my list because of the lavish amount of thick gula melaka syrup clinging onto the shaved ice. The syrup at Dove is thinner and you get a scoop of it with two scoops of coconut milk.
 

At this stall, I order the hot desserts. Traditional Cheng Tng ($1.40) is not too sweet and brims with goodies - white fungus, fat and juicy dried longans, ginkgo nuts, tapioca pearls and even dried persimmon.
 

My other favourite is a comforting Bubur Terigu ($1.40), a warm dessert made with wheat berries. The grains pop delightfully when I take a bite. There is some fight left in them, they haven't surrendered completely to heat, and I like that. Like with the other desserts, the sugar level is held in check.
 

I stir in the coconut milk and dig in. Ah, every mouthful like a warm hug.