Resto-Rant #3: A Tale of Two Chickens (Ayam Penyet Ria & Shilin Taiwan Street Snacks, Singapore)
It's been a while since my last resto-rant, so let me hit two birds (literally) with one stone. These two places serve primarily chicken, cooked rather unhealthily (read: fried), but taste oh-so-great! Both are must-tries if you're on a budget or in a hurry.
First up is Shilin Street Snacks, with branches at Cathay Cineleisure (basement) and at The Cathay. I've been going to this place since I saw the long queues at their first (?) branch at Plaza Singapura, which is closed now. The place is a tribute to the famous Shilin Night Market in Taiwan, where they apparently serve yummy street food. They fry the marinated chicken in yummy batter which turns crispylicious, then they shower some seasoning and chili powder on it, before cutting it up into bite sized pieces with a pair of scissors. It is served in a paper bag with a lot of sticks which you can use to sword the chicken morsels (flashback to 'tusok tusok the fishballs' executions in UP!). Frankly, the chili powder is too hot for me, so I always order it "pu yaw la chiyaw" (no chili!). Even with just the non-chili powder, it still packs a decent kick.
I was pleasantly surprised last week that they serve it with japanese rice and some tofu too. This variation is also drizzled with some yummy sweet sauce which is perfectly balances the spices. LOVE IT! Here's a picture:
Next up is Ayam Penyet Ria at Lucky Plaza. Tucked in a quiet corner at the first floor of Lucky Plaza, this place serves it up Indonesian style. After working out one weekday afternoon, I decided to relive my days as an Indonesian resident and tried this place. The place looks very new, and at 3pm on a weekday packs a decent crowd of Indonesian taitais and other Indonesian tourists/residents in Singapore. The place is surely packed during the evenings and weekends, as evidenced by the queue cordons set-up just outside.
Ayam Penyet is Indonesian for "Smashed Chicken", and smashed it is! The chicken apparently went thru some pounding, which makes it really tender on the inside. On the outside though, it is very crispy with some leftover batter cracklings served on top (sinful!). It is served with a small piece of fried tofu and some veggies, and of course chili sauce (which I asked them not to put!). Ask for some gado-gado (peanut chili) sauce or the sweet soy sauce if you want more variety.
It tasted okay, but I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't piping hot, like the one I usually have in Balikpapan, which is cooked upon ordering. I was also disappointed that they ran out of the Avocado shake, which they serve drizzled with Chocolate sauce (Indonesians like it this way). I settled with Teh Botol though (bottled iced tea), which is a popular drink in Indonesia. I'd definitely return to this place, but probably on a busier weekend when they hopefully serve things freshly cooked. I also have to try the other things on the menu such as Sop Buntut (oxtail soup!). Here's a visual of the chicken:
First up is Shilin Street Snacks, with branches at Cathay Cineleisure (basement) and at The Cathay. I've been going to this place since I saw the long queues at their first (?) branch at Plaza Singapura, which is closed now. The place is a tribute to the famous Shilin Night Market in Taiwan, where they apparently serve yummy street food. They fry the marinated chicken in yummy batter which turns crispylicious, then they shower some seasoning and chili powder on it, before cutting it up into bite sized pieces with a pair of scissors. It is served in a paper bag with a lot of sticks which you can use to sword the chicken morsels (flashback to 'tusok tusok the fishballs' executions in UP!). Frankly, the chili powder is too hot for me, so I always order it "pu yaw la chiyaw" (no chili!). Even with just the non-chili powder, it still packs a decent kick.
I was pleasantly surprised last week that they serve it with japanese rice and some tofu too. This variation is also drizzled with some yummy sweet sauce which is perfectly balances the spices. LOVE IT! Here's a picture:
Next up is Ayam Penyet Ria at Lucky Plaza. Tucked in a quiet corner at the first floor of Lucky Plaza, this place serves it up Indonesian style. After working out one weekday afternoon, I decided to relive my days as an Indonesian resident and tried this place. The place looks very new, and at 3pm on a weekday packs a decent crowd of Indonesian taitais and other Indonesian tourists/residents in Singapore. The place is surely packed during the evenings and weekends, as evidenced by the queue cordons set-up just outside.
Ayam Penyet is Indonesian for "Smashed Chicken", and smashed it is! The chicken apparently went thru some pounding, which makes it really tender on the inside. On the outside though, it is very crispy with some leftover batter cracklings served on top (sinful!). It is served with a small piece of fried tofu and some veggies, and of course chili sauce (which I asked them not to put!). Ask for some gado-gado (peanut chili) sauce or the sweet soy sauce if you want more variety.
It tasted okay, but I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't piping hot, like the one I usually have in Balikpapan, which is cooked upon ordering. I was also disappointed that they ran out of the Avocado shake, which they serve drizzled with Chocolate sauce (Indonesians like it this way). I settled with Teh Botol though (bottled iced tea), which is a popular drink in Indonesia. I'd definitely return to this place, but probably on a busier weekend when they hopefully serve things freshly cooked. I also have to try the other things on the menu such as Sop Buntut (oxtail soup!). Here's a visual of the chicken: