CURRY ON (Toa Payoh)

Have heard about Curry On for quite a while ever since these folks were operating out of Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre — these folks have since made a move some time back into the smaller hawker centre at Toa Payoh Palm Spring Market (i.e. 93 Lorong 4 Toa Payoh Market & Food Centre), occupying a corner unit of the food centre. A stall that has been quite rather under-the-radar during its days at Bukit Timah Market & Food Centre, what is known about the stall from then till now is that the stall is being run by an ex-SHATEC trainer (according to some sources), and that the stall primarily serves up turmeric curry as its core offering. As one glances at the menu board of Curry On, it does consist of quite a wide array of dishes that does get a little overwhelming to skim through; the illustrations does help with things a little, though the layout can also be described as a little disorganised to say the least. With its menu being surrounded around their turmeric curry dishes, Curry On offers their turmeric curry with a wide variety of meats / seafoods — this would include, but is not limited to sambal belachan fish, pig trotters rendang, BBQ boneless chicken and mutton rendang; just to name a few.

One rather intriguing item that has managed to captured our attention whilst skimming through the menu during our visit to Curry On would be their Pork Chops Set Meal. Truth to be told, we aren’t really sure on what to expect of the dish when we had placed our order at the counter — turns out, the Pork Chops Set Meal does seem to be a dish that the folks at Curry On had come up with by themselves; the dish can be observed from our order to comprise of elements such as fermented beancurd-infused fried pork chops, sunny side-up, anchovies, sambal chili, and white rice that has been drenched with its signature turmeric curry. Also accompanying all of the elements on the side of the plate would be a “salad” featuring small cubes of pineapples, cucumber, julienned carrots and some leafy greens. Being fairly curious on the curry that is being drizzled on the rice, the turmeric curry here does carry a note that is unique to its own; one point to note about the curry here is how one can actually catch a whiff of an aroma similar to that of Indian-style curry whilst being at the stall itself — the curry here itself is rich, but not being one that heavily emphasises on the notes of curry leaves / powder. Instead, the notes of turmeric and other spices takes the forefront here, resulting in a rather rich yet light-tasting curry with a zing that sets it apart from other curries that we had tried so far — a creation that showcases a deep understanding of the ingredients and produce that goes into the creation. To our surprise, the pork chops were actually deep-fried on the spot upon order to ensure that the pork chops come at the intended consistency that it is meant to be enjoyed.

Coming in a bright red appearance, it seems that the pork chops came marinated in fermented beancurd; there is a very slight umami note and without any undesirable porky stench that came with the pork chops here — the batter was not what we would describe as crisp but the pork chops are quite tender, easy to chew apart and juicy when they are still hot. The pork chops see a drizzle of bottled chili sauce; a rather interesting addition that we reckon was good to have but not really entirely necessary. The sambal chili on the side does come with Ikan Bilis beneath — seemingly a move that replicates that of a Nasi Lemak dish; the sambal chili here whilst carrying a slight hint of sweetness akin to that of the Nasi Lemak-style chili that we are more familiar with does feel a little old-school being slightly greasy and veering towards a savoury note with just a light tinge of smokiness as well. Meanwhile, the Ikan Bilis provided a good crunch and a suitable note of saltish-ness. Sunny side-up comes void of any undesirable notes of overused oil; comes with a fully cooked yolk and a light and fluffy egg white with a fairly crisp bottom. The accompanying salad on the side does seem to be fairly refreshing, with the addition of pineapple chunks that helps to add a slight zingy note that cuts through all of the heavier-tasting components altogether. Curry On does seem like one of those establishments where its offerings can be said as a little abstract — there is no denying in how their turmeric curry does seem to be something pretty much out-of-the-box and definitely unique to their own; this might also come across as a little intimidating and also can be difficult to understand for conventional tastebuds especially considering how they are hidden deep within the heartlands. Still, Curry On does feel like an establishment that is full of sincerity — one that takes pride in the food that they serve and actually does offer an experience of its own; definitely worth a try for the curious!

Har jeong gai is one of my fave things, and when it’s this size you just gotta try it!

It is indeed a different kinda rendang. Both times when I tabao, the strong authentic curry smell can be detected clearly through the closed tabao boxes & packaging. Meat was super tender, runny centre egg was fried to order and comes with carrot slaw and pineapple. The ikan billis peanut was yummy.

Looking at his setup, and ‘cos he is fairly new to Toa Payoh, one would think it’s a new stall. But uncle has actually been manning the business for more than a decade. Previously he was in maxwell & bukit timah. The many happy customer pictures that line his wall shows how much pride he takes in his work. He says business in Toa Payoh has been disappointing but I tell him it’s just these months, quieter everywhere. At $7.5, not exactly cheap… but it’s cheaper than some nasi padang stalls. And it’s hard to find a good beef rendang these days

Curry on, blk 93, toa payoh lor 4 market