Yet another one of those dining establishments that we got to find out only whilst scrolling around social media during the week — located at the buzzy Haji Lane in the Kampong Glam area is Fatt Choy Eating House; a sorta new gastro-bar that is located right across from Good Luck Beerhouse on the opposite side. Fatt Choy Eating House is fairly easy to find; the signages of the dining establishment being rather distinct with a white signboard that features green and red fonts. One can also look out for one of the signboards mentioning “EAT FOR MORE HUAT 888” that is found hanging on the side of the shophouse unit which it is located at. Entering the shophouse unit, one would notice how simply the interior is decked here; white walls, wooden dining chairs and white tables are matched with dark green half-height sidings and hanging shelves — all these creating a rustic dining environment that is further enhanced by the playlist of old-school Chinese / dialect songs that they are playing from the audio system. Fatt Choy Eating House’s menu comprises of a mix of western fare as well as their very own interpretations of local fare; the menu being split into sections comprising of Skewers, Small Bites, and Fatt Choy Specials, with the Fatt Choy Specials section of the menu seeing a mix of rice, noodle and meat dishes being listed. There are a limited selection of non-alcoholic beverages that are being served at Fatt Choy Eating House, though it was interesting to see the staff bringing some of the alcoholic drinks from Good Luck Beerhouse to the diners at Fatt Choy Eating House; the same but reversed can also be observed with some of the food items as well.

Having skimmed through the menu online before heading down to Fatt Choy Eating House, one item which we had been targeting to try would be the Roxy Laksa. We are not sure if the Roxy Laksa is more of a namesake here rather than to be a tribute or a version of the actual Roxy Laksa that had been founded since 1952, though we are aware of how there had been a version that is affiliated with Chef Willin Low of the now-defunct Wild Rocket (said to have been passed down by the original owner of Roxy Laksa) have been found in establishments such as that of the now defunct Roxy Laksa at Timbre+, as well as the now-defunct The Kongsee; there is also a rendition of the same in the form of a ready-to-eat soup pack that is retailed by The Soup Spoon under the &WILL branding — we are not sure if this version served up at Fatt Choy Eating House is related to those in any way. Notwithstanding so, Fatt Choy Eating House describes their Roxy Laksa to come with elements such as thick rice vermicelli, tiger prawns and Roxy Laksa broth. Served up to the table, we also observed that the Roxy Laksa does come with other elements such as beancurd puffs, fishcakes and chili. Giving the chili a good mix into the bowl of noodles, we were pretty excited in giving the Roxy Laksa broth a sip — we were rather surprised by the spicy kick of which the chili actually carried. The chili provided the broth a really robust kick of spiciness that comes rather unexpectedly; do exercise some caution whilst slurping the broth since it is rather relentlessly spicy from the back of the tongue and that one would feel it only when they are least expected. That being said, we really liked how the broth was executed here — there is a good balance of the rempah spices being used to create the flavours of the laksa with coconut milk; the laksa broth here is one that we find especially easy to have apart from the sheer spiciness of the chili, and was really smooth without any curdled up bits that would have brought a grainy texture to the laksa broth.

The rice vermicelli used here fit in the narrative of the Roxy Laksa very well; the rice vermicelli is cut to shorter lengths that would allow one to enjoy the dish with just simply a spoon and no chopsticks; a characteristic that is unique to Katong-style Laksa in general of which Roxy Laksa is all about. Apart from that, the other elements were a good addition to the Roxy Laksa that can also be found in other Laksas as well — things like the slices of fish cake provided a bouncy texture, while the beancurd puffs absorbed the laksa broth just like a sponge; the umami broth releasing from the beancurd puff as one chews upon it. And of course, we every variant of a slightly more premium-priced laksa also meant higher quality seafood — in this case, it would be the big-sized tiger prawns that came accompanied with the Roxy Laksa that fulfils that role of making the dish justifiable for the price tag, and for being a little different from the run-of-the-milk Laksa elsewhere. Other dishes we had tried during the visit includes the Shrimp Paste Karaage; this featured boneless chicken thigh that is marinated with shrimp paste — came deep-fried with a light batter, and accompanied with a Thai-style sweet chili sauce. These were addictive, considering how the chicken chunks came crisp on the exterior with juicy chicken flesh that comes with the umami hint of flavours from the shrimp paste marination — good to have even on its own without the Thai-style sweet chili sauce.

There is also the Iberico Satay (3 pcs) that came with a Javanese Peanut Sauce and Pineapple Salsa that came with Iberico Pork that is so juicy and smoky whilst coming with a zing and a nutty note against a hint of sweetness. Overall, the food at Fatt Choy Eating House most certainly surpassed expectations; they do serve up some really fun iterations of local fare that we are familiar with; they have spruced things up a little with the addition of better produce or other Asian elements, but nothing feels particularly over the top here with all of the flavours having worked well altogether. There is also a clear display of the chef’s skills and execution here that goes directly in the quality of the food that they serve out from the kitchen; all the dishes we ordered being a hit for our tastebuds. Prices of the rice and noodle dishes are around the ranges of $8 to $25 at Fatt Choy Eating House; the lowest-priced item being the Signature Egg Fried Rice, while the priciest would be the Lamb Kut Teh. Considering our dining experience at Fatt Choy Eating House, this is a watering hole that is most suitable for those post-work drinking sessions with some really fun food that would go along well with the alcohol; definitely one of those spots that we would really consider revisiting again at Haji Lane whilst looking for a spot that serves up spruced-up local fare at a reasonable price tag that satisfies both tummy and wallet with alcoholic beverages to match!