Malaysian Mamak

For those whom have been following us for a while, there might be some chance that one might have noticed that Cafe O Kedai Kopi Harian is a spot that we do seem to visit on-and-off. The concept had actually first opened their doors quite a number of years ago with their very first outlet being at Woodlands MRT Station (right outside the entrance towards Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange), though that outlet has since closed down for quite some time as well. Since then, Cafe O Kedai Kopi Harian have managed to find home at several other locations; one being its IMM outlet, and then the Raffles Holland V outlet which was meant to replace the now-defunct location in Woodlands. It has been a while since we had last heard of the brand, and it seems that Cafe O Kedai Kopi Harian had not only opened one, but two new locations across the island — one being at Bugis Street, and the other being at Changi Airport Terminal 2. The location at Bugis Street, which is also the one that we had visited, takes over the former premises of the now-defunct outlet of Popeyes there — located in the iconic single-storey shophouse that is right across from Bugis+. The shophouse now looks totally different from how it was when it was still tenanted by Popeyes; the exterior has been given a white-coloured paint job with signages of Cafe O Kedai Kopi Harian taking over the position of what used to be Popeyes’ signage, while the interior boasts of a nostalgic theme typical of colonial-era Hainanese coffeeshops — think tables with marble top, wooden chairs and tiled flooring with wooden fittings and metallic grilles around the windows, which is pretty on-point with their other locations as well. It seems that Cafe O Kedai Kopi Harian had expanded their menu a little since our last visit — apart from their Roti Prata and Nasi Lemak offerings, items on the menu includes Putu Mayam, Mee & Lontong, Nasi Briyani, Chef’s Special (which includes dishes like the Malay Ginger Fried Chicken with Chicken Rice), as well as All Day Breakfast. Beverages served up at Cafe O Kedai Kopi Harian included the usual Nanyang-style Kopi and Teh, as well as items like Milo and Calamansi; just to name a few.

One thing that had made us pay attention to the Cafe O Kedai Kopi Harian brand would be their Roti Prata offerings — we had already made our way down to Cafe O Kedai Kopi Harian at its IMM location to check out their Mini Nian Gao Prata previously; they also do offer a full-size Nian Gao Prata which we are still pretty keen on checking out, as well as a Crispy Hae Bee Hiam Prata which we don’t seem to recall seeing on their menu previously (but again, maybe it is just us not paying enough attention to the menu). Plaster Prata in the local context often refers to a Prata with an egg that is slapped on top of the Prata, though what really piqued our interest with the Plaster Prata at Cafe O Kedai Kopi Harian was the way that it was being illustrated on the menu. It is interesting to note that there are two ways that one can go for the Plaster Prata here — one can simply order the Plaster Prata from the Roti Prata section of the menu, or go for the Plaster Platter from the All Day Breakfast section of the menu. Going for the former allows one to have a choice to opt between having one egg or two eggs with their Plaster Prata, while going with the latter comes with the default option of one egg for the Plaster Prata — that being said, the Plaster Platter would be more of a bit breakfast platter where one will also get to have other elements like the chicken bratwurst, turkey bacon, chicken ham and salad all served on the same plate. For a Prata dish, the price tag of $11.80 for the Plaster Platter may sound a little outrageous — no doubt that the Plaster Platter can arguably be a local-style big breakfast platter, though some might lament on how the Plaster Platter does come with rather budgetarian accompaniments with the Plaster Prata that just wouldn’t match up against the actual big breakfast platters served up at cafes serving up specialty coffee and brunch dishes.

To really understand the Plaster Platter, perhaps one should really take things back a little to the breakfast grills that are served up at local-style Hainanese Western cuisine stalls at coffee shops or hawker centres — we did find the Chicken Sausage served on the side to be a little bit on the premium side as compared to chicken franks that those stalls tend to serve up; likely a true Western sausage featuring chicken and herbs. The turkey bacon and the chicken ham came with saltish notes; the latter in particular tasting pretty full of sodium. All these have been grilled with a slight crispness that also seemed to have further brought out the saltish-ness of the elements even more. While some may say that this inadvertently made the Plaster Platter feel cheap, that exact flavour hits on those whom seemingly appreciate old-school Hainanese-style Western fare. True to its illustration, the Plaster Prata is served in a form similar to the Roti Sarang Burung (i.e. Bird’s Nest Prata) that we have had at An-Nur Shenton Way Famous / Bull’s Eye from Prata Lahhh! — the prata comes crisp on the exterior with a bit of tension to pull with the fork and spoon, while the sunny side-up in the middle comes with jiggly egg white and a molten egg yolk that eagerly oozes as one pokes it with a fork. The accompanying fish curry on the side did not feel particularly watered down; came with quite a fair bit of vegetables within and carried a bit of tang with a hint of curry spices. For $11.80, the Plaster Prata is something that would probably fit in for those who understand and reminisce the heritage of local-style Hainanese Western breakfasts with a slight fusion twist involving a modern iteration of Roti Prata — definitely returning to their Bugis / Changi Airport locations to give other items like the Malay Ginger Fried Chicken with Chicken Rice and full-sized Nian Gao Prata a go some other time!

Whilst there hasn’t been too much of a change of the F&B tenants at Jewel Changi Airport in most of its levels ever since the opening of the mall, the F&B area at Level 5 probably had seen quite a number of switch-ups in recent times. Taking over the former premises of the now-defunct Rumours Bar & Grill at Jewel Changi Airport, Kantin is the latest addition to Jewel Changi Airport. An establishment which hails from Kuching, Sarawak in Malaysia, that location of Kantin is also known as Kantin at The Granary — the Jewel Changi Airport location is also their very first outlet which is situated out of Malaysia. Kantin is an establishment that focuses pretty much on Borneo cuisine — Sarawak itself being a Malaysian state located in Borneo Island anyway. Considering how they are located at Level 5 of Jewel Changi Airport within close vicinity to the Canopy Park of Jewel Changi Airport, it is needless to say how Kantin adopts a rather patio-style decor theme much akin to the other dining establishments that are located in the same area; that being said, the use of wooden furnishings and dine-in chairs with rattan elements does bring a little bit of Southeast Asian influence to the vibes. The food menu at Kantin at Jewel Changi Airport differs from that at Kantin at The Granary by a little — the food menu being split into sections labelled as Kantin Signatures that features dishes with stronger Asian elements, as well as Tropical Mains where the dishes featured are more westernised. Apart from Kantin Signatures and Tropical Mains, there are also Sides and Bar Snacks to choose from as well. Beverages available at Kantin includes Malaysian-style Kopi & Teh, slushies, milkshakes and craft beer — just to name a few.

We were given a brief introduction on the various offerings at Kantin by their staff — one item that we found ourselves pretty intrigued about when they were giving the introduction was the Headhunter Pansuh Set; described as a traditional tribal fare by their staff, the menu also mentions the item to be a “centuries-old classic” that has been re-mastered in this iteration. The Headhunter Pansuh Set comprises on Bornean Pansuh
Chicken (i.e. Bamboo Chicken), Keropok Lekor (i.e. Malay fish cracker snack), Purple Rice, and three Dayak side dishes of the day — the Dayak side dishes of the day served on the day of our visit includes Pusu Bawang (i.e. deep fried anchovies tossed with sautéed onion, chili and torch ginger flower) Paku (i.e. wild fern) and Rebung (i.e. Bamboo). The entire dish came in the form of a platter — a portion that we felt was good enough to even share between two. Digging into the Dayak side dishes of the day, our favourite of the three side items that came with the Headhunter Pansuh Set was the Pusu Bawang — the onions come with good crunch and a slight zing; a little savoury for a slight contrast of flavours. The Paku on the other hand felt pretty similar to that of the Sambal Kangkong that we are all familiar to. Meanwhile, the Bornean Pansuh Chicken came with four (4) chunks of steamed chicken with skin-on; these also came swimming in a brine — there was an evident hint of lemongrass and ginger in the flavour profile along with other aromatics, while the chicken skin was gelatinous and the flesh being fall-off-the-bone tender. While we could see that the folks at Kantin had placed some efforts in trying to get the texture of the purple rice soft and moist, we did note that it was a little soggy as we got to the middle; that being said, the rice did carry a mild gingery flavour and was an utter joy to be had especially with the Bornean Pansuh Chicken itself. Overall, a rather contemporary approach to a tribal recipe that works well with the taste buds of today.

We were actually pretty intrigued with the Rainforest Fried Rice as well whilst skimming through the menu at Kantin; this was described to be an “aromatic fried rice with tapioca leaves and herbs”, which also comes served with deep-fried cauliflower nuggets and small cubes of freeze-dried shiitake mushrooms. Given the shade of green that the fried rice came with, we were initially expecting that comes closer to the flavours of Nasi Ulam here that usually focuses on the notes of the herbs and aromatics that is used in the rice salad — this was however a fried rice dish; the flavours of the fried rice did carry a slight hint of egg ones that was somehow closer to that of Taiwanese-style fried rice with a slight hint of “green” from the tapioca leaves. The addition of the crisp leaves however added a good flavour and texture to the Rainforest Fried Rice — this itself was a rather interesting dish even if one disregards our initial impressions of how the item was supposed to taste like. Apart from the Rainforest Fried Rice and the Headhunter Pansuh Set, we had also given Kantin’s beverages a go — the Kantin Kaffeine is an item that is labelled as a “must try” which we could not disagree on; available in both hot and iced options, the iced Kantin Kaffeine was not only aromatic in the way that Nanyang-style Kopi is. There was a rich and buttery note that comes with it that makes it absolutely smooth and delightful to have as well. The Three Sour Crush was another interesting beverage which features lemon, Calamansi and Asam Boi that comes in slushy format — absolutely refreshing to have considering the sour-ish elements that are well-balanced with an underlying note of sweetness so it does not feel overly sour. Prices of the food items at Kantin ranges from $17++ to $32++; the items from the Kantin Signatures section being noticeably lower-priced in the range of $17++ to $18++ with the exception of the Headhunter Pansuh Set that is priced at $32++. Kantin does bring a unique dining experience to the Jewel Changi Airport despite the recent influx of Sarawakian dining establishments all across the island; a spot that is definitely worth giving a go!

Not sure what has happened to me of the late, but after being pretty much on a phase of discovery of Prata places around Sembawang, Springleaf and Upper Thomson, it seems that I have gotten pretty curious on the various mamak stalls around the island — after all, there are just so many of them around, but one rarely hears about comparing one against the other. ZAMAS River Valley Restaurant is a favourite with the dining partner (rumour has it that he orders them on food delivery platforms pretty often) — also a very prominent eating place along River Valley Road where the likes to Boon Tong Kee and Culture Spoon are located. Have tried their Plain Prata under the dining partner’s recommendation previously; thought I would order something a little different with this revisit.

It may be a thing with me visiting Springleaf Prata Place a little too much; those whom are familiar with Springleaf Prata Place would come to know that their cheese prata usually involve the use of melted mozzarella rather than sliced cheese that one can usually get from supermarkets from the dairy section. Considering that, the Cheese Prata from ZAMAS River Valley Restaurant would feature cheese in the likes of the latter — not something one would call “wrong” per se; but definitely a little far from my personal preference. Here, a single slice of cheese is found within the rectangular shaped Prata — not really a fan of the doughy Prata that is a little firm to pull apart, though the Prata does exude a nice doughy aroma. Having tried their Plain Prata here before, the Plain Prata does have a better texture than the Cheese Prata in comparison being less dense, though the Pratas from ZAMAS River Valley Restaurant is something I wouldn’t necessarily call a crispy prata by any means. Interestingly, ZAMAS River Valley Restaurant serves up fish curry and sambal chili by default with their Prata offerings here — very similar to that of Meeras Curry Banana Leaf which we had visited at Springleaf recently. The curry that is served with the Pratas at ZAMAS River Valley Restaurant can be said as moderately spicy, though I particularly like how it wasn’t watered down (pretty thankful that it has been the same for most mamak stalls I had went to thus far ever since I kickstarted this journey), while the sambal is provides a sweet-savoury blend of flavours that gives the Prata a different sort of feel.

Having tried a couple of dishes from ZAMAS River Valley Restaurant, it has been pretty consistent in our visits that they seem to do their other cooked dishes way better than their Prata offerings — had tried their Maggi Goreng Chicken and their Nasi Goreng Ikan Bilis on separate occasions and these were delicious; the dining partner actually swears by their Nasi Goreng Ikan Bilis with his picky taste buds so that’s pretty a testament to the dish on is own. Apart from that, the staff at ZAMAS River Valley Restaurant are also especially friendly as compared to the other establishments we have encountered so far; cracking jokes with the patrons once in a while especially with the younger ones. It’s not like I ain’t a regular at ZAMAS River Valley Restaurant these days, but I guess I am probably going for their non-Prata offerings when we do drop by again.

Springleaf has always been better known for Springleaf Prata Place when it comes to mamak establishments in that particular neighbourhood, but wandering off slightly down the opposite direction and one will find Meera’s Curry Banana Leaf Restaurant — a seemingly low profile establishment as compared to the better known Springleaf Prata Place that also serves up Roti Prata, Dosai, Goreng and Meals (i.e. cooked seafood and meat dishes, including various Dum Briyani). Meera’s Curry Banana Leaf Restaurant also does seemingly have a rotating specials menu with one fixed special item served on each day of the week — beverages available here includes the usual suspects ranging from various teas and coffees to various types of syrups; pretty much the standard with such mamak-style establishments.

Truth to be told, I was drawn to Meera’s Curry Banana Leaf Restaurant one evening after a meal at Springleaf Prata Place — noticed a table that they have yet to clear with a metal plate typically used to serve Roti Prata with one of the sections being filled up with sambal whilst the rest contained curry. Everyone likes their Roti Prata done differently and saying whether if the one at Meera’s Curry Banana Leaf Restaurant is good or not is a whole other rabbit hole that I don’t really want to explore, but some may find this akin to the typical Roti Prata elsewhere — the crispness of the Roti Prata doesn’t seem to be much of what they are going for here, but the Roti Prata here does have some sort of tension that requires a little effort to pull apart; probably not so much towards the liking for some who are fans of the crispy sort of Roti Prata that Springleaf Prata Place puts out. One thing for sure though is that the dough does come with and an evident whiff of fragrance that made it pretty appealing to have. Have attempted to ask about the three different dips they had provided with the order but it was either them having difficulties understanding me or if they just weren’t the very friendly sort (maybe both) and didn’t get an answer to what are those — that being said I am guessing that one is a sardine curry, while another is a sambal with anchovies; some have called the last dip a dhal but I am not too sure. Whilst I am one who rarely dabble into the realms of Indian curry and sauces, my Chinese-y taste buds were actually pretty receptive to all three dips served; usually there would be one or more that doesn’t quite hit the spot. Some may have commented the sardine curry being a tad watered down but I do think it is sufficiently flavourful — probably a mismatch of expectations that curries have to be especially rich; the sardine curry was actually pretty easy to have being lighter, though comes with a distinct fishy note typical of canned sardines in its finish. The “dhal” (which I personally think isn’t what it is, but let’s just call it what others think it is because I don’t know any better) would suit those looking for a thicker, heavy sort of “curry” — I would say that this dip actually tastes closer to chicken curry, and their rendition does come with an evident hint of spices in the finish. The highlight for me would have been the sambal with anchovies — largely sweet, but also slightly saltish especially when one have the anchovies together with the sambal, this was pretty delightful and a bit of a fresh change to me as opposed to having Roti Prata with the usual curry; I am definitely all in to discover more places around the island that actually serves their Roti Prata with sambal.

It is probably unfair to compare Meera’s Curry Banana Leaf Restaurant against Springleaf Prata Place, though with the prices charged here for the Roti Prata Plain at $1.30/piece, the prices are very similar to that of Springleaf Prata Place who charges their Plain Prata at $1.40/piece. That being said, one may argue that Springleaf Prata Place is a bit of a modern rendition of a mamak-establishment that has since poised itself to welcome the masses — perhaps some may call it gentrified especially considering their inventive and wacky creations since a number of years ago. Meera’s Curry Banana Leaf Restaurant is that sort of establishment that stays true to its roots however, and it’s clientele shows as well. Whilst I am not one who is able to comment on how authentic each establishment is, nor whether if the dips that are served with the Roti Prata at Meera’s Curry Banana Leaf Restaurant are even good to begin with, they do fit well to my preferences. Still, I would probably need to check out more spots to say to widen the perspective; though Meera’s Curry Banana Leaf Restaurant is a spot I may consider if I am craving for Roti Prata that comes served with sambal given its proximity from my place by train — if I am not feeling like I want to “Springleaf Prata” of course.

Peace Centre has yet another new F&B establishment — excitedly made the visit to Aladdin’s Castle by ABC since I was back at work in the office and there are some folks around who are fairly open to try out Indian cuisine. Was pretty spoilt for choice for their menu is rather extensive — think mains from fried rice, fried noodles and Briyani to sharing plates such as the vegetarian dishes and meat/fish/poultry options, not to mention Prata, Naan and even a section dedicated to Southern Thailand cuisine.

We were recommended the Mutton Briyani but we decidedly went for the Chicken Briyani and the Madras Mutton on the side just so in case we aren’t into the mutton (PS: The Madras Mutton is something not to be missed here; another dish recommended by the server that is almost like Gam Heong Chicken). Whilst the basmati grains from here aren’t that savoury and even as coloured as some Briyani which some hawker stalls serve up (different style perhaps?), we absolutely dig how the rice was so fragrant from the spices such as star anise and cardamom — light, fluffy and so easy to eat with its fragrant aroma that keeps one going. There was a variant that featured Tandoori Chicken (i.e. Tandoori Briyani), but ours came with a more plain piece of steamed chicken — relatively juicy and tender considering how we left the chicken untouched for quite a while; pretty apt when had with the basmati rice, while the hard boiled egg was. A decent addition to round off the deal.

Indian cuisine is something I don’t have too much of an exposure to — wouldn’t be able to tell fairly on how authentic or ever good the Chicken Briyani from Aladdin’s Castle is. One thing I do know is that we were pretty impressed with the various items we have ordered (including the Palek Panneer and the Madras Mutton) — and it’s a place we will look forward to returning to for some satisfying Indian cuisine when the craving hits. Anyone can recommend some Indian cuisine establishments that I should check out?

Toasted wholemeal bread with the classic combination of margarine and kaya that never goes wrong. Expensive though.

Thick toast with a savoury-sweet spread. Not worth of its high price though.

Looked good but was rather clumpy and wet with an ordinary taste.

Impressive presentation. Coconut-flavoured rice was strong in taste and the sweet-sour sauce for the chicken though barely spicy was very tasty. The fried skin of the chicken seemed a bit limp but meat was still tender. Pretty decent a meal for a food court.

Roti Egg was rather smooth without lumpy and uneven bits. Roti Canai was more of the doughy and stretchy type. Roti Onion had many chunks of onions but were of un-uniformed sizes. Curry was sweet, sour and spicy.

Flavourful Basmati Rice with a juicy, crispy and tender chicken thigh which was fried golden-brown and pretty savoury. Curry was sweet, sour and spicy, but the Pappadum was just limp and soft.

Roti Canai of the doughy and stretchy type. Curry was sweet, sour and spicy.