Merhaba Amigo (Admiralty)

One of the few places that we have been coming across online for F&B establishments that are situated within the Woodlands neighbourhood is that of a Merhaba Amigo that is located at Kampung Admiralty. Considered as a recent addition to the neighbourhood, Merhaba Amigo had taken over the former premises of the now-defunct Maki-san outlet there; they are pretty noticeable with their neighbours being the Do Qoo 豆趣 outlet that is located within the ground level of the building itself. Occupying a fairly small shop unit, Merhaba Amigo primarily operates as a takeaway space — that being said, one would be able to find a small dine-in area at the end of the stall further inwards from the cashier which sees the use of cabinets that doubles up as high tables as well as four (4) high chairs that one can use if they do intend to dine-in within the premises. Merhaba Amigo describes itself as an establishment that serves up Middle-Eastern and Mexican wraps and bowls — the food menu itself is being split into sections such as Kebab, Burrito, Salad Bowl, Grain Bowl, Quesadillas and Sides; the variety of beverages that they have to offer would be a range of canned drinks that are displayed prominently at the counter. For our Muslim friends out there, it is important to mention that Merhaba Amigo is also a halal-certified food establishment as at the writing of this post.

Being folks whom aren’t quite into Burritos, we found ourselves opting for the Grain Bowls instead — the ordering process at Merhaba Amigo is rather fuss-free; for all items that they have to offer, patrons would opt for their preferred choice of protein. There are five (5) types of protein that Merhaba Amigo offers on their menu; this being the Grilled Chicken, Pulled Beef, Garlic Prawn, Smoked Salmon and Sautéed Mushrooms — thereafter, patrons do get the choice of going for one choice of sauce amongst the many that they have to offer. Patrons can either go for their order of the Kebab, Burrito, Salad Bowl, Grain Bowl or Quesadillas ala-carte, or opt for a set at a $4 top-up; this would include the patron’s choice of a side dish, as well as a canned drink. For our order, we went for the Grilled Chicken Grain Bowl, while the choice of the sauce would be the Creamy Tahini. The menu also describes each Grain Bowl item to come with elements such as Guacamole, Cherry Tomato, Paprika Sweet Corn, Chick Pea, Jalapeno and Pilaf by default. Since it does seem to be the meat that is the highlight at Merhaba Amigo, we went for it as the first item to try in the bowl — whilst coming a little lukewarm with a bit of its juiciness and tenderness being lost in the process, the Grilled Chicken did turn out to impress with its flavours; one that had been well-marinated and carried a good flavour from the spice rub that seems to include notes of cumin and paprika which was a clear favourite of ours for all that is going on in the bowl. The Guacamole served at Merhaba Amigo does come a little bit more creamy and mousse-like; this being very velvety smooth and buttery and is likely to hit some tastebuds, though those whom prefer to have chunks of unevenly mashed avocado would find a lack of textures in this one. The Creamy Tahini which we had opted for as our choice of sauce was also smooth and creamy — bearing the same consistency as the Guacamole, but carried a earthy and saltish note amidst the creaminess that helped to gel all of the elements together.

The bed of Pilaf beneath everything came all loose — each grain being distinguishable from one another being all very light as well in terms of texture. Other elements like the chickpeas were done to a soft consistency that is easy to chew, while the addition of sweet corn provided nibbles of sweetness to come through — the jalapeño being almost akin to that of pickled green chili that gives a tang. We also went for the Shoestring Fries during our visit to Merhaba Amigo; as simple as the item might sound, these folks seem to get Shoestring Fries — these were crisp on the exterior and not particularly greasy, whilst well-seasoned with salt. Truth to be told, it does seem like Merhaba Amigo is an establishment that would probably work well in other locations — especially that in the Central Business District; their offerings of Middle Eastern / Turkish fare would likely be lesser of a stranger to the office workers working in the city, but we do guess that they are perhaps also looking to providing residents in the North a dining option that is fairly new and interesting to the neighbourhood. Whilst we had only tried a single type of protein that they have to offer during our visit here, it does seem that Merhaba Amigo is a pretty promising establishment after all — the flavours of the Grilled Chicken Grain Bowl being pretty much on-theme. Prices of the Kebab, Burrito, Salad Bowl, Grain Bowl and Quesadillas range between $6.90 to $13.80 here; some items being priced slightly on the higher end. Still, with such quality, we do see ourselves being folks whom might drop by Merhaba Amigo if we do crave for it — definitely an establishment that Woodlands residents would get excited about having in their ‘hood!