Rayyan’s Waroeng Upnormal (Amoy Street Food Centre)

chicken was soooo tender and flavourful and perfectly fried! sambal had a nice kick without being overly spicy.

A spontaneous dining decision made at Amoy Street Food Centre led us to queueing up at Rayyan’s Waroeng Upnormal — the stall being one of the many which sees a pretty healthy queue during weekday lunch hours. Located at Level 2 of Amoy Street Food Centre, Rayyan’s Waroeng Upnormal does seem to be quite a popular spot for Indonesian fare; we noticed most of the people in the queue were ordering their Ayam Penyet with Rice, as well as their Bami Noodle with Jumbo Penyet. That being said, Rayyan’s Waroeng Upnormal does serve up quite a number of interesting fusion items; a good example would be their Honey Glazed Boneless Chicken that is part of their Penyet Set Menu — something that sounds less adventurous to those whom might perhaps prefer something less “Indonesian” from their menu. The highlight on the menu at Rayyan’s Waroeng Upnormal would however be their Balinese Donburi Eggbowl; their take on a fusion between Japanese and Balinese fare which is a pretty fresh and unique take that one would likely be unable to find elsewhere — this includes items such as the Kuta Oyakodon (featuring chicken chunks in special sauce), Tempura Prawn Eggbowl and Eggbowl Cheesesteak (available in beef or chicken meat options).

We were pretty spoilt for choice when it came to which of the Balinese Donburi Eggbowl to go for; we eventually found ourselves going for the Balinese Gyudon since it does sound like a signature offering on the menu. The Balinese Donburi Eggbowl is said to have come with elements such as beef in special sauce, spring onions, chilli flakes and rice. It is pretty evident how the Balinese Gyudon does come with a unique Balinese take as per its namesake — the item does come with the sambal as well as the fried crumbs that usually comes with Ayam Penyet as well. Digging in to the Balinese Gyudon, the beef slices included is akin to the same found in Japanese Gyudon — the beef slices being sliced thinly; retained the juices of the meat within and being easy to chew whilst also especially tasty from the savoury sauce that it was cooked with, carrying just the right balance of gaminess that helps to ante up the flavour profiles of the dish just about rice. The inclusion of the fried crumbs from the Ayam Penyet helps to add a crunch factor to the Balinese Gyudon — similar to the way how some places would serve their Gyudon with garlic chips; the only difference being how the fried crumbs add a lighter crunchy texture without the garlicky notes as opposed to garlic chips. Whilst one would typically prefer a fried egg with a molten egg yolk to come alongside any dish, the fried egg is interestingly done with the yolk partially broken here — perhaps their way of emulating the Oyakodon’s egg component with a more “Indonesian” approach; this worked well when one mixes the egg with the sambal and the bed of rice beneath that is drenched with what seems to be kecap manis (i.e. Indonesian Sweet Soy Sauce). The beef, caramalised onions, egg, sambal and rice all comes together to provide a mostly sweet, yet savoury flavour with a slight kick of spiciness that is a harmonious blend of flavours of its own — one that we thought was really tasty and interesting to have.

It did take us quite a while to give Rayyan’s Waroeng Upnormal a go, and I guess it is always because we do have a reluctance of making a beeline for anything. That being said, the stall does have seem to have a reasonable crowd patronising it during lunch hours — one that isn’t quite as excessive as compared to the the more popular stalls, and actual does have quite a fair patronage as compared to most other stalls in the same food centre during weekday lunch hours. Most of the time spent waiting would be when one is waiting for their turn to order — the food is actually served rather quickly once one is at the front of the line. Prices at Rayyan’s Waroeng Upnormal are also pretty competitive; the prices for mains such as the Regular Ayam Penyet and Chicken Cutlet Penyet starting from $5.50, while the Jumbo “Amsterdam” and the Eggbowl Cheesesteak the priciest dishes at $8.00 — the lower-priced items being fairly suitable as an everyday lunch option for the office workers in the vicinity of the food centre. Indonesian fare has always been in a class of its own; for a hawker stall, Rayyan’s Waroeng Upnormal does showcase how they are able to successfully integrate the very best of Japanese and Indonesian cuisines to be served at an affordable price point – at least this would remain three for the Balinese Gyudon which we had opted for. We would definitely be back to give their usual Ayam Penyet as well as their other Balinese Bowls a go another time!

yea, this is super sinful but worth a try. since i don’t take chili, this was slightly dry for me. but the chicken was tender and crispy. portion wise is value for money

$6.5. Randomly chanced upon this stall while finding seats and decided to give it a try. Was a tasty fusion dish! Will try to come back to try their ayam penyet as well (it was out of stock that day).

Amoy Street Food Center

Rayyan's Waroeng Upnormal #02-86
I was attended to by a warm and lovely lady who took the time to explain the different dishes that they sell. As I ordered this right after ordering from another stall, I had gone to collect my food while this stall was preparing my order. Unbeknownst to me, she had kindly brought my plate over to my table! Really grateful for her friendly service!

Honey Glazed Char-grilled Boneless thigh penyet ($6.50)
- Sliced carrots, cucumbers, bits of corn, cherry tomato
- Boneless char grilled chicken cubes with green pepper, onions, white sesame seeds, bits of diced red chili
- Deep fried crumbs
- Sambal chili
- Brown grated coconut atop rice
- There's an option to add a fried egg @ $0.80

Great sweet and slightly savoury sambal that has a very direct spice
Brown grated coconut atop the rice was subtly sweet and fragrant
Honey glazed char grilled chicken was a flavour bomb - sweet barbeque sauce atop tender chicken. Will recommend mixing all the sambal with the rice as the sambal was really flavourful. I think they could have offered to give more grated coconut though so as to actually provide a sustained depth of flavour to the entire bowl of rice.
Note: The pieces of diced chili was really spicy and I ate one too many of it as my mouth was burning nearing the end of the dish, causing me to desperately gulp down my drink to numb the spice.
Price: 7.5/10
Taste: 8/10
Overall: 7.5/10 (Modernised Ayam Penyet stall)

More pictures at: https://www.instagram.com/p/B1S2Ibeg6m2/?igshid=zjfviiajp3i6

Honey Glazed Chargrilled Boneless Chicken Thigh Balinese Don - The bowl was topped with quite a variety of ingredients which include chilli padi, serunding (fried coconut flakes), green peppers, onions, spring onions and, of course, the gently cooked egg any donburi would have.

Read more: https://www.misstamchiak.com/rayyans-waroeng-penyet/