RYOTAI 日泰 (Paya Lebar)

Didn’t seem all too long ago when we had first stumbled upon the Ryotai location in the Bistro 8 coffeeshop along Kelantan Lane in Jalan Besar — these folks seem to be fast expanding their presence in Singapore considering how they have recently opened a third location; this time round at the recently renovated Guan Guan Kopitiam that is located at Blk 1015 Geylang East Avenue 3; an flatted factory block that is a short walk away from Paya Lebar MRT Station. Occupying a stall that is situated right beside the beverages stall, Ryotai’s shop facade is still pretty much as distinctive as ever with the use of bright yellow that is pretty much their colour theme here. Serving up the very same menu that they are offering at both their existing locations in Jalan Besar and Kaki Bukit, Ryotai at Paya Lebar serves up the same four (4) types of Eggrice dishes as their other Singapore locations while the menu also offers the same four different meat / seafood options as an ala-carte side dish as well. For those whom are not aware, the Ryotai brand was established in Malaysia with a number of outlets located in various states.

Having tried both the Chicken Karaage and the Prawn Katsu during our previous visit made to Ryotai’s second location in Singapore at Jalan Besar, we found ourselves opting to go for the Oyster Mushroom Eggrice during our visit to their location at Guan Guan Kopitiam. The Oyster Mushroom Eggrice is one of the dishes that is exclusively available in Singapore — another example of such an item would be the Prawn Katsu Eggrice. We weren’t expecting such a presentation for their Oyster Mushroom Eggrice so we were pretty much blown away by how it appeared when we were being buzzed to collect our order — the Oyster Mushroom Eggrice essentially comes with all of the elements that one would typically find in their Eggrice dishes; root vegetables, short-grain rice, tornado egg and green curry sauce. Patrons can approach them should they require more rice and green curry; both of which are free-flow for their diners. Consistent to our experience at Jalan Besar, there is sufficient green curry to go with all of the rice; the green curry being one that is more creamy and not quite as heavy as what one would expect of the typical Thai-style green curry. The notes of green curry is prominent in the starting notes, while it mellows out into a creamy note that ends in a way that is more similar to that of Lontong; very appetising especially with the root vegetables such as the carrots and potatoes that were cooked to a soft texture.

We also note the addition of some slices of onions within the dish; these provided a bit of a crunch to the dish. Whilst the folks had previously advised that the level of spiciness for the green curry had been toned down in Singapore to better suit the tastebuds here, we did feel that they probably have increased the level of spiciness by a notch here — should tickle the tastebuds for those whom are tolerable to lighter levels of spiciness. The Oyster Mushroom Eggrice would probably suit those whom aren’t looking for a particularly meaty option here. Despite our initial concerns on the dish being less filling that its meatier cousins, they were surprisingly generous with the portion of fried Oyster Mushrooms here. Coming with a fried batter that is light and crisp, yet reminds us of old-school fried chicken wings to a certain extent, the oyster mushrooms surprisingly provides a “meaty” and fibrous bite — all that whilst not carrying as much heft as how meat would typically feel. Whilst being lesser of a glitzy option to go for as compared to the likes of their Chicken Karaage, Prawn Katsu or Tempura Eggrice, the Oyster Mushroom Eggrice feels like a cleaner and more guilt-free alternative that is priced lower at $7.90, yet equally filling. We do honestly look forward to seeing more Ryotai locations around the island; this is especially considering how they are serving up a truly unique offering that isn’t like any other — though we also do wish that they can remain as consistent as they are now in the long run with such aggressive expansion plans from how things have been so far.