Ayam penyet - that Indonesian flattened fried chicken that seems to have taken Singapore by storm. Personally, I'm not a big fan, even though the concept appeals to me. My few encounters with it so far have been disappointing. From Ayam Penyet Ria in Lucky Plaza which left a grease-laden anchor in my belly to hawker stall renditions that were no different from dried out versions of Malay fried chicken.
So it's taken me a year to check out Waroeng Penyet, just opposite the Marine Parade polyclinic. I was skeptical when they first opened but hey, they're still in business, so they must be good to some extent.
I must say I was quite happy with my first bite of their Ayam Penyet (S$5.50, rice not included). The chicken is a generous portion with an interesting and flavoursome crunchy batter. You also get a piece of fried tempe and fried tofu along with the token cabbage and cucumber pieces.
The real highlight is their delicious sambal chili that is an explosion of flavours beyond just spicy hot. Oh, they have two versions - go for the HOT one. The mild one is a wimpy, tomato-ey shadow of it. The only downside of the hot version is...your tongue is numbed after a while and you can barely taste your food thereafter. Ah sigh. Food joy for only a few minutes.
Their gado-gado (S$4.50) comes recommended but honestly, it was a wash-out. The sauce was meek and vegetables overboiled. Perhaps this bland style is more authentic Indonesian, I'm not sure, but it's not my thing. I only liked the belinjo crackers on top.
I'm a sucker for cute branding. Can't resist the little chick with the scattered chilies. Apparently Waroeng Penyet is so successful, it's expanding. There's a new outlet at Changi and a stall at Jurong East within a food court. They've even set up in Malaysia too!
WAROENG PENYET
Blk 81, #01-638
Marine Parade Central
Tel: 6344-1235
Blk 5, #01-2011
Changi Village Road
Tel: 6546-0804
Jurong Cafe Foodcourt
Blk 134, #01-309
Jurong East St 13
Tel: 9679-4623
I had mine for the first time at Changi Village food centre. There are a few stalls selling it. I wasn't sure which is the 'original' stall. The chicken was nicely fried, very tender, with tempeh and some deep fried chicken liver. For the price of $3.50 to $4, I think it's reasonable.
ReplyDeletenice blog u hv =)
ReplyDeletesingapore?! thx for the review i know what to eat while i'm there nex month! awww~
i tried ayam penyet at lucky plaza, the chilli is SUPERBLY HOT, but i love it. haha. shalltry waroeng penyet next time! :)
ReplyDeletehttp://jaime-la-nourriture.blogspot.com/search/label/Chicken
bumped into it last week at jurong east..not a big fan too but the idea of fried chicken+sambal+rice is too much to resist. this place's been getting positive reviews in malaysia as well.
ReplyDeleteHad not eaten ayam penyet for a long time. Tried the one at Marine Parade FC today n found it was good. Chicken fresh n crispy, chilli hot but not too spicy.Rice not so flavourable compare to the Changi V.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Has anyone tried the other penyet varieties? Most shops have the beef, pomfret, prawns, catfish, and meatball/bakso penyet. I never hear people raving about these though.
ReplyDeletetried at jurong east today and it sucks!!!!
ReplyDeletechicken was dry
beancurb was overnight and sour taste...
overall not worth the $5...
for stale, dry , left overnight kinda of chicken rice
Thanks for the tip, anon! But in general, I wouldn't eat stuff from food court outposts. I doubt they are cooked there. More likely shuttled from some other kitchen.
ReplyDelete