Ashes Burnnit : a new muslim-owned burger joint

Lee Syafiq, 26, the owner, started this burger joint on 16 September 2019, taken over the stall where Burgs by Project Warung used to be. He is the co-founder of Burgs by Project Warung, a local burger brand that he started 3 years ago with 2 partners. He used to work for Terra Tokyo Italian, one Michelin-starred restaurant and he met one of his partners there. Syafiq was there to take my order. I asked, "What do you recommend?" He replied, "Do you eat beef? if yes, you might want to try the Truffle Mushroom Burger. If not, the Best of Both World Burger to try everything."  I decided to order Fried Chicken Burger and the Best of Both World Burger. He asked, "Single or double patties?" I said, "Single for the Fried Chicken Burger and double for the Best of Both World Burger". 

While waiting to pay, I asked him, "Is this stall related to the previous one?" I continued to say, "I saw the announcement of the Facebook page of Burgs." He replied, "I am one of the co-founders of Burg. " He also said, "We ever tried to launch a different menu when running Burgs but it caused confusion to our customers. That is the reason we set up this stall to differentiate from them." He said, "We are different team but under the same owner." Nonetheless, a post was issued by Burgs by Project Warung on their Facebook page, claimed that they have ceased operation at Golden Mile Food Centre and they are not affiliated with the current stall. What exactly is going on? Theoretically, it was right to say that it is a different team but the same owner as he co-founded Burgs. 

A buzzer was given after paying up and it buzzed in just a while. Both burgers are served with fries. The Best of Both World Burger is $9.00 for the single patty and $11.50 for double patties. It consists of 2 handcrafted beef patties, smoked turkey bacon, parmesan mozzarella cheese that is added to the mac n cheese as described on their menu board. 

I felt the beef patties were a bit too dry and not as flavorful. It is a unique creation but it did not taste too special and not quite memorable. I did not like charcoal buns, the texture was not fluffy enough and a little too dry.

My dining companion said, "The texture of fries is crispy but it did not seem to have much taste. The mac n cheese also did not have much cheese taste." 

The Fried Chicken Burger is $5.90 for the single patty and $7.90 for the double patties. The burger consists of a piece of fried chicken as patty served with sriracha mayonnaise and lettuce. 

My dining companion said, 'It is the sauce that makes it special, other than it is just a normal Fried Chicken Burger that did not quite stand out."

There are other interesting burgers on the menu, like Ashes Smash Cheese Burger, Truffle Mushroom Burger, and Grilled Chicken Burger as well as the Froissant, icecream-filled croissant to try.

ASHES BURNNIT

505 Beach Road #B1-24 Golden Mile Food Centre SINGAPORE

Operating Hours: 11.30 am to 8.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Milah Hokkaido Curry Puff at Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre

My dining companion told me about this stall after he went walking around the food centre. He said, "There is an interesting curry puff located at that corner." I decided to go check it out. When I was there, the "Hokkaido Curry Puff" on the signboard actually caught my attention. They are using 100% "Wonderful Traded Flour" from Hokkaido as indicated on their signboard. This is a halal stall owned by a Malay owner.

The friendly owner spotted me and he asked, "Any curry puff for you?" I asked, "What exactly is Hokkaido Curry Puff?" He pointed at the paper bag that has "Tokachi Mill Factory" printed on it together with some Japanese characters and said, "I am using the flour from Hokkaido to make all these curry puffs." He added, "There are different flavors ranging from the usual potato and sardine to cheese potato and mentaiko cheese potato." I asked, "How long have you been running this stall?" He answered, "We have been around for about 7 months." It is 1 piece for $1.20 or 3 pieces for $3.00. I decided to get one of each of the remaining flavors for a total of $4.20. 

We tried the sardine flavor and the potato flavor first, it actually tasted just like the usual curry puffs from the Malay stalls. We then tried the mentaiko cheese potato, it did not have the taste of mentaiko though we could actually see it amongst the filling. And, the cheese potato flavor did not have the taste of cheese in it. My dining companion said, "Though they claimed to use flour from Hokkaido, I could not quite tell the difference. It did not seem to have much effect in enhancing the texture of those puffs."

The size of these curry puffs is quite small. 

The owner seems to be passionate enough to keep this stall going and perhaps, give it more time and it will get better. 

MILAH HOKKAIDO CURRY PUFF

31 Commonwealth Crescent #02-64 Commonwealth Crescent Food Centre SINGAPORE 149644

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 6.00 pm (Mon to Fri) / 9.00 am to 5.00 pm (Sat & Sun)

(Closed on Thursdays)

Yes! Nasi Kukus : Steamed Rice Fried Chicken

The owner is from Kelantan, Malaysia and he acquired the skills from Mujur Catering, a famous caterer there before setting up his stall at Jurong East in November 2017 and moving to Woodlands in June 2018. The stall is known for serving Nasi Kukus, it is steamed rice that is done traditionally in individual aluminum cups and cooked in a metal steamer to supposedly achieve a fluffier and softer texture. Nasi Dagang, a mixture of normal and red rice that is cooked in coconut milk is also available. There was a queue when we were there on a Sunday for lunch. They are located in a coffee shop that is a distance from Woodlands MRT. 

Nasi Kukus though not as common but it is not exactly something new. There was a Nasi Lemak Kukus that started in a shop along Upper Thomson Road before moving to Selegie followed by Toa Payoh, it was closed for good in December 2018. 

Nasi Kukus with Signature Fried Chicken ($5) is listed as Set 1 on their menu, it is likely to be the most popular item as most of their customers ordered it so we ordered too. My dining companion said, "Maybe we should order another set with Nasi Dagang but he changed his mind later as almost everyone in the queue wanted it with Nasi Kukus. Nasi Dagang is available at an extra $0.50. I wanted to order set 2, Nasi Kukus with Fried Pomfret Fish ($6) but was told it is not available. I went with set 2, Nasi Kukus with Curry Chicken ($4) and added an extra piece of Fried Chicken ($4). The sets came with half of a boiled egg and a portion of achar. 

The rice was slightly disappointing. My dining companion said, "It did not taste as nice as the one from Nasi Lemak Kukus. It is actually just plain steamed rice that did not taste much different. Maybe, Nasi Dagang might be a better choice after all." We agreed that the Fried Chicken tasted nice. It was fried well to perfect crispiness but still retained its juiciness with the flavors of fennel seeds and turmeric. The level of spiciness of the chilli was rather manageable. The Curry Chicken tasted just fine, the texture of the chicken was noticeably soft.

My dining companion also said, "This coffee shop is so out of the way. I would not actually come all the way here just to eat this." 

YES! NASI KUKUS

Block 573 Woodlands Drive 53 SINGAPORE 732573

Operating Hours: 10.30 am to 9.00 pm (Daily)

Beef Up : Halal-certified Taiwanese food

This stall is started by Jeremy, Ronald, and Rohaizzatd using a recipe from Jeremy's mother who is a Taiwanese. This is probably the only halal-certified Taiwanese food in Singapore. It is located at Grains & Hops Food Court Bistro in the industrial area of Toa Payoh North. I ordered the Beef Noodle ($6.50/$8.00) and I was asked to choose between the 2 different types of handmade noodles, the thinner type and the broader type like those noodles at the ban mian stalls. I also ordered Chicken Cutlet Rice Set ($7.00) and Chicken Bits ($3.00). I was asked to choose between Black Pepper, Seaweed and Plum which I opted for Seaweed. I am not adventurous enough to try their Braised Chicken Lu Rou Fan, which is different from the traditional Lu Rou Fan that is using the pork belly.

I was not informed that I will have to look out for the number on LED panel and match it against the number on the receipt for collection. I actually waited at the counter for a bit before realizing it. I waited for close to 25 minutes before the Beef Noodle was ready. I was told to come back later for the Chicken Cutlet Bento and the Chicken Bits. I waited for another 10 minutes or so and it is still not ready. I chatted with another customer that has also waited quite long for her order. There was only 2 of them manning the stall, one was doing the cooking and the other was attending to the customers. 

Those beef chunks were a bit too lean thus it did not taste as soft as I liked it. My dining companion used to work in Taiwan and he felt that the Beef Noodle has a certain resemblance to what he used to eat there. He said, "It is quite nice. It would be even nicer if the beef is slightly fattier." 

The Chicken Cutlet Rice Set was quite disappointing. The chicken cutlet tasted quite bland. My dining companion, said, "I would expect them to sprinkle some chilli powder like how it usually served the chicken cutlet in Taiwan." He also said, "They are using the normal rice and not the more expensive pearl rice." It was served with pieces of carrot and cucumber together with preserved radish that did not have much taste. 

The Chicken Bits have already turned cold when it was served. It tasted equally bland as I could not taste the seaweed seasoning that it was supposed to have.

I do not think I liked it enough to come back again soon.

BEEF UP
Block 978 Toa Payoh North #02-01 SINGAPORE 319001
Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 8.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

Che' Rose Nasi Padang : Chicken Rendang

I have walked past this stall many times but never really thought of trying. The "probably the best Rendang in Singapore" on their signboard has managed to catch my attention though. This stall used to be at Toa Payoh Lorong 2 before moving to this coffee and it has been here for a few years. Che' Rose, the founder, has been selling Nasi Padang since 1968, using the recipes that handed down from her grandparents. Her son and his wife are planning to take over the stall. 

We were there for lunch on a Sunday and most of their dishes have already finished. I asked, "Chicken Rendang is the popular dish here?" The lady smiled and nodded. She wanted to give me a chicken drumstick but I asked for a bigger piece so she suggested that I should take the breast part. There were not many choices left so I went with a Sambal Egg and Ikan Belis with peanuts. She added a bit of achar, too. I paid $6.00 for it.

The Chicken Rendang is the dry version, the rendang sauce is only added to the fried chicken when is about to be served. My dining companion said, "It is not bad but I do not think this is the best Rendang in Singapore." It was slightly tough as it is usually so from the breast part. The sauce somewhat reminded me of curry sauce that has a mild spiciness. I have not tasted another Chicken Rendang to actually compare but this particular one was not quite memorable. The Sambal Egg and the Ikan Belis with peanuts were just normal. I might just come early someday to try the other dishes that were not available on that day. 

CHE' ROSE NASI PADANG

Block 128 Toa Payoh Lorong 1 #01-811 SINGAPORE 310128

Operating Hours: 7.00 am to 3.00 pm (Closed on Fridays)

Fatty Bombom Sizzle at Toa Payoh North

We were there at about 5 pm but the light of the signboard of this stall was still off even though it is stated on their Facebook page that they are starting at 5 pm. There were also other customers waiting as well followed by more and more customers coming to wait. This seemed to be the most popular stall amongst the others in the hipster foodcourt. Their food must be of a certain standard to be this popular. 

At 5.20 pm, the staff was spotted walking into the stall. The chap at the counter offered to take my order when I was looking at the menu board. He said, "We will only start cooking at 5.30 pm." I decided to go with Cajun Chicken ($6.90) and Crunchy Chicken ($7.20). I was given a buzzer after paying up. We waited till 5.50 pm to receive the orders despite I was the first customer to order. The Cajun Chicken was ready first followed by the Crunchy Chicken. 

The Cajun Chicken did not taste quite like it. What exactly is Cajun? Cajun is relating to a style of cooking originating amongst the Cajuns and characterized by the use of spicy seasonings such as cayenne pepper and paprika. In this instance, I could not taste the spiciness in the seasoning. The chicken was served in a pool of brown sauce and totally covered by the same sauce, which I suspected to be the black pepper sauce. It might be more appropriate if they named it Back Pepper Chicken instead. By the way, there is also a Black Pepper Chicken on their menu. Did they mess up the order? I am quite certain that it was not Cajun Chicken. The chicken tasted quite bland without the sauce. 

The chunky fries were sprinkled with Cajun seasoning though, the spiciness though mild but quite distinctive. 

I could not understand why did they serve coleslaw on the hotplate? It is supposed to be served cold and not warm. They actually placed it on a leaf of lettuce but it did not keep the heat away. They should have it served separately since there are no other choices for side dishes.

The Crunchy Chicken did not fare any better. It was served along with mayonnaise. It was fried well to a notable crunchiness but the meat was surprisingly bland as well.

My dining companion commented that their popularity might have to do with the limited options of halal Western food which I agreed. There is actually a better Western food stall nearby but not halal-certified though.

When I met up with KF Seetoh, the founder of Makansutra, for the first time for an interview for a writing position. He clearly told me that "Nice say nice and not nice say not nice". I have been following this principle all this while and trying to stay objective. Some might think that writing a negative review will have an indirect impact on the establishment. While writing for Makansutra, I went to review OMGrill, a stall manned by the winner of Wok Star, a local TV cooking programme. He was offered a stall in the coffee shop rent-free for the first 6 months by a particular F & B group as part of the prizes. Apparently, the stall did not make it and closed after a while. I seriously do not think my honest review has directly contributed to its closure. 

FATTY BOMBOM SIZZLE

978 Toa Payoh North Grains & Hops Food Court Bistro SINGAPORE 319001

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 3.30 pm / 5.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Closed on Sundays)

Nadim's Delights : that forgettable cheese loaded burger

I headed to Jurong West to look for the Penang Fried Kway Teow recommended by a friend at one of the coffee shops there. The popular cheese loaded burger is at the coffee shop nearby by a Muslim-owned Western food stall that opened in last November. I went looking for it after having the Penang Fried Kway Teow. There is only a coffee shop at Block 508 but I walked past and overlooked this stall, I walked back when I realized it got to be in that coffee shop since there is no other coffee shop in that block. 

It was the only customer at 1.10 pm. The hype must have already died down. There was no one at the stall. I waited for a bit before the lady seated at the table in front of the stall stood up. I showed her the picture of that infamous burger on my phone and said, "This one, please." She asked, "Do you want the chicken or beef burger?" And, I asked, "Which one do you recommend?" She said, "The one with the chicken came with 2 pieces of fried chicken patties and as for the beef burger, it is served with a slice of Ribeye steak and black pepper sauce." I decided to go with the Chicken Burger Banjir for $7.50, it is the same price for the Beef Burger Banjir as well. There are also Black Pepper Steak, Chicken Chop and Fish & Stick on the menu. I was given a buzzer for collection later and quite unexpectedly, it buzzed in just a couple of minutes. 

The Burger Banjir, which means "flooded burger", was placed in a paper box together with some fries and baked beans by the side then loaded with cheese sauce and served along with plastic cutlery. It consists of 2 fried chicken patties with a piece of cheese and sandwiched in between the buns with a dash of dried parsley lightly sprinkled on the top of the bun. The presentation was rather sloppy. 

My dining companion, said, "Why are they putting coleslaw in the burger? It didn't go too well." The next disappointment has to be their choice of chicken patties, it tasted like those frozen ones that are readily available in the supermarkets. And, it reminded me of Ramly Burger, in fact, an upgraded version but inferior in taste. The ultimate disappointment has to be the nacho cheese sauce, it was kind of diluted and watery and it did not actually taste like cheese.

This was none other than a forgettable and rather gimmicky burger.

NADIM'S DELIGHTS

Block 508 Jurong West Street 52 Ayza's Restaurant SINGAPORE 640508

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 3.00 pm / 5.00 pm to 9.50 pm (Daily)

Kakak Kentang : giant fried potato ball

Started by the Dapur Ummi Abdullah Dining Group headed by Chef Ummi in November 2017, this stall at FOMO, serving jumbo fried mashed potato balls. This is the most popular stall in this latest hipster food court at Sultan Gate, in the heart of Kampung Glam. 

There are 2 choices, Bombistik and Chikabom, the regular-sized at $6.90 and the large-sized at $9.90. The Bombistik is stuffed with minced beef in tomato bistik gravy and Chikabom is filled with minced chicken, served with chicken soup soto gravy. They are also serving snacks like Abang Popiah for $2 and if you get 3, it will be only for $5, there is also Adik Char Kuay for $5.90.

When ordering, I asked, pointing at the pictures of Bombistik and Chikabom just beside the counter, "Which one would you recommend?" The lady at the counter, replied, "Both are nice." I then decided to go with Chikabom but could not quite make up my mind whether to go for the regular-sized or the large-sized. There was another customer collecting her order. I pointed to her bowls and asked, "This is regular-sized or large-sized?", the same lady replied, "That's regular.". And, I said, "Regular-sized for me then, the large one is a bit too much." I was told to just wait at the counter as I was the only customer at that time as they were already in the midst of preparing the order. While waiting, I took notice of the sample on display to show the actual size of the potato balls. 

My order was ready in few minutes. Chikabom is actually the upgraded version of bergedil, a Malay-style fried potato patty, in a bigger size and served in chicken soup soto gravy topped with shredded carrot and radish with dried shallots. The fried potato ball turned soggy rather quickly after soaked in the gravy for a while. 

It tasted just like the usual bergedil, that is available at those Malay stalls, to go with Mee Siam or Mee Rebus, or as part of the selection for Nasi Padang, at a smaller size and cheaper in price. 

KAKAK KENTANG

38 Sultan Gate FOMO Singapore 198486

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 9.00 pm (Mon to Thu) / 3.00 pm to 9.00 pm (Fri)
12.00 pm to 12.00 am (Sat & Sun)

Noods & Meats : a Muslim-owned Western food stall at Yishun

This is a Muslim-owned Western food stall located in the coffee shop near Yishun Park Hawker Centre, it started by Chef Fidauz Nasir, a former Executive Chef of Arteastiq on 17 December 2017. They are specialized in handmade noodles and in-house smoked meats. 

We were there on a Sunday for lunch. Their menu is pretty extensive but some of the items were sold out, including the Bebek Meat listed as item A9 on their menu for $12.90, it is a duck confit served in their secret sauce with sous vide egg and vegetables that we wanted to order. We decided to go with item A11, listed as Chope Chicken for $10.90, it is a Chicken Leg Confit served with coleslaw, beans stew and sunny side up egg. I was given a choice to choose between the butter rice, fries, mashed potato and potato salad as a side dish but potato salad was not available then. We also went ahead to select item B1, listed as Burnt End for $6.90, it consists of in-house Beef Brisket that was smoked for 12 hours with their secret sauce and Thai asparagus. Every bun dish is served with french fries. 

After done with ordering and payment, I was told that they will call the number on the receipt when it is ready for collection. We were expected to hang around there as the coffee shop was quite crowded on a Sunday and there was quite a high chance that we might miss it if we seated too far. When it was ready, the assistant shouted really loud and shouted it twice. We collected both dishes at the same time. 

Burnt End, is none other than a pile of beef brisket served in a sweet bun and with Thai asparagus. The beef brisket was smoked in-house for a relatively long 12 hours. Every bun dish is served with french fries, it was quite a big pile of shoestring fries. Their secret "shiok" sauce did not taste as impressive as we expected it to be.

The presentation was indeed messy thus, not too appealing. My dining companion thought it actually tasted better than its look. The beef brisket was nicely flavored and it would be nicer if it is more tender. The bun was situated in a pool of sauce and its base turned slightly soggy. It was quite nice, as commented by my dining companion, in fact, it is the better one amongst the 2 dishes. 

Chope Chicken, not a whole chicken leg was used but the boneless one. It was suspected not done in confit method as described on their menu but grilled. What is confit? It is a method of cooking food in its own fat, oil or a water syrup at a low temperature, which is likely not in this case. It was confusing and misleading as well, it should be just called a grilled chicken chop and by calling it Chope Chicken, it did not quite make sense too. When googled for the meaning of "chope", it refers to reserve a place, such as a seat, sometimes by placing a packet of tissue paper on it. 

A sunny side up was placed on top of the chicken, accompanied by the coleslaw, mashed potato with a mixture of baked beans and green peas. After tasting it, my dining companion was saying he prefers the chicken chop served at the western food stall in Yishun Park Hawker Centre just a stone's throw away. He commented that the chicken, though nicely cooked but was a bit too thick, mildly flavored and with soggy skin. The mashed potato did not have much taste and the coleslaw was not as good too, it is also more expensive. The dish was garnished with chopped spring onions and some crispy bits, its presentation was quite messy.  

They are only in operation for about a month and perhaps, give it a bit more time and they will get better. 

NOODS & MEATS

414 Yishun Ring Road Broadway Coffeeshop SINGAPORE 760414

Operating Hours: 12.00 pm to 8.30 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Aspirasi : Fried Chicken Rice

This is one of the oldest stalls that has been in this food centre for quite a while, a Muslim-owned stall that serves Fried Chicken Rice. There are the normal Chicken Rice ($3.50), Sambal Chicken Rice ($4.00), Sweet & Sour Chicken Rice ($4.00), Lemon Chicken Rice ($4.00), Black & Pepper Chicken Rice ($4.00), Penyet Chicken Rice ($5.00), Fried Rice with Chicken ($5.00) and Tomato Fried Rice with Sambal Chicken ($5.50). There are various choices to choose from, something for everyone on the menu. 

I decided to go with the Penyet Chicken Rice. The fried chicken came nicely smashed-up, accompanied by a pile of raw shredded cabbage topped with sambal chili, a slice of cucumber and a cherry tomato, together with a bowl of soup. The well-seasoned chicken was nicely fried to have the delightful crispiness, it was flavorful to eat it without the chili. The spiciness of the chilli can be quite intimidating so go easy.

ASPIRASI

2 Seah Im Road #01-45 Seah Im Food Centre SINGAPORE 099114

Operating Hours: 11.00 am to 9.00 pm (Closed on Mondays)

Alhambra Padang Satay : Duck Satay

This is their new outlet at this coffee shop along New Upper Changi Road, apart from their original outlet at Makansutra Glutton Bay. They serve different types of satay and has taken part in food events like the Singapore Day as well as the World Street Food Congress. They first started a stall along the roadside near the Alhambra Theatre in Beach Road before relocating to the now-defunct Satay Club at Elizabeth Walk. They are still freshly made the satay using a recipe that has been passed down the first generation.

I ordered a set of Duck Satay for $10. I was asked to take a seat by Sam Hussin, the friendly owner, as it will be served to my table.

The Duck Satay is the most expensive on the menu, it consists of 10 sticks and a Katupat for $10.00. It was served in 10 minutes with 2 bowls of satay sauce with chunks of cucumber and onion. 

The texture was just right but we could not quite tell it was made of duck meat as the marination was slightly overwhelmed. My dining companion was saying, "If you did not tell me this is duck meat, I would think it is mutton."

The satay sauce was amongst the best that I have tasted. It was thick with bits of peanuts in it and a slight spiciness. 

ALHAMBRA PADANG SATAY

Block 56 New Upper Changi Road #01-1314 Kopi Kia SINGAPORE 461056 

Operating Hours: 3.00 pm to 10.00 pm (Daily)