Ayam Penyat Ria: Smashed Chicken in Town

Ayam Penyat, which means "Smashed Fried Chicken", is a famous Indonesian dish consisting Fried Chicken (Smashed to make it softer), cucumber,  Sambal Chili and tempeh. I first got introduced to this dish when I was in NUS, where there was a pretty famous stall in the Engineering Faculty Canteen and the top level of The Deck. Now that I have graduated, I hardly have a chance to eat Ayam Penyat outside. So when Dawn mentioned she missed the Ayam Penyat there, I thought a trip into Lucky Plaza would prove to be more convenient and equally good.

Within Lucky Plaza, there are more than 3 different restaurants specializing in Ayam Penyat, so making a decision could be tricky. Dawn did some research (through blog and review sites) and we decided on Ayam Penyat Ria. When we reached the restaurant, the queue outside hinted that we may have made the right choice. A little advice: Don't be put off by the queue outside, the turnover rate for this place is really quick, so just be a little patient and it will be your turn real quick.

The Food

Obviously, we ordered the Ayam Penyat. There are two elements to this dish (actually three if you count the rice) - the Smashed Chicken and the Chili. The chicken (as mentioned) is usually smashed to make it softer. In this case, the chicken is indeed soft, juicy and easy to eat - easily my favorite feature of this dish.  The Chili looks really innocent, but packs a punch when you mix it with your rice/chicken. If you got a decent tolerance for spicy-ness, this goes great with the chicken and rice. The only complain I have for this dish is the size of the chicken. For some reason, our chicken was pretty small (compared to surrounding tables). Maybe we just drew the wrong end of the stick.

Our shared dish was the Tahu Telor - fried "Tahu" with omelette. As I'm not a fan (actually to the point of dislike) of Tahu, I won't put in my review of this dish. According to Dawn, the Tahu Telor here is only average at best. The fried egg was not very fragrant as well. The best part of the dish was the sauce, but they didn't give enough of it.

The Keropok here deserves special mention. Sometimes, the crackers you get have been out for long and have lost their crisp. Not for here. Despite being into the last 1/2 hour of service, their crackers are still crispy and tasted fresh. I wouldn't mind another plate if it didn't cost $1.60 for a mere few piecees.

We ordered the Iced Chendol and "Happy Soda" (which actually is Fizzy Bandung) to quench our thirst. I actually like the fizzy bandung but once again, the portions could have been much bigger.

The Price

The food here is definitely a considerable cheaper "restaurant" option as compared to the restaurants in town. However, due to its location (there is always a "town premium" when eating in Orchard), it is actually pretty pricey. Here's the breakdown - Ayam Penyat ($7.40), Tahu Telor ($6.10), Chendol Ice ($3.60), Fizzy Bandung ($2.30) and Keropok ($1.60). We paid around $15 pax for the meal.

Overall, the food here is pretty decent and given the crowd, seems like a popular choice. My complains include the less-than-satisfying portions and the fast-food style ordering (it was a hassle if you want to add on small orders after ordering). The food came really quickly so you can expect a fast turnover rate for the consumers. Given the number of choices within Lucky Plaza, I can't help but feel that there are better options out there. So I probably have to try the others (here and all over Singapore) before putting down any judgement. For now, I think it's a "worth-a-try" standard.

Ayam Penyat Ria
Lucky Plaza #01-45/46/47, Orchard Road
Tel: 6235  6390
11 am - 9 pm
Every Day Open

Rush Hour (Foodie Edition) Part III: From Fast-Food to 3-Stars, We have it all

Finding food in New York City can be very easy and daunting at the same time. The choices you have are so tremendous that it might become overwhelming and confusing, which is why it is important to have a strategy and the necessary tools to narrow down the choices in search of food.

My strategy - Since there is an abundance of food choices, I'll plan my food according to the places of interests. So in the case of my 3-day rush, I'll always find recommended food around the area (e.g. Lower Manhattan, SoHo, Upper East Side, etc) and plan my time and route accordingly.

My tools - Friends and Yelp. Obviously having a friend recommend places gives me a sense of security and an assurance that at least someone has liked it enough to recommend it. If I run out of friends' recommendation, the Yelp application is also another useful tool that has proved to be successful most of the time.

Lets start with the first meal of the 3-day salvo.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries

The first day saw us rushing like man men and our breakfast was basically take-aways which I didn't document or photograph at all (breakfast was from some random Bagel stall while lunch was from another random Kebab mobile stalls, all near Central Park). They were pretty decent food but I'm pretty sure you can find similar ones all around.

Entering Five Guys Burgers & Fries

For dinner, we had a little time while waiting for the sky to turn dark for our ascend to the Top of the Rock, so we decided to give the highly-recommended Five Guys Burgers & Fries a try. 

We went to the one at 3rd Avenue & 44th Street (I have no idea why we skipped the two nearest ones to Rockafella Center), but there are at least 6 other joints in Manhattan, so this fast food chain is pretty much accessible from any place in Manhattan.

Menu

The menu itself was pretty much the standard fare - Beef or Bacon Burger (with 2 different size), dogs with different toppings, sandwiches and fries. As the name goes by, we were told that they were famous for their Fries. So we ordered their Cajun Fries and I had the Cheese Dog to go with it.

Cajun Fries

First up - the Cajun Fries. What is "Cajun" actually? Truthfully, even after googling, I wasn't too sure. I always thought it was some special spices but it turns out to be a specific cooking style that has French, Canadian, African and Native American influence. I'll put a pin in that one for now.

Read on to see how good the fries were and for my take on 3-Michelin Star Restaurant Daniel

Taking a Bite into the Big Apple Day 2 - Chelsea Market, Time Square & Shake Stack

Day 2 of the trip started with an early morning breakfast at the Chelsea Market. This former National Biscuit Company factory complex (where Oreo was born) isn't your typical weekend Markets, but rather an enclosed shopping mall with various food stalls, flea-market type shops and offices within it.

Welcome to the Chelsea Market

Obviously, I was most interested in the food selection there. I knew beforehand that they have a wide selection, but I didn't know it was going to be THAT many choices. I was pretty much at a loss on what to start with. Oddly, we chose proximity over the natural palate progression (bread - mains - desserts). We started with desserts - Elena's Cupcakes. Located near the entrance, the colorful array of cupcakes and cookies caught our eyes and we were naturally drawn inside.

Cupcakes

Cookies

Gift Boxes

We ordered the Chocolate Ganache Cupcake and the Red Velvet Cupcake. The red velvet was a pretty decent but nothing to rave about. However the Chocolate Ganache Cupcake was awesome. The chocolate ganache is so rich that it overwhelmed me on the first bite. Despite its richness, the texture is thick (yet it doesn't become the usual chocolate) enough to ensure that I don't get sick of it on further bites. A certain must-try!

Fine Selections

Chocolate Ganache

Red Velvet

Elenis

Next up, we headed to the famous Amy's Bread where they make their own bread and pastries right inside Chelsea Market. It was pretty interesting to see the bakers at work.

Fresh bread all-day

Bakers hard at work

The selection of bread and pastries was amazing. I'll let the pictures do the work.

Take your pick...

Alright, they might not have as much pastries as they have with bread, but the selection is still pretty amazing. We tried their special Amy's Bread special bread. I would say that the freshness of the bread and the quality of their bakery is certainly reflected in the bread. However, it's definitely not a life-changing experience that will win any bread-haters over (maybe it'll win some hearts of the neutrals). All bread lovers, you have to try this shop.

Our Order

Amy's Bread 

 The last place that we went is the famous The Lobster Place. Everyone has been telling to try the soup here and I should never leave Chelsea Market without exploring this place. And the moment I stepping into the shop, I knew the reason behind all the hype.

Lets take a tour...

Entrance to the Lobster Place

Cashier

Sushi Section 

Menu for the day

Overview of the place

Here are the food selections... (We tried the clam chowder and it was really good. It was hot and creamy and a perfect way to start any meal).

Clams and more clams

One of the many fish stations

Lobsters Galore

Raw Salmon

Dragon Roll

 After our breakfast, we made preparation for our 2nd activity of the day - Broadway Musical. We headed down to Time Squares to get our tickets and took the chance to walk around.

This is basically the 3rd time I'm taking a walk around Times Square and it still feels the same as my first time. The energy in this place is amazing and it seems to renew itself repeatedly. There is always a sense of expectancy is this area, like everyone is waiting for something to happen. It is the energy and this sense of expectancy that keeps drawing hordes of people back to this place. Simply hanging out in the middle of Times Square is already an experience on its own. 

After Times Square, our stomach brought us to the Shake Stack which is famous for both its Milkshake and Burgers (i.e. Stack). The long queue didn't deter us and we joined the queue expecting to wait for at least an hour. However, the staff were efficient and we got our food is less than 1/2 hour. 

Front of the Shop - Shake Shack

Crowded at Lunch Time

The Menu itself was easy to understand and pretty much self explanatory - choose a burger, grab a fries and pick your shake. The only bad thing is that there is no set meals, so basically everything adds up to a pretty expensive price for a set meal. The good thing - you can choose not to have one of the selection if ain't feeling too hungry. Oh and they have their daily special Shakes flavor, so do find out beforehand on their website if you are there for their shakes. 

Drinks Menu for Shake Stack

I ordered their Shack Stack Buger, which is basically a combination of their Cheeseburger and Vegetarian Shroom Burger. It comes with a patty of of beef and a patty of Vegetarian Portobello filled with melted Muenster and Cheddar cheeses. This was the first time I was more impressed with the vegetarian patty than the meat patty. The beef patty was so-so but the portobello and melted cheese combination was so good that I was so tempted to get another vegetarian burger. The melted cheese adds a tasty flavor the mushrooms and the crispy outer layer puts a wonderful icing to the lovely burger. A double must-try for all. 

Shack Burger and Cheese Burger

Shared a Plate of Cheese Fries

The Vegetarian Patty of my Shack Burger

After a quick meal at Shake Shack (which we were very tempted to come back again), we went for our Spiderman Musical. My advice for all musical-loving people out there - DO NOT GO! The musical is a good show for Kids looking for action, with the Spiderman stuntmen zipping around the theatre fighting the green goblin. But as a musical, it fails in many levels. The singing was below average, the plot was worse than any movies that was produced and overall it was a bore throughout. As my friend Andre puts it: "If this was a side show in Universal Studios, it would be worth the time, but as a Musical, its a no-go." Here are some photos:

Interior of the Theatre 

Souvenirs for Spidey Fans

Spider Man, Turn off the Dark

Foxwoods Theatre